We had a traumatic day when our son was airlifted via Bayflite from another local hospital. Upon our arrival, we immediately sought out our son in the ICU. We were briefed and asked to sign various consent forms as he was whisked away to an emergency procedure. The medical terms were daunting and the words “dire” and “grave” were used in relation to our son.

Needless to say, we were in shock and devastated with the harrowing statistics given to us. This person accompanied us to the waiting room and spoke with us with such kindness compassion and humanity that we began to calm. They reiterated how important our son was and quieted our fears with her personalization of him. He wasn't a faceless patient or an admission number to this nurse.

This person then went on to assist in the life-saving procedure that we are eternally grateful he received. Again, it was this person who sought us out afterward to assure us he was strong, and that the procedure had been successful. They detailed the findings and the interventions involved. They helped save his life and made a personal connection with our family, which got us through.

As if all their efforts weren't enough to be given every accolade, they also gave us their personal cell phone if we needed to reach out. Of course, we were in capable hands throughout his hospitalization in both the ICU and on the floor and didn't want to take advantage of the offer, so we didn't contact them.

A few days later prior to their next shift, this person contacted us and asked if they could stop by his room. We were blown away at that level of follow-through and compassion and welcomed this person. By the grace of God, he was awake and on his way to recovery when this person came by so he could say “Thank you,” himself. To his delight, this nurse gifted him a Bayflite pin since he was sedated and didn't remember his helicopter trip. Individuals like this don't come along every day and we couldn't be more thankful this care during our time of crisis.