nominees 2023

“My husband and I gave birth to our son, Parker, on July 7, 2023. He came 6 weeks early. It was a chaotic and nerve-wracking experience because I had a placental abruption. After birth, Parker was immediately brought to the NICU. We were fortunate enough to have Kim as our NICU nurse on one of our first days there. The first days in the NICU are overwhelming and scary. We had so many questions and fears. They ranged from “Is Parker ok?” and “Why are the doctors running these tests?” all the way to “How do I feed him and change his diaper?” Kim spent countless hours with us that first day answering our endless number of questions and teaching us how to care for our tiny new baby. She even sat with me teaching me how to breast pump. I’ll never forget her kneeling on the ground in front of me and talking me through how to pump and use the machines. Kim was there on our first day of breastfeeding. She encouraged me to give it a try and helped Parker and I navigate the breastfeeding challenges.

Throughout our 2 weeks in the NICU we were lucky to have Kim as our nurse 5 times. She gave us parenting tips and tricks and just spent time talking with us to help the long NICU hours go by. She would remind us to take pictures of Parker’s big moments because she said we’d always want to remember them. My husband and I would go home in the evening and think of all the questions we’d want to ask Kim the next day – and she’d answer every single one of them in detail. When talking with our families, many of the conversations always started with, “Well Kim said…” She became our north star. On our last day in the NICU we were thrilled to see Kim as our discharge nurse. She turned our discharge experience into a celebration. As we were leaving the hospital, she gave us a big hug and shared positive words of encouragement. Since being home, my husband and I have felt calm and prepared and I completely attribute those feelings to Kim. At the beginning of our NICU stay visitors still weren’t allowed. Kim was the mother we both needed in those early days. Her advice, hands on teaching, and smiles made our time enjoyable. We are forever thankful for Kim and plan to tell Parker all about Nurse Kim. Kim deserves every award available to her. She has been so impactful in our lives and we hope to be able to pay her kindness and generosity forward to other families.”

“Karlie was Liam’s primary nurse during his 70-day stay at Northwestern’s Prentice NICU. From the beginning when he was a preemie, to his discharge, Karlie took amazing care for Liam when we couldn’t be there. She made crafts for him for every milestone, big or small. We looked forward to anytime she was working. When we went back home and couldn’t go at nights as often, when we would call, she would give us all the details and updates, but also clear expectations and roadblocks. When Liam was struggling with feeding, she gave him extra care, working with him all night to see which bottles or nipples worked best. She made recommendations to the Doctors to help move him along and grow, or even if he needed to track back to be safe and healthy. She was the nurse to put him in his first open-air crib, even waiting for us, and let us give the first bottle. She treated our son as if he was her own, and we couldn’t have gone through the NICU without her. We are forever grateful for having such a great nurse, and hope others who find themselves in a similar situation, can have a nurse as good and caring as her.”

Nominated by Cynthia Chow

“I delivered my 28-week-old son, Craig (aka Chip), on 3.14.2023 due to complications from placenta previa and percreta. After I delivered, I felt every emotion imaginable: shock, fear, happiness, hopelessness, relief, sadness, the list goes on. During this time, we were blessed to have wonderful experiences with each of the nurses at Prentice. Of all the nurses taking care of our son, Kristen was the one that truly stood out to us during our 11 week stay. She was kind, patient, understanding, optimistic and encouraging; all while teaching my husband and I how to be parents in a foreign medical environment. Being a NICU parent is surreal. The simultaneous pride you have in bringing a child into the world coupled with the sadness of leaving each day without them is heartbreaking. You know your child needs to be there, but you want nothing more than to bring them home. The day I was discharged from the hospital I wanted to hold my son, especially after our difficult pregnancy; however, I was terrified I would hurt him or disturb his ventilator. Kristen gave me the confidence to hold Chip and reassured me he would be fine. I remember holding Chip in my arms, feeling so much pride and love. I am incredibly grateful she encouraged me so I could have this memory, as I would have missed this opportunity to bond with him and truly take in my miracle.

Kristen was always there taking care of Chip and taking care of us. She taught me how to change his tiny diaper when I thought his legs would fall off. She brought my son to my husband for his first hold once he was removed from his ventilator. After 50 days, when my emotions became too much, she was there; rubbing my back as I bawled my eyes out over my son’s open crib. She said exactly what I needed to hear and when there weren’t any words, she simply sat there with me. I don’t remember what she said, but I remember how she made me feel. She was everything we needed when we didn’t know what we needed, she advocated for our son when we didn’t know what to advocate for, and she answered questions we didn’t know we should ask. She was a consistent and calm presence during our storm, a sympathetic listener and enjoyable person to chat with. She made our NICU experience as enjoyable as it could be and was our greatest blessing during our stay. Our NICU experience was a short chapter in my son’s story. I wish we never had this experience but at the same time I’m blessed to have witnessed the amazing work all the nurses do to keep our babies alive. Moreover, I’m grateful our paths crossed with Kristen. I know she was doing her job, but she was doing a job we were unable to do and we are forever grateful to have had her as part of our story.”

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Nominated by Yazmin Norwood

“Kristen provided excellent care to our baby Allyn during her 5-week NICU stay. No parent plans to be in the NICU but when you are you appreciate those that go above and beyond to ensure your baby and you are taken care of. We are so appreciative of not only the impeccable care for our daughter but of us as well. I will never forget the discussions we had bedside about babies and life. Being a NICU mom can be scary, and Kristen made me feel hopeful and prepared when the time came to take baby Allan home. Thank you, Kristen, for everything! You are truly special!”

“This past December, Kelli was the second person (after my husband) I reached out to when I was sent by my OBGYN to Prentice for an emergency induction with our daughter Nora (31 weeks). I met Kelli almost exactly 3 years earlier when I went into early labor with our son Ronan at 30 weeks, resulting in a stay NICU. I was terrified with Ronan and God, or fate, or both sent us Kelli. During our NICU stay, Kelli made me feel safe and strong and confident; she was my cheerleader and advocate when I was tasked with being Ronan’s; she was my friend when I was feeling at my most low and when I was at my most high. With Nora, I was less afraid-I knew I had Kelli-my NICU cheerleader, supporter, and pal. While I didn’t know whether Kelli was going to be able to be our primary with Nora (fast-forward she was), I knew that she would be there for us anyway and that I had the NICU mom tools that she taught me with Ronan to handle a second NICU stay! I am so blessed to have walked out of the NICU twice with healthy, happy babies— I am also so blessed to have been walked out of the NICU and hugged and supported by Kelli, my friend. She is a treasure.”

“While at our NICU stay, Greta always did her best, even if it wasn’t her best day. I will forever cherish & remember her & I know my son will too. She did more than just be a nurse; she became my friend. A friend I could talk to about me, about shows to watch, about my son. She also had times where she talked to me about her, it was a great refreshment while going through tough times. She always made sure we were okay & she reminded me that my word is very important & to not feel about it. Mateo loved her, she did so great with him. She’s someone you can trust & not be worried about your child’s care gone wrong when she’s with them. She had days where you can tell she had gone through it &she never gave her patients & their parents any less. Greta is unforgettable.”