I was 38 weeks into my first pregnancy when I went into the OB-ED at St. Francis. I had only lightly entertained that something may be seriously wrong with my health, but after arriving, I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome. Kiersten was my nurse from the time I first got back into the room. She was immediately someone who was kind, calm, and explained everything she did surrounding my care. She was also there when they came in and told me I had HELLP. I was in total disbelief at first, as I had no complications or abnormal labs during my pregnancy up until that point - I was perfectly healthy.

My plan for care initially started out as an immediate induction and hopefully vaginal delivery, upon lab redraws became a C-section with epidural, and then turned into hopefully a section with a spinal block, and upon further labs and due to the rapidly progression of my condition became a C-section that would have to be done under general anesthesia - without my husband able to be present. All of this happened over just a couple of hours, and it was hard to adapt as fast as the news was coming. It seemed like every time someone entered my room they were giving me more bad news, and more and more was being taken away from my first delivery experience. It was the most heartbreaking way I could've imagined delivering my first baby going - literally something I had previously explained to friends and family as my "worst case scenario, nightmare delivery."

Kiersten was there for me the entire time. She was compassionate, empathetic, and simply listened as I sobbed about a number of things: not being able to choose my delivery, missing my baby's first cries, not having my husband to be there with me during delivery, not being able to meet my baby as she entered the world, & the list goes on. We were well past the end of her shift while she was doing all of this for me, and when it was time for my C-section, she offered to come in with me so that I wasn't alone. She held my hand as I cried in the OR before they put me to sleep, she held my baby while I was waking up in the recovery room, and she helped preserve the important firsts that I was going to miss. She made sure that when my husband and I met our baby, it was recorded, and took some of my daughter's first pictures while I was still too out of it, so that I could look back on them. I find myself pulling those back up quite often. Kiersten preserved every part of my delivery that she possibly could, and I could not be more appreciative of her for that. She saw me and supported me at my lowest of lows and in my most vulnerable state. Kiersten embodies what it is to be a nurse: empathetic, caring, knowledgeable, and a true advocate for her patients. There are very few parts of my delivery that I look back on and can smile about, but she is one of them. I truly feel she was part of an answered prayer, and I am blessed to have been able to have her as a nurse.

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Nurse Kiersten went above and beyond when caring for my sister in the emergency OB department! My sister had a completely unproblematic and low-risk pregnancy until she abruptly began having intense abdominal pain in the middle of the night. She went to St. Francis and was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome with the help of Nurse Kiersten. Thanks to her and the amazing medical team at St. Francis, my sister and my niece are both safe and healthy! Nurse Kiersten deserves to be honored with a DAISY Award to recognize her extraordinary compassion and care, as well as her skill as a nurse. 
 
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My wife's pregnancy had been as smooth as one could hope for until one night. That afternoon, she started feeling unwell and attributed it to indigestion or hunger, thinking it would pass on its own. We returned home around 10 PM that night and went to bed. That's when things took a turn for the worse. The pain she had been experiencing woke her up around 12:30 AM, and nothing seemed to alleviate it. After much deliberation, we decided to go to the hospital at around 2:30 AM. My wife was hesitant, worried it was nothing serious, and we would end up back home in the morning. This is where Kiersten entered our lives, unknowingly becoming the biggest blessing to me and my wife during the birth of our first child. Kiersten was the nurse who checked my wife in and took care of us. After some lab work, it quickly became apparent that this wasn't something minor. Kiersten returned with the nurse practitioner on call to inform my wife that she had been diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome and that we would need to deliver the baby. Initially, we believed my wife would be able to be induced and attempt a natural birth. However, as time went on, the likelihood of that happening diminished. Each time someone entered the room after delivering the diagnosis, it felt like the news had worsened. My wife's worst fear became reality when she would have to deliver the baby under full anesthesia, without me by her side. She had dreamed of giving birth naturally with both of us present to witness our child's first breath, but that dream quickly slipped away. Kiersten, though officially only on duty for the night shift, could see how distraught my wife was about the situation. She selflessly offered to stay as long as necessary to provide emotional support. When I was not permitted to enter the operating room, Kiersten held my wife's hand as she was wheeled away and comforted her during what was supposed to be one of the most joyous milestones in our marriage, a day that had now turned into a nightmare.

After the baby was delivered, Kiersten held our newborn in the recovery room and captured some incredibly special pictures and videos for us. These moments allowed us both to later look back on our child's first moments. Once my wife was out of surgery and awake, Kiersten brought our baby to us and recorded the moment we met her together for the very first time. The pictures and videos she took remain some of the few bright memories of that day, and we are endlessly thankful for the compassion and care she showed us. Kiersten was truly a godsend during one of my wife's darkest days, and we will forever be grateful to her for turning an otherwise devastating experience into one filled with love and warmth.