I am writing to nominate Becky Jibben for her excellent work as a hospice nurse. Providing hospice care for pediatric patients is heart-wrenching work. During my career, I have unfortunately seen many hospice nurses become completely emotionally exhausted by the end-of-life care of a child. It takes a special kind of nurse to have the kind of endless compassion and emotional resilience to care for a child and their family through the dying process. That is why I am so grateful for Becky Jibben. She is not only willing to take on pediatric hospice cases, but she feels called to those cases. She recognizes the heartache that will inevitably be a part of the work, but she gives her all for those kids and their families. She builds rapport with her patients and families, so they know that they matter to her. She exudes compassion and caring that immediately put people at ease, despite the most stressful of circumstances. As a physician, I am so grateful that I can fully trust her clinical experience and judgment, and I am so impressed by her ability to find solutions to difficult situations. She clearly does not do this as merely "a job." She gives so much of herself because, to her, this work is "a calling." 

I recently spoke with the mother of one of her former patients; she spoke so highly of Becky. Her impressions of Becky show just how much she means to everyone she cares for. Please read her thoughts below:

"When you’re told your child is being placed on hospice, you have no idea what this means nor what it will look like.  But when Becky arrived at our home, her smile and vibrant personality brought a sense of peace.  She was so comforting and answered all of our questions with patience and genuine concern.  S was at complete ease with Becky, even on that first encounter. When Becky later informed us that she was “keeping S” and not transferring him to her co-worker’s care, we were thrilled! There was just this beautiful connection between Becky and S.  And I love that she felt it, too.

Every time Becky came to see S, he was excited for her visit.  She would always ask if there was something she could bring for S. Oftentimes, it was a smoothie from Scooters.  She quickly learned of S’s love for all things Grogu, and Becky went above and beyond to find unique items to add to S’s room.

Becky made herself available at any hour.  I once called her in the early a.m. hours, and she came right over to our house. She even stayed with S one afternoon so I could go to a hair appointment.  She became a personal friend to S and will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

If I could recommend a hospice nurse to any family entering this part of their journey, it would definitely be Becky!"

I would nominate Becky for all of the awards if I could, so please use this message on my behalf to nominate her for any awards she could be eligible for.