I could not fully express the gratitude I have for our nurse, Veronica Gerlach, without becoming completely emotional. My son was born at 37 weeks plus 4 days, but his lungs were under developed. He had to spend 11 days in the NICU and it was very stressful on me and my family. For the first 5 days, I couldn't even hold him. But Veronica was our shining star, our silver lining, our inner strength. She arranged his tubes so I could hold him for the first time. She talked to him when he was alert and comforted him (and me) when he cried. She always took the time to explain everything and we always felt better and lighter after she did. Leaving him with her felt like leaving him with a family member. We have a tradition in my family of naming our Christmas tree. The year, we named our tree Veronica in gratitude for the hope, peace, and strength she gave us. God bless her and everyone in the NICU for their extraordinary care of our dearest baby boy.