Aimee Guay, NICU Nurse
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital
Nominated by Martyna Vehab

"When our twins arrived at just 26 weeks, we were suddenly thrown into a world we knew nothing about. The NICU was overwhelming and frightening, and every time we walked through those doors, we were filled with uncertainty. We were learning how to care for two incredibly tiny babies while trying to navigate emotions we had never experienced before. Then, about a month into our NICU stay, we met Aimee.

Aimee quickly became more than just our nurse. As our first primary night nurse, she became someone we looked forward to seeing and someone who made those long, difficult nights feel a little easier. She had an incredible ability to bring calm, comfort, and laughter into a place that could often feel so scary. The way she cared for AJ and Mia was something we will never forget. She was gentle, knowledgeable, patient, and completely invested in them.

But beyond her nursing skills, it was the little things that made such a lasting impression on us. One of our favorite memories is the funny little voice she would use while leaning over their incubators, asking, “What’s the matter?” It always made us laugh, even on the hardest days. We still say it at home today, and every time we do, we think of Aimee and those precious early days with our babies.

Aimee also helped us become parents in the NICU. She showed us how to change diapers through the tiny incubator portholes, encouraged us to do skin-to-skin when we were nervous to handle our fragile babies, and taught us to appreciate every little milestone. She helped turn moments that once terrified us into moments we could feel proud of. She even made room for joy. Whenever AJ and Mia reached a milestone or there was a holiday, Aimee would get excited about helping me create little photoshoots for them. She would also make handmade artwork to celebrate their milestones, putting so much thought and love into each one. Those pieces are now keepsakes that the twins will be able to hold onto forever—a tangible reminder of how loved and celebrated they were from the very beginning. Those pictures, artwork, and memories mean so much to us because she helped make the NICU feel like more than a hospital room. She helped us find happiness during an incredibly difficult chapter of our lives.

What makes Aimee so extraordinary is that our relationship didn’t end when we finally left the NICU. She has remained a part of our lives, and we still keep in touch and spend time together. We love hanging out, going swimming, and taking the kids to the children’s museum. She has become a friend and someone our entire family genuinely loves having in our lives. Aimee gave us so much during the hardest chapter of our lives, but what makes her truly special is that she continued to be there long after we left the hospital. She left an impact on our family that goes far beyond the care she provided as a nurse.

We are so grateful to nominate Aimee for the Jackson Chance Owl Award. She brought kindness, humor, compassion, and love into some of our darkest days, and she is a beautiful example of the kind of nurse who doesn’t just care for babies—she cares for the families who love them, too. We will forever be grateful that she was part of AJ and Mia’s NICU journey and, even more importantly, that she became part of our family’s story.”