My son had his 12th surgery, first at CHLA which we came out of state for! I felt like needs weren’t being met and my fears were coming true. Ben went out of his way to understand what surgery my son had that day. He explained that although he wasn’t familiar with the certain type of surgery, Ben had a similar case the month prior to us. I am so thankful the charge nurse assigned us Ben the next day as well because my son ended up vomiting after trying everything to ensure he wouldn’t from the anesthesiologist and surgeons. After endless calls to the team, the team also missed my son for rounds the following day. Ben went above and beyond to ensure my son was receiving the best care possible. My son is feisty and only trusts me to give meds, clean his mouth (surgery site), and wash him. Ben was loving and upfront that I needed a break, and he can assist with my son's needs. That was more helpful than he will ever know! I was able to take time for myself which is exactly what I needed after being inpatient for a week. Not only did Ben bless my son with his care, but also me as a parent. I will forever be thankful that we had Ben in the initial night and to see my son’s transition to being able to eat and talk. We truly need more nurses like Ben! He was able to communicate to my son exactly what would happen step by step, the pain associated with the steps and the outcomes if my son didn’t comply. Ben was intelligent in all nursing aspects and planning ahead. My son is headstrong, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have Ben by my side. He was like the second parent I needed at the time! Ben was a great communicator to ensure what I wanted came true. We discussed plans and outcomes in depth. I felt like we were receiving 1-1 care, even while he still had other patients receiving care. My son and I believe he deserves this award and many others! For my son's second surgery, he was asking for “his nurse,” which he referred to Ben as, he had never asked for a nurse more than once out of 13 surgeries. That was a true testament to the care my son received!

Ben also told us we had the greatest day shift nurses around! All of the staff on the floor were very caring and supportive of my son’s needs. We came back in two weeks, and luckily, we were only there for 24 hours the second time.