My family has been through a lot in the past 4 years, especially the most recent year. We suffered the loss of our 3 year old son. We’ve always been about making memories because we believe that doing more things rather than having more things is where true joy comes from. I find joy in the smiles of my husband and daughters faces. When my middle one masters a new skill for cheerleading. Or my oldest making a new friend (because she’s shy to a fault). Then there’s the extreme joy - the look of love in my husbands eyes as he watches his kids experience joy. That’s a feeling like no other.

Everyone says that their kids are their motivation. While this is true for me, it’s in a different respect for most. Most want to be able to provide a good life for their kids. I’d like to think that my kids have a good life. What they need is a mom who has shown them to never quit despite the obstacles that life throws at you. I want my kids to be proud of me. Another motivator that I would like to think is a bit unique: a son in Heaven. I want to do nothin but to make him proud. I want him to run to me with big open arms and shout, “I knew you could do it,” whether it be in my dreams or when we are reunited. So, yes. My kids motivate me, but not completely in the traditional sense

In 2017, my son Maddox was born with Spina Bifida. He spent 79 days in the neonatal intensive care unit and that experienced opened my eyes. He had 21 surgeries in almost 4 years with numerous hospital stays and treatments. In turn, we got to know the nursing staff extremely well. The impact that they made is something that has left a mark on my heart. Maddox was nonverbal, and as such, we had to advocate for him on absolutely everything. There are many experiences that I could speak of in regards to Maddox and his wonderful nurses, but there is one in particular that stands out. He was in the middle of a VP shunt malfunction and resident was assessing him. He wrongfully determined a baseline for him and his PICU nurse told him why he was wrong and what was really going on. Had it not been for her, he would not have underwent the surgery that he desperately needed to save his life. Right then, that’s when I realized I needed to do that. I needed to get in there, be a nurse, and help kids who don’t have a voice.. or their parents who are new to advocacy and need help finding their voice. Advocacy plays such an important role in the pediatric field. It’s quite literally a life saving tactic. Nurses get to know parents and develop a rapport with them which in turn helps the nurses advocate for the children. Doctors are amazing and incredibly intelligent, but nurses do the heavy lifting. They calm the crying and fearful parent. They relentlessly and repeatedly give every part of them to their patient and their respective families. Nurses are the backbone of the health industry and I truly believe that it would be honor to be a part of that embodiment. Maddox ultimately passed in May 2021 which only further awoken the desire to be a voice and care taker for children. Having so many first hand experiences in pediatrics is something that I believe would be an invaluable asset in the world of pediatric nursing. They say that you live your life for your children and I am quite literally trying to do that. Not only for myself and kids, but for Maddox who no longer lives himself, thus letting his teaching of advocacy live on.

In 2017, my son Maddox was born with Spina Bifida. He spent 79 days in the neonatal intensive care unit and that experienced opened my eyes. He had 21 surgeries in almost 4 years with numerous hospital stays and treatments. In turn, we got to know the nursing staff extremely well. The impact that they made is something that has left a mark on my heart. Maddox was nonverbal, and as such, we had to advocate for him on absolutely everything. There are many experiences that I could speak of in regards to Maddox and his wonderful nurses, but there is one in particular that stands out. He was in the middle of a VP shunt malfunction and resident was assessing him. He wrongfully determined a baseline for him and his PICU nurse told him why he was wrong and what was really going on. Had it not been for her, he would not have underwent the surgery that he desperately needed to save his life. Right then, that’s when I realized I needed to do that. I needed to get in there, be a nurse, and help kids who don’t have a voice.. or their parents who are new to advocacy and need help finding their voice. Advocacy plays such an important role in the pediatric field. It’s quite literally a life saving tactic. Nurses get to know parents and develop a rapport with them which in turn helps the nurses advocate for the children. Doctors are amazing and incredibly intelligent, but nurses do the heavy lifting. They calm the crying and fearful parent. They relentlessly and repeatedly give every part of them to their patient and their respective families. Nurses are the backbone of the health industry and I truly believe that it would be honor to be a part of that embodiment. Maddox ultimately passed in May 2021 which only further awoken the desire to be a voice and care taker for children. Having so many first hand experiences in pediatrics is something that I believe would be an invaluable asset in the world of pediatric nursing. They say that you live your life for your children and I am quite literally trying to do that. Not only for myself and kids, but for Maddox who no longer lives himself, thus letting his teaching of advocacy live on.

