Valerie Valerio, NICU Nurse
Northwestern Prentice Women’s Hospital
Nominated by Stephanie Segev

"I've never seen a nurse laugh so hard through good times and cry with me through the bad. Valerie was my saving grace, other mother to my babies, and a friend. We had inside jokes and talked for hours at a time. My absolute favorite part about her is the way she loved my babies. She loved them like they were truly her own. She knew their personalities even better than me at times. She always made sure they were fresh and clean. When our blankets got lost in the shuffle of NICU laundry, she made sure we got them back right away.

She understood how hard it was to be parents in the NICU, so she would welcome us with new art projects weekly. The art projects always had their cute little feet with an adorable theme. I have them all laminated and cherish them more than she could have imagined.

About a month into our NICU stay, our girls caught a bad cold. I blamed myself. Valerie took my guilt away, kept me strong, all while keeping my babies alive. One time, my sweet girl's oxygen dipped dangerously low. It was a very bad situation, I learned later. She kept such great composure so that we didn't freak out in the moment. She didn't care if I called fifty times at night. I was able to sleep at night, whether the girls were sick or not. That is priceless.

At the end of our stay, we got the unit a gift to say thank you and so long. Valerie organized everyone in the unit to sign the sweetest thank-you card. Seriously, this thing was COVERED in the nicest words ever.

There isn't one reason why Valerie is the best, but it's pretty obvious after 5 minutes in a room with her. Her happiness is contagious, and that is what a NICU needs. She found her calling, and I'm so glad our paths crossed. I think we will be in touch forever.”