Courtney Franklin, NICU Nurse
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital

Nomination by Sarah Foster

"Courtney is one of the most loving, intelligent, strong-willed people I’ve ever met. My daughter was transferred to Lurie from our hometown hospital due to many complications, which meant my husband and I were not only navigating unexpected complications and a NICU journey, but also moving our lives to a new city away from our support system.

The first day we met Courtney, she stood out to me because of her ability to work with our daughter, who had very complex needs, as well as her kindness and devotion to ensuring we felt supported too. Courtney found ways to communicate likely startling situations such as suctioning with our baby despite her neurological condition. No other nurse had done that. She took her time and assured my husband and I that we would go as slow as Emerson needed and be as patient as she needed.

Our lives truly changed for the better when Courtney agreed to be Emerson’s primary nurse. She gave me such a sense of relief when I knew she was working. I could rest easier, and the weight of the world didn’t feel like it was suffocating me if Courtney was there. If you’ve ever been a NICU mom, you know that’s rare. Our daughter’s condition worsened, and Courtney was the one to figure it out. She advocated with me desperately for answers, testing, conversations to be had, our voices to be heard.

Unfortunately, our daughter passed away, and Courtney was there with us, holding me while I sobbed. She gave our baby her last bath with us, which was Emerson’s favorite activity with Courtney, and she even carried her to the morgue for us. I couldn’t fathom someone I didn’t know carrying my daughter down. To this day, she continues to talk to us about her and love our baby. When so may of our friends and family never got to meet her, it is so heartwarming to know someone like Courtney who is so loving and kind did.

Our situation with Courtney is not unique for her, either. She treats every baby and every family like this. Courtney is family to us now, and she always will be. Please consider her for the Owl Give Award this year because while she doesn’t need it, she is so deserving of recognition and praise for her dedication to NICU babies and families."

Nomination by Sarah Hargrove

“Our son Koa's NICU experience was a 9-month long journey with countless ups and downs. By September 2025, we had been in three hospitals and had just returned to the Lurie NICU after a stay in the CCU. Each time we had to change hospitals or floors, it felt like starting all over again. New faces, people who didn't know Koa and his complex needs. The day we met Courtney, something changed.

Part of advocating for our son involved a lengthy, complex history and Courtney wasn't just willing to listen but wanted to know everything. Her true love and care for her job as a nurse was obvious. The first day she cared for Koa, we asked her to be his primary nurse. She has a way of making not only the babies feel comforted and cared for, but she gives the same attention to parents and siblings navigating this scary journey.

The second Courtney joined Koa's team, she wanted to do everything she could to help us feel heard and understand his care. She advocated for him as hard as we did, and made it a priority to involve us in all the steps of his care so we could feel confident and comfortable as his parents. Over the months, Courtney became family. She decorated Koa's room for our daughter Kinsley's birthday, joined us for holidays in the hospital, and truly became Koa's partner in the hospital. We live over an hour away from Lurie and tried to get there as much as we could. There were days we couldn't, or times we got sick and had to stay away. Having a Courtney as his nurse was a relief on the days we couldn't be there. We knew Koa would be cared for as if we were there and Courtney would arrange for extra play time with Koa when he was missing his family.

One of the amazing things about Courtney is the way she can seamlessly provide this level of care to all her patients. She makes every family feel like they're the main focus and she is going to do everything in her power to help. To say we feel lucky that Courtney joined Koa's team is an understatement. We don't know how we would've made it through the long journey without her.

Coming towards the end of Koa's NICU journey, we were getting so sad to leave Courtney behind. Without even a question, she joined Koa's home health care team. Koa was coming home with a trach, ventilator and gtube so he qualified for home nursing. Courtney dedicated her own time to go through the application and orientation processes and officially join our family at home. The fear of bringing Koa home after 9 months of hospital living was instantly minimized knowing Courtney would be by our side.

She is one of the most selfless and most caring people we have come across and we know Koa would not be where he is today without her care. Courtney has not only been there for Koa, but for our daughter Kinsley, and for us every step of the way. Every exciting moment, scary moment, rant or breakdown. She makes us feel heard and wants to provide the best care for Koa.

We can only hope that every baby and family navigating the NICU can come across a nurse like Courtney, one who truly cares for each and every one of her patients. We would love this opportunity to go to Courtney as she works so hard at Lurie in addition to driving from the city multiple times a week to come to our home to be Koa's nurse. She has recently joined a committee at work and has begun a mentorship program, mentoring fellow nurses. We can't think of anyone more deserving of this opportunity!”