When my child was admitted to the hospital, I felt out of my element despite being a nurse myself. Katie Wykoff entered the room and instantly made us feel at ease that our child was going to be just fine and get the best care possible. After a long night with our sick child, our day was made seeing Katie's face the next morning. Her extraordinary compassion to go a little out of her way to make us smile was wonderful. As the day progressed, Katie provided excellent nursing care to our child when he wasn't feeling well.

We were feeling hesitant, and she advocated for us. She saw changes in his breathing and had outstanding communication and teamwork with the providers and respiratory therapist to make sure our child had the best plan of care. When the healthcare professional left it up to us if we wanted to be discharged late in the evening, Katie encouraged us to take our time despite how busy she was. Her education gave us the comfort we needed to care for our child at home.

When she was in the room, she made it feel like we were the only patients she had, which I know was not the case. The hospital is not where anyone wants to spend their time, but having a nurse like Katie made the entire experience positive. She deserves this acknowledgement for her exceptional care.