I delivered my first baby at 31w 6d due to severe pre-eclampsia. My baby was admitted to UTMB Galveston NICU for what would be the longest 4 weeks of our lives. The first week after my discharge when we started our daily visits to the NICU, we walked into our baby’s room to see her under blue light. Along came Mrs. Gloria. She was this tall and quirky nurse who was able to tell us exactly what was going on with our baby with no hesitation, including her weight, intake, what the doctor said in rounds, etc. She also told us how she switched out the nose pieces on our baby’s CPAP every day or two because she doesn't like how it pushes up their little noses, and it gives her the chance to clean her nose up. She would also take the time to make sure my baby had clean tape on her face and never let it get dirty or gross. She was always so careful with our little 3lb baby. The care that Gloria took with our baby to make sure she was clean and taken care of gave me a sense of peace in ways most people could never understand. Gloria made me feel so at ease because of how on top of her patients she was. She ALWAYS knew what was going on! We had Gloria for 3-4 days, but that didn't stop her from checking in on our baby. She would keep tabs on her to see how she was progressing and never hesitated to stop and talk to us when she got the chance to see us. Gloria reminded me that I needed to be home and rest to take care of myself and recover after such a traumatic birth, and that she had our baby and was taking care of her and that I didn’t need to worry. She, too, had multiple children in NICU and understood how hard it was to step away for your own rest and recovery.

We compared every other nurse to Gloria for the rest of our stay. No one could even compare! We still check in with Gloria from time to time to show her how far our little one has come.. she's truly become a friend to us! There is no other nurse that deserves a DAISY Award as much as Gloria does! We love you, Nurse Gloria. Thank you so much for all you did for us during that month that seemed like a year! We could never repay you for making us feel sane, but at minimum you deserve a DAISY!