Elijah, 6, shares a long-lasting bond with Cynthia, a nurse in CHOC’s cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU), constructed on belief, compassion and unwavering help.
Greater than Care
When Sabrina and her spouse, Ileana, started their adoption journey, they by no means imagined it could make them a hospital room. However that’s the place they met Elijah—simply 4 months outdated, within the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at Kids’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).
Elijah had been born with hypoplastic left coronary heart syndrome, a uncommon and complicated situation that requires a number of surgical procedures to outlive. He was the half-brother of their daughter, and the second they signed the paperwork, they turned a household. What they didn’t count on was that Elijah’s care workforce would additionally turn out to be part of that household.
From the very starting, one CHOC CVICU nurse stood out: Cynthia. She turned a gentle, acquainted presence; somebody who noticed past diagnoses and therapy plans.
Dealing with the Fontan process
When Elijah was 3½ years outdated, his first try on the Fontan process, a important surgical procedure for kids with hypoplastic left coronary heart syndrome, confronted surprising issues. Elijah spent 42 days within the hospital recovering as his physique struggled to regulate to the adjustments.
Throughout that point, Cynthia’s unwavering presence was a supply of consolation and energy. She was there by his aspect every day, bringing balloons to elevate his spirits and providing the mild care that made his hospital keep extra bearable.
At 6 years outdated, Elijah efficiently underwent the Fontan surgical procedure. This time, the process was accomplished efficiently, and Elijah spent 69 days within the hospital recovering, supported by the identical devoted workforce that had been with him each step of the best way.
Past care
Cynthia’s function in Elijah’s life went past the day-to-day duties of a nurse. She didn’t simply monitor his well being; she cared for him in a approach that solely somebody together with her ardour and dedication may.
She learn to him, took him outdoors, and launched him to music remedy, a ardour he nonetheless holds at this time.
Even when she wasn’t his major nurse, Cynthia made it a degree to examine in on Elijah when he was present process the Fontan process. “She would at all times carry him toys, costume him in common garments so he didn’t really feel like only a affected person, and ensure he was by no means alone,” Sabrina stated.
This mix of kindness and a focus made Cynthia stand out as a nurse, a mentor and a relentless supply of help for Elijah and his household.
An enduring connection
At 6 years outdated, Elijah nonetheless incessantly asks about Cynthia, regardless of not having been within the hospital for a while. He’ll ask his dad and mom in the event that they’ve instructed “Mrs. Cynthia” about one thing that occurred, whether or not it’s a fall from his bike or a foul day at college.
“Their bond has turn out to be one thing far more than a patient-nurse relationship. “We all know they’ll at all times be lifelong buddies,” Sabrina says, her voice stuffed with gratitude.
A heartfelt tribute to all nurses
Nationwide Nurses Week is a time to acknowledge the deep connections nurses type with the folks they take care of. Cynthia’s story is particular, however not uncommon. Throughout our group, nurses present up every single day with compassion, curiosity, and dedication.
They don’t simply deal with signs. They discover the little issues. They ask the additional questions. They turn out to be trusted faces and acquainted voices for households navigating the unknown.
This week—and each week—we have fun nurses who remind us of the ability of human connection in drugs.
Get extra skilled well being recommendation delivered to your inbox month-to-month by subscribing to the KidsHealth publication right here.
Be taught extra about CHOC’s Coronary heart Institute
CHOC Hospital was named one of many nation’s finest youngsters’s hospitals by U.S. Information & World Report in its 2024-25 Greatest Kids’s Hospitals rankings and ranked within the cardiology and coronary heart surgical procedure specialties.