I met Nurse Rans the first night I was at the hospital after my family flew back to NY. I was destroyed emotionally, mentally, and physically. Meeting Rans that night was like a breath of fresh air. He had such a calming personality and voice. My son was 3 days old, and I didn't know what he looked like. I had given birth to him at another hospital (we were separated), and when I saw him, he was covered under the bilirubin lights. Nurse Rans showed me what he looked like for the first time. It was a special moment that I got to share with him and the nurse he was training.

A few days later, I was told about having primary nurses, and I asked for Rans to be my son's nighttime primary. From there on, I learned a lot from Rans. He was very knowledgeable and had helpful tips along the way. I also loved to see how he did things from a guy's point of view. Seeing him care for my son made my heart melt. He cared for him like he was his own. They had a bond together, and no one on the night shift knew my son as well as Rans. The daytime primary nurses always did footprints each week, but one week, they weren't around. Rans came up with a creative weekly footprint for my son one night and left it for me to see in the morning when I came back. This meant a lot to me since it wasn't something he did on the norm. I wish I could still see Rans and my son interacting. I miss seeing him weekly and having our evening chats. I'm so thankful that we met and hope we can cross paths again one day. I nominate Rans Sorensen for the DAISY Award for his professionalism, compassion, and kindness he provided for our 111 days of my son's NICU stay.