“The first week of life for our son was full of ups and downs,” the parents said in the nomination. “There were lots of emotions, tears, questions and concerns. Stacey provided expert nursing care for our son during those rough days. She was constantly consulting with doctors, respiratory therapists and other nurses to make sure he was getting the very best care. She would often visit his room after the doctor had made rounds to make sure we understood everything he said.”

The parents went on to say that Stacey took great pride in educating them about caring for a premature infant.

“Our other children were born healthy and we thought we were prepared to care for our newborn,” they said. “We quickly learned that caring for a premature infant was a whole new ballgame. Stacey took so much time teaching us how to care for him and love him. She also taught us about the different needs of a premature baby. She also stressed the importance of simply giving him time to grow.”

The day the family was able to leave the NICU with their healthy son was bittersweet.

“We were so happy that he was healthy enough to come home, but sad to leave our new family in the NICU,” the nomination said. “Minutes before being discharged Stacey came to say good-bye. She was all out of breath from hurrying upstairs worried she might miss us. She again offered an encouraging word about how well we did through this whole experience. I couldn’t help but think she wasn’t only our son’s care provider, but ours as well.”