February 2019
Karen
Fairbanks
,
RN
NICU
Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital
Mayfield Heights
,
OH
United States
My son was born at 34.5 weeks and only 2 pounds 15 ounces. He was 13 days old on Father's Day and Karen was his nurse that day. That was not an easy day for us with him in the NICU and our two other kids at home. The only thing my husband wanted for Father's Day was for all of us to be together. So, we planned to spend the morning at the hospital with our son. His sisters have been obsessed with him since we told them I was pregnant and that only increased once he was born. In his first two weeks, chances to hold him were limited and his sisters had only touched his back through the isolette at that point. Every day they asked me how he was and when they could hold him. On Father's Day, I told Karen that if our son was up to it, I'd like to let the girls try to hold him. I knew it would have to be quick and closely monitored. I didn't even tell them ahead of time, because I figured the timing might not be right for him. But with Karen's help, we were able to make it happen. Karen was caring, patient, and enthusiastic about the experience for our girls. Of course, her priority was making sure that our baby boy was safe, but she went far above what was required of her job to give us a magical moment that can only be described in the pictures we took.