September 2023
Brooklyn
Buedel
,
RN
NICU
Riley Children's Health
Indianapolis
,
IN
United States
Brooklynn handled everything with grace and just always had this calming manner to her which helped my anxiety a ton.
Brooklyn helped care for my twin girls for over 7 months while we were in the NICU. I delivered at Community North but one of my babies was transferred the day after she was born due to a level four brain bleed. Brooklynn signed up to be her primary nurse so she would care for A every shift she worked. February was a very scary month for us due to A’s health. Brooklynn handled everything with grace and just always had this calming manner to her which helped my anxiety a ton. When my other daughter (Rylee) got transferred to Riley even if Brooklynn didn’t have her she would always check on her. Brooklynn was always making the cutest crafts for the girls even if she didn’t have both of them. My girls were on the ventilator for over 3 months so when we heard they were finally getting extubated we were all super excited including Brooklynn. Brooklynn wasn’t scheduled to work on extubation day but she got her days switched around so she didn’t miss this exciting day for our girls. My husband and I always felt a sense of relief when Brooklyn was caring for our girls. We tried to be there every day but between balancing work, life, and living an hour away it always wasn’t possible, but knowing that Brooklynn was the nurse for the day eased our minds. I would often get told that Brooklynn would dress the girls up every shift she had them and make all the other nurses and RT’s look at their cute outfits. For my birthday she even made me a birthday card from my girls and it brought me to tears because I wanted nothing more than for my girls to be home with me finally, but I knew they would be joining us soon! When the girls were getting closer to coming home they unfortunately transferred both of our girls to the maternity tower since they needed beds for other kiddos at the Simon Family tower. We were so sad to be transferring because we knew we wouldn’t be seeing Brooklynn. We like to joke and say that she is A’s other mom because that’s how much our baby loves her. After the girls were transferred Brooklyn would still come to check on the girls and if she had time she would even cuddle with A. When both girls were discharged (on different dates) she made them graduation caps and had all the staff sign them! She made our NICU stay a little bit easier and we are so thankful for her. I work in the medical field and I know there are many health care professionals that are burnt out, overworked, and altogether just tired and I never felt that with Brooklynn. She is very compassionate and loves her babies! She was always very professional and just loved our girls and we are forever grateful for her and wanted to submit a DAISY Award for her because she definitely deserves the recognition! Thank you, nurse Brooklynn!