Our son is 13 days old and has been on ECMO since the day he was born. He also already had two open heart surgeries. What has been an incredibly challenging time for our family, Sydney has brightened. She includes myself and my husband in our son’s care, letting us help bathe him, do his oral care, and connect with him to give us and him small moments of normal while in the ICU. She also goes out of her way and takes the time to ensure that he receives the best medical care and that it is done with compassion and love. She draws little pictures on his chest dressings each night during dressing change that reflect conversations and details about our family (like a dachshund (our dog), mushrooms (his nursery theme), and a Superman emblem (cause he’s a strong brave little boy). She also showed up one night with a pair of PJs that she saw and thought he could wear with all of his lines and leads, so she bought them and helped us get him dressed for the first time. She has talked with my husband and I through tough emotions, been a listening ear, and been an advocate for our son and our family. Most notably- and what we are most grateful for- is she literally saved our son’s life when his ECMO cannula became dislodged. She caught it quickly and tamponaded his cannula site to maintain his blood pressure and keep him from losing too much blood while the attendings replaced and re-sutured it, negating having to go to the OR. All of this occurred during generator testing in the early morning. We still have a long road ahead, but having nurses like Sydney makes looking down that road just slightly less daunting- which is the most we can ask for as a family in this situation. Truly, I’m not sure we could express just how grateful we are that she has been on our family’s team.

(This patient lived only ten more days after this nomination was submitted.)