October 2023
April
Becker Diaz
,
BSN, RN, CBC, NTMTC
Infant Critical Care Unit
Children's Minnesota
Minneapolis
,
MN
United States
April and I would have “normal” conversations about food, traveling, family, and topics that helped me feel less alone. I always felt like I was talking to a friend, and never a nurse.
My daughter N was born with H.I.E. and due to the severity of her condition, my fiancé and I had to make a very hard choice to begin hospice care. We spent over a month in the hospital and met many nurses. All the nurses in Children's are wonderful, but there was something different about April. April was our nurse the day we transferred from the NICU to the ICC. April was so kind and took extra time to get to know us. She would even go as far as to ask us what we were eating for dinner for the night (we were completely living in the hospital and Doordashed a lot of meals). April and I would have “normal” conversations about food, traveling, family, and topics that helped me feel less alone. I always felt like I was talking to a friend, and never a nurse. We bonded over the love for lavender scent, and she even brought me a lavender pillow spray from home. I still have it and use it to this day. My fiancé and I learned that we were able to take our daughter home for her final days and were so excited to do so. The day we were leaving, I remember feelings anxious because April was on the late shift, and she hadn't got to say goodbye yet. Luckily, there were some delays, and we made it to the afternoon shift change. I remember how genuinely excited April was for us. After she helped us pack, take all the little memories from the room, including the butterfly name tag from outside our door, and helped us get N buckled into the car seat, it was time to say goodbye. I will never forget April’s face. Although we were all wearing masks at the time, you could see her excitement for us. With tears in her eyes, she told my daughter, “I’ll see you later sweet N” and gave us both a hug goodbye. April was not only an amazing nurse, but genuinely cared for our family. There are so many little things she went out of her way to do for us, I could write for hours. To this day, I still think about April and how amazing she is. I will never forget her, ever.