Nurse Anna took care of my son, OT at Children's National Hospital on his first night in PICU.  From the start she engaged with him and made him feel less nervous about being admitted. We had been hours at another hospital when the CT scan showed a brain lesion. Then, an ambulance over to the Children's Hospital ER for more hours and a CTA scan. By the time my son was admitted to PICU, he had been asking when we could go home and wondering why we were in the hospital.  As his mom, I was an emotional wreck.  My baby was looking at me for reassurance when I needed assurance myself.  Nurse Anna somehow got my usually shy boy talking and sharing that he was going to be Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog for Halloween. We had a fitful sleep that first night but woke to a printout of Knuckles that Anna had colored for him during the night, taped up to where it would be the first thing he saw upon waking up.  It was so incredibly touching for such a simple gesture, and yet I still cry thinking about it.  That one colorful, bright image in a sea of grays and unknowns. 

During the next 4 days in the PICU, OT would ask about Anna every day and wonder why she hadn't come back. I told him that Anna had been assigned to other kids in the unit.  Anna did pop in a couple of times to say hello, watch him play games.  I informed her we would bring his costume to the hospital since Halloween was the big day- OT's brain surgery! Anna came back to visit and asked him if he was going to wear his Knuckles costume all the way to the OR. Unfortunately, he was too lethargic to don his costume but was happy to see Anna again.

It was surreal to go from planning to go trick-or-treating on Halloween to having brain surgery instead.  OT's surgery was a success, and he was discharged 48 hours later, recovered at home, and is doing well. Since Anna never got to see OT in his costume, I am sending her a thank you card along with a photo.