As May approaches I think about all those who are graduating college this month and setting forth on their future plans and careers. One of those who will be graduating this May is my husband, Luke and Gracie’s dad- Geoff. After Gracie’s death, Geoff decided to pursue a career in nursing. Many of you may ask why would he decide to go back to school for another degree at this time in his life? One of the reasons he went back to school was because of our experience with Gracie and because of those who deeply cared for our Gracie while she was sick – her medical team.

I need to stop right here for a moment and give a huge shout out to those who took care of Gracie. When I say medical team I am referring to the many different professionals in the hospitals and clinics we encountered along our journey. I often hear the phrase “it takes a whole village to raise a child”, well I have a similar quote about a hospital- “It takes a whole hospital to make a child feel better”. From the moment we got out of our car we were overwhelmed with the kindness and caring ways of everyone- from the valet staff, to the secretaries, to the social workers, to the clinic staff to D7 north staff and the many more that I know I am forgetting. You all made our day a little brighter each time we had to visit.

But most importantly, I cannot forget the AMAZING doctors and nurses that came into our lives. For the 9 months that Gracie fought you were our heroes, you were our angels, you were our family. You saw us through the good times, you saw us through the tough times, and you saw us through the unthinkable. I will say it again- you were our heroes, you were our angels. I know that your heart and soul goes into everything you do when you get to work. Diagnosing, healing, caring for, tending to, mending, fixing and opening your heart up to your patients and their families is what you do. My husband and I and our families saw this every time we set foot in the hospital.

You may not realize what else we saw or knew as our Gracie was fighting for her life. We know it had to be hard on you. We know you ached. We know you put your heart and soul into trying to find the right plan, care and treatment for our daughter and your many other patients. We know you cared for our Gracie as if she were your own because some of you are parents yourselves and would want the same care for your child. We know you cried- with us in our room and without us when you left the room. We know you worked overtime, missed lunches, breaks and barely had time to use the bathroom because you spent all the time you could making sure my child and your other patients were cared for and safe for the moment.

To Gracie’s medical team, all those that came in and out of our day each time we set foot in the hospital, thank you for choosing the field you are in. You are smart. You are brave. You are so strong to be helping patients and their families through the scariest times of their lives whether they receive a miracle or not. I’m sure that you remember all the names and faces of all you have treated and loved and will continue to care and love all the new patients you will encounter, even though your heart may have just been broken by a patient who lost their life. It has been over 3 years since Gracie’s death and I still think of all of you as not only our friends, but our family. I cannot put into words the amount of respect and admiration we have for you. Thank you for opening up your hearts to us and giving our daughter the best possible care you could. My husband went into his nursing career because of you. Thank you for showing him what an amazing, but tough job you have. Thank you for showing him what a textbook can’t teach: Saving and changing lives, but doing so with kindness and love.

To my husband, his classmates and all those that are graduating nursing school or an area in the medical field- What I saw from our nurses and medical staff the 9 months we were in and out of the hospital are the qualities that make a great nurse or medical professional. Please put your heart and soul into this career. Please do your job, but also love your job, truly and deeply care for each patient with endless respect and dignity. You will end up being heroes and angels to many families.

To Geoff~ I am so proud of you and all of your accomplishments. Despite all the hardships along the way, you persisted, you endured, you never gave up, you persevered, you kept going, you stayed on course, you prevailed. I love you.