There are no perfect words to describe what Amber did for me and my family, but I can say this with my whole heart: I will never forget her for as long as I live. On Halloween morning, we woke up to the unimaginable. Our precious baby was not breathing. My four-month-old baby boy, who was always smiling, was no longer smiling or here with us. We called 911, we did CPR, we watched them work on our baby until they loaded my sweet baby up in an ambulance all by himself. We rushed to Horizon Medical Center, scared, confused, and already shattered. I ran inside asking where my son was, and after what felt like forever, we were taken to a small room, and that is where my world completely broke apart, where I was told that he was gone. 

Then there was Amber. She was the nurse who gently took my arm and walked me to my son. I couldn't see straight, couldn't think, couldn't breathe, the world was spinning, but Amber never let go. We turned the corner, and there was my perfect little boy, tucked in a big hospital bed. My legs buckled beneath me, but Amber held me up. She physically caught me when I was falling, and emotionally, she never let me go. What I remember so clearly is that she never once spoke about my son in the past tense. She just kept telling me how perfect he is. She encouraged me to hold him, to love him, and to soak in every last second. She wasn't just doing a job, she was giving me moments with my baby I will never get back, and she made every one of them matter. 

Amber never made me feel rushed or like I was just another patient. She sat with us, stayed with us, and was fully present. We arrived right around shift change, and whether her shift was ending or not, it didn't matter. She stayed. She stayed until I had to do the unthinkable: place my son into the body bag and say goodbye as he was taken to the medical examiner. She stayed through every heart-wrenching minute. Amber's compassion, her empathy, and her quiet strength on the worst day of my life are the definition of The DAISY Award.

She didn't just do her job; she carried my pain with me. She didn't let me fall apart alone. She gave me dignity, space, comfort, and love when I didn't even know how to ask for it. She made sure I wasn't just a mom who lost her baby; she saw me, and she made sure I got to be one to him for the last time ever. And that will stay with me forever. Our son was and is our sunshine. He had the sweetest dimples, the biggest smile, and a loving little personality that lit up every room. He gave us so much in his four short months on this earth. He is the light that continues to shine in my life, and on that day, Amber was the light who met me in the dark. I will never forget the way she held me up and helped me say goodbye. She was my angel that day.