In 2017, my son Maddox was born with Spina Bifida. He spent 79 days in the neonatal intensive care unit and that experienced opened my eyes. He had 21 surgeries in almost 4 years with numerous hospital stays and treatments. In turn, we got to know the nursing staff extremely well. The impact that they made is something that has left a mark on my heart. Maddox was nonverbal, and as such, we had to advocate for him on absolutely everything. There are many experiences that I could speak of in regards to Maddox and his wonderful nurses, but there is one in particular that stands out. He was in the middle of a VP shunt malfunction and resident was assessing him. He wrongfully determined a baseline for him and his PICU nurse told him why he was wrong and what was really going on. Had it not been for her, he would not have underwent the surgery that he desperately needed to save his life. Right then, that’s when I realized I needed to do that. I needed to get in there, be a nurse, and help kids who don’t have a voice.. or their parents who are new to advocacy and need help finding their voice. Advocacy plays such an important role in the pediatric field. It’s quite literally a life saving tactic. Nurses get to know parents and develop a rapport with them which in turn helps the nurses advocate for the children. Doctors are amazing and incredibly intelligent, but nurses do the heavy lifting. They calm the crying and fearful parent. They relentlessly and repeatedly give every part of them to their patient and their respective families. Nurses are the backbone of the health industry and I truly believe that it would be honor to be a part of that embodiment. Maddox ultimately passed in May 2021 which only further awoken the desire to be a voice and care taker for children. Having so many first hand experiences in pediatrics is something that I believe would be an invaluable asset in the world of pediatric nursing. They say that you live your life for your children and I am quite literally trying to do that. Not only for myself and kids, but for Maddox who no longer lives himself, thus letting his teaching of advocacy live on.

In 2017, my son Maddox was born with Spina Bifida. He spent 79 days in the neonatal intensive care unit and that experienced opened my eyes. He had 21 surgeries in almost 4 years with numerous hospital stays and treatments. In turn, we got to know the nursing staff extremely well. The impact that they made is something that has left a mark on my heart. Maddox was nonverbal, and as such, we had to advocate for him on absolutely everything. There are many experiences that I could speak of in regards to Maddox and his wonderful nurses, but there is one in particular that stands out. He was in the middle of a VP shunt malfunction and resident was assessing him. He wrongfully determined a baseline for him and his PICU nurse told him why he was wrong and what was really going on. Had it not been for her, he would not have underwent the surgery that he desperately needed to save his life. Right then, that’s when I realized I needed to do that. I needed to get in there, be a nurse, and help kids who don’t have a voice.. or their parents who are new to advocacy and need help finding their voice. Advocacy plays such an important role in the pediatric field. It’s quite literally a life saving tactic. Nurses get to know parents and develop a rapport with them which in turn helps the nurses advocate for the children. Doctors are amazing and incredibly intelligent, but nurses do the heavy lifting. They calm the crying and fearful parent. They relentlessly and repeatedly give every part of them to their patient and their respective families. Nurses are the backbone of the health industry and I truly believe that it would be honor to be a part of that embodiment. Maddox ultimately passed in May 2021 which only further awoken the desire to be a voice and care taker for children. Having so many first hand experiences in pediatrics is something that I believe would be an invaluable asset in the world of pediatric nursing. They say that you live your life for your children and I am quite literally trying to do that. Not only for myself and kids, but for Maddox who no longer lives himself, thus letting his teaching of advocacy live on.