Our daughter was admitted into the PICU after her open-heart surgery to address her transposition of the arteries at just three days old. She had made it through several hoops already, and recovery was underway. Matthew Leveille was there on the first night she came out of the operating room after over eight hours and then was our nurse several times right up until discharge.
Matt was so confident and kind. He truly made us smile and laugh at a time when it felt like a smile was the last thing you could accomplish. It lined up perfectly that the first night my husband stayed overnight with our girl, Matt, was our nurse! He truly showed how to be a "dad" for our girl. He taught him diaper changes, advocated for us holding her, and let us feel like her parents for the first time in her care.
It occurred to me that Matt was one of the most compassionate people I interacted with. I felt like he said all of the things I was thinking...but I just couldn't find the words to say. He sat down with me and reminded me that none of this was my fault, that I was doing a good job, and that he was there for me in any way he could be. For one of the first times, I felt seen as a mother who had just gone through a traumatic birth. He made me feel like I could fall apart without judgment, even for just a moment. He reminded me more than anyone to care for myself and my husband to care for himself. He wasn't my nurse; he was our daughters, but his care far exceeded his responsibilities to just her. He knew that for her to be successful, he needed to make sure we were all okay, and there were days that we just weren't...but he fixed that.
Matt helped us learn to feed her successfully for the first time and devised a way to manage one of her wounds that no one else could solve. He was innovative, creative, and just so kind.
Matt was there on discharge day, which we thought might never come. We were emotional, grateful, and overwhelmed. As he wheeled me out of the hospital, I was holding my girl for the first time, not attached to any monitors or machines for the first time in almost a month. He was there when we buckled her into the car and were about to pull away. He thanked us. I will never forget it. He thanked us for trusting their care and helping them refill their cup. He said that my kid was the reason a lot of people were excited to come to work that month and that he looked forward every day to being assigned to her. It was an emotional moment, and I truly hope he knows what an impact he had on our entire family.
We see you, Matt, and you saw us. All of us. And we can't thank you enough for being who you are and having the heart that you do. Any child in your care and their family is lucky to have you.