It's hard to narrow down one specific moment when Katie made a meaningful difference in our experience because there are too many to count. On that first day, we met Katie, who greeted us at the NICU, and she radiated compassion in a way that instantly made us feel seen. Right away, she met us with care, empathy, and warmth. It was an instant connection. Her gentle interactions with our daughter and her supportive, calming demeanor toward my husband and me allowed us to take a breath and, for the first time, breathe a sigh of relief.

Katie is the type of nurse whose smile alone provides comfort and peace in a time of so much uncertainty. I had to leave my baby girl, who was only two days old at the time, in a cold hospital room. It was Katie's gentle voice that reassured us that she would be taken care of, and she truly meant it. All the nurses at PVH-NICU went above and beyond, but especially Katie. When you're the mother of a baby in the NICU, it feels like you're living under a constant cloud, one that hovers above you, never letting the sun through, and sometimes all it does is rain. But it was Katie's presence that allowed me to forget that cloud was there, even if just for a few minutes. The days she worked were the days I could breathe a little easier, because I knew that even though we weren't home, she was the closest feeling to home we had in the hospital. I know Katie has left her mark on our family, because I'm sure that every year, when my baby girl blows out her birthday candles, I’ll think back to our NICU days and I'll remember Nurse Katie May, who held a flashlight during our darkest times.