The patient was a 2-year-old boy who had just finished surgery and was transferred to recovery. During this transition, the patient developed a severe laryngospasm, which led to subsequent oxygen desaturation. The patient went from SpO2 in the 40s quickly down below 10s. The anesthesiologist began masking the patient to break the laryngospasm and deliver oxygen, but the patient continued to be in respiratory distress. The patient then began to have bradycardia. Our recovery nurse, Gina Ferrari, quickly palpated for a pulse, and when none was felt, she appropriately called for CPR and started high-quality chest compressions. After a round of CPR, the patient fortunately had return of rhythm and his oxygen levels normalized. The patient made a full recovery and was later discharged from the pediatric ICU.

As a young surgeon, I can honestly say that this was by far the most terrifying experience of my professional life. We, the hospital, and the patient are lucky that Gina was there that day. Gina deserves to be recognized for several reasons. She exemplified professionalism by maintaining her cool during a chaotic event. She also possesses a deep level of compassion, which I saw when she would ask about how the patient was doing days and weeks after the event. She even took time to meet the patient and his mother during one of his follow-up appointments. Gina also deserves to be recognized because I don't believe her key role was highlighted during subsequent discussions and M&Ms. I want everyone at the hospital to know that everyone is important to our team.