My son was here for a Nuss bar procedure. One of the most painful procedures performed at the hospital. He is autistic and that comes along with a sensitivity disorder, meaning he is extra sensitive to touch, sound, sight, and especially pain. We had been here for 2 days before we got Maddi as our Nurse.

My son struggled with comprehension of the pain scale. Maddi recognized that although he was in severe pain, he never changed his number from a 10 out of 10. She thought about it and then brought out the sad/smiley face chart. He pointed to a 7! We were making progress.

I later got frustrated because he just kept repeating, "I feel like crap." Maddi never got or showed any level of irritation. She explained to him the only way she could figure out what meds to give was for him to explain a little more. Knowing he struggled to do so, she listed options such as chest pain, nausea, etc. He said pain was a 5, nausea was a 10. Again progress. Maddi explained without going into detail that she too was on the spectrum. She thought of everything! Fan for his face, sound machine, noise cancelling headphones, weighted blanket, fidget toy, a stress ball to squeeze, and even a stuffed animal to remind him of his service animal.

I have narcolepsy and POTS, so I faint/sleep a lot. My husband stayed home with our other kids, so my father has been by my side since day one. On Saturday, my husband was able to drive down. The security desk would not allow him to come up to the room since each patient is only allowed two guests per day. She explained our situation when the other nurses told us there was nothing we could do. My husband was allowed up and it made a huge difference in my son's countenance. She is kind, loving, and became a friendly face to turn to. We just love her!