I woke up and started my normal morning routine, getting my son ready for school. I woke up with my body aching and just not feeling good at all. Long story short, the doctor rushed my fiancé and me to Jersey Shore Hospital. We ended up going straight to labor and delivery. When I arrived my pulse was in the 30s and I had very high blood pressure. I had preeclampsia and had to have an emergency C-Section, or my son and I would not have made it. Our little miracle was born at just 27 weeks. They rushed him straight to the NICU, where our journey began. I was placed in the ICU for two days before I was even able to see my newborn baby boy.

Our baby’s primary Nurse, Maryann - is truly an angel on earth. She was the first nurse with us, she was the one who first handed me our baby, the very first time I was able to hold him, and has led and guided us every single step of the way since. Being a NICU mother is the scariest thing in the world, in just one second something can change, being released from the hospital without our baby is something no parent should feel. We don’t live close to Jersey Shore Hospital, so when I was released from the hospital, I was unable to be at the hospital every day, I also had to recover and my pulse was still very low and blood pressure was high. I wasn’t allowed to drive. Some days I couldn’t get out of bed, I was so weak. Maryann made us feel safe, she made us feel like our baby was in the best hands. Just knowing she was there gave me so much comfort. She has gone above and beyond in every single way of this journey.

My mental, physical health was not really in a good spot. Maryann helped me through all of that and made sure I was okay. For my fiancé, this was his first son, he had a lot of anxiety and his mental health also was not in a good spot. Being a NICU parent is so rewarding but every single second of the day, you worry if your baby is okay. One day you get a phone call, "Baby's doing great, he’s off the CPAP machine.” The next phone call, “baby had an episode. He is back on the machine.” Or “Baby should be going home this week, he’s ready!.” You go home so excited to get everything ready just to get the phone call that he can’t come home.

Some days are absolutely heartbreaking and hard to get through, and if it weren’t for Maryann I do not know how I would have gotten through our NICU journey. She helped us both more than she will ever know. She’s been there on the good days, the bad days and was always so positive. I feel like I have known her for a lifetime. She became our family. She isn’t just a nurse, she has been our teacher, our leader; everything she has done, she has done with love.

I am writing this letter because I believe she deserves this award. She is one of a kind & my family and I will forever be thankful for her love, dedication, and her sacrifices she has made through her selfless journey with our son. Thank you, Maryann for being “our angel on earth." Thank you for always giving us hope and being there every step of the way. Thank you for loving our baby and caring for him in the best possible way. You’re truly amazing and such a special person to us & I'm sure many others. Thank you for listening to our story.