We had the good fortune of being cared for by Nurse Savannah when we were unexpectedly admitted from the Emergency Department. My son is what you would call a frequent flyer. We’ve lost count of how many times he has been to the ED and the number of his hospital stays. As a result, he developed PTSD and is deathly afraid of nurses and doctors.

During his entire hospital stay, Nurse Savannah was so kind to him, spoke to him as if he mattered, and respected his boundaries. She also carefully watched his symptoms and analyzed his I/Os. I know those are the things that nurses are supposed to do, but the way she did it, she eased his fears, and he felt respected. His appreciation for her was obvious when he hugged her after she gave him his meds and smiled. For this non-verbal child, that was like giving her the Gold Star.

She also communicated with him through his talking device and got a high five from him. We appreciate her initiative to go above and beyond to connect with him where he is at and in a way he could understand.