In honor of Nurses Week, we asked our Facebook community to share their personal stories about the Cincinnati Children’s nurses who have made a difference in their lives. The response was overwhelming and we are proud to share some of the inspiring messages we received below. We will be featuring more stories on our blog throughout the week, so take a minute to visit our Facebook page to post yours.
“I love that there is a nurse’s week! My son Max was at Cincinnati Children’s for nearly three weeks in March 2012 and spent two weeks in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. We saw a lot of nurses so we have lots to compare. Toma was AMAZING in every way! Our son came into the hospital with the flu, but it spiraled to pneumonia, RSV, cardiac arrest and a brain infection. Toma always took the time to explain things to us even though we asked the same questions over and over. She was so patient and even volunteered to be Max’s nurse even though he was a high-maintenance patient. She will probably never know how much she truly touched our lives. She knew our whole list of visitors and would patiently answer their daily questions as well. There was a point during Max’s stay when we weren’t sure how things would turn out. Toma was my rock and I felt more at ease when she was there with us. She was always positive and even took time to visit us on the trauma floor after we were transferred. When your child is in a life threatening situation these comforts make a world of difference. She is truly a beautiful and caring person! Cincinnati Children’s is so lucky to have her!”
Jackie S
“My son Rhyder had a heart transplant in November. We were in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) for three months and the nurses there were absolutely wonderful! They took such great care of Rhyder and also helped me through some really hard days. I thank God everyday for giving us such a wonderful hospital so close by!”
Stephanie B
“Kim Baucom has been a vital part of our life for the last 4 years. She has been far more then a nurse, acting as both a friend and a second Mom to my son, who has a feeding tube. He worries about her and her family and even refers to them as family. I am grateful that she has stepped into our lives. I appreciate all the nurses that have patience, kindness, and most importantly, a smile on their face.”
Carie B
“I was hospitalized on December 26th to begin chemotherapy. I received a bone marrow transplant on January 12th. Being a 19 year old teenager going through something so traumatic, it was very difficult for me to cope. But all the nurses on the BMT floor treated me like a princess. There was one nurse who had an impact on me and made my two month stay in the hospital so much better — Brenda Mott. She will always be my favorite nurse. When my hair started falling out from the chemo, she came into my room and talked me into shaving it off. She even helped me shave my head. She always made sure I was eating as well as I could. When I wasn’t feeling good, she’d crawl into bed with me and we’d just talk. She became more than just a nurse; she treated me like a friend. All of my treatments are now outpatient but Brenda still comes over to the clinic to check on me and keep me motivated. I’ve been readmitted a few times for complications following my transplant and she always finds time to stop by. She has let me cry on her shoulder and has also kept me laughing through the roughest times in my life. When I’m feeling down, she always lifts me up. Without truly realizing it, she has helped me heal myself beyond just my medical condition.”
Kayla I
“When my son was at Cincinnati Children’s for his cleft palate repair, the nurses on the night shift held him for about three hours so my husband and I could get some much needed sleep. Thanks a million! One nurse would coo, ‘Oh, your son is so cute!’ She called him ‘Mister Man.’ I still call my son ‘Mister Man’ to this day.”
Sarah E
“Both of my children were nearly killed in a car accident in February. When they were moved from the ICU to the trauma floor, my son wouldn’t have anything to do with any of the nurses because he saw them as a threat. Jeff on Floor 7 was the only person who could get Aidan to do anything, from sitting up in bed to going to the bathroom. I can’t say enough about how much I appreciate his efforts to get through to him.”
Megan C
“Beth Schmidt Mason from the Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care (RCNIC) was our sweet little girl’s nurse from July to October 2009. Beth was so patient and took the time to answer all our questions, even when we asked the same ones over and over again. Beth made one of the scariest times in our lives as calm as it possibly could be. Thanks, Beth!”
Emily C
“Julie from cardiac step down taught me how to place my daughter’s NG tube, which is a very hard task for a mom to do to her baby. But Julie was very professional and compassionate. Julie was assigned to my daughter during subsequent stays in cardiac step down and remembered the whole family (including where I went to college) and did everything and then some to make our stays as nice as possible. She even came to check on me before I had to walk my daughter down to have her open heart surgery. My daughter is now two and a half months post surgery and is truly thriving. Thank you to all the nurses who make Cincinnati Children’s a top rated pediatric hospital year after year.”
Anita E
“My daughter Gabriella was born in 2010 and immediately brought to the RCNIC. She was a 32 week preemie with an SCT tumor. Being first time parents we were terrified. The nurses in Pod F and our primary nurses, Ben Staubach and Kristina Smith, absolutely saved me during Gab’s three month stay. Ben made sure that I was updated every day and stayed on after his shift ended to be with Gab during tests or transportation. This gave her father and me great comfort. Ben and Kristina taught me how to take care of Gab, listened to all of my worries and comforted me through all of my tears. Gab is now 18 months old and very healthy. I look forward to all of the picnics that we will attend so that she can grow up knowing these incredible people! I hope they know that they gave me peace and I look to them as family!”
Ashley C
Our daughter was hospitalized at Children’s of Cincinnati from the end of Jan 2010 until Nov 10,2010 when she was called home to her maker. We have nothing but good things to say about the Nurse staff on the GI floor. A4S. They took wonderful care of Kaisha. (And kept my Husband sain during his time in the hospital with Kaisha.)
Thank you all for your loving and caring attitude towards your job. It is more than a job and you all show how much it means to you.
Thank you,
Craig and Jelaine Beumer