Meghan Harden
March 2026
Meghan
Harden
,
BSN, RN
NICU
UW Health University Hospital
Madison
,
WI
United States
Her presence, her steadiness, and her love during those final hours meant the world to our family.
During our time in the AFCH NICU with our son W, who was born with AML, we were blessed to have Meghan as one of his nurses. From the very beginning, she knew him in a way no one else did-sometimes even better than we did. She loved him as if he were her own, and that kind of genuine, unconditional care is something we will never forget.
Meghan always made sure every one of our questions was answered during night rounds. She never settled for "I'm not sure"-she asked, followed up, and kept asking until she and we were satisfied with the answers. She advocated for our son relentlessly, and we feel as though she truly knew him.
One of her biggest acts of love was taking on the enormous task of organizing his Beads of Courage. She kept track of everything, and during his last few days, she ran around the entire hospital searching for missing beads so that his story would be complete. She even made a personalized name banner with ribbon from her wedding.
There was a night she spent the entire night trying to make something to figure out a way to get W on his belly because she thought it would help ease some of his pain. She often played country music for him because she thought W liked it. She even turned on his whale lights for him during his awake periods. Those little thoughtful acts meant the world to us. Meghan made us feel comfortable stepping out of the room, even when we didn't want to. We trusted her completely. We knew that if anything changed, she would be there for him and for us.
When he became extremely sick, Meghan came in on her day off to be there with W and with us. She didn't have to, but she chose to. Her presence, her steadiness, and her love during those final hours meant the world to our family. We will carry that kindness with us forever.
Meghan was more than a nurse to our son. She was his voice, his comfort, and one of his greatest protectors. Her compassion, dedication, and love carried us through some of the hardest days of our lives. She is the very definition of a DAISY Nurse, and we are forever grateful for the extraordinary care she gave our son and our family.
Meghan always made sure every one of our questions was answered during night rounds. She never settled for "I'm not sure"-she asked, followed up, and kept asking until she and we were satisfied with the answers. She advocated for our son relentlessly, and we feel as though she truly knew him.
One of her biggest acts of love was taking on the enormous task of organizing his Beads of Courage. She kept track of everything, and during his last few days, she ran around the entire hospital searching for missing beads so that his story would be complete. She even made a personalized name banner with ribbon from her wedding.
There was a night she spent the entire night trying to make something to figure out a way to get W on his belly because she thought it would help ease some of his pain. She often played country music for him because she thought W liked it. She even turned on his whale lights for him during his awake periods. Those little thoughtful acts meant the world to us. Meghan made us feel comfortable stepping out of the room, even when we didn't want to. We trusted her completely. We knew that if anything changed, she would be there for him and for us.
When he became extremely sick, Meghan came in on her day off to be there with W and with us. She didn't have to, but she chose to. Her presence, her steadiness, and her love during those final hours meant the world to our family. We will carry that kindness with us forever.
Meghan was more than a nurse to our son. She was his voice, his comfort, and one of his greatest protectors. Her compassion, dedication, and love carried us through some of the hardest days of our lives. She is the very definition of a DAISY Nurse, and we are forever grateful for the extraordinary care she gave our son and our family.