Julisa Burgos, Boston Children’s

Julisa has been my son’s nurse since he was a baby. Last year, he needed his seventh open heart surgery. As always, nurse Julisa was by his side, making sure he was comfortable, watching him carefully, when his monitors alarmed. My son loves her as much as we do. I don’t think I could have cared for my son as well without her helping and teaching me what to do. – Nominated by Susannah Kelsall

Annmarie Conroy, Boston Children’s

Annmarie was our daughter’s primary nurse practitioner throughout her cancer treatment. She’s kind, smart, and makes the extra effort to ensure that her patients and families are well-informed and comfortable. She makes sure that every need is met, and if something isn’t being done, she’ll do it herself. Anyone who has been lucky enough to be cared for by Annmarie would say the same. – Nominated by Anna LeBlanc

Linda Haynes, Boston Children’s

Linda Haynes is a nurse practitioner at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Primary Care Center caring for patients with asthma. Linda examines every child holistically, considering the range of factors that contribute to their asthma: social, emotional, physical, or environmental. She tirelessly advocates for resources to mitigate health stressors on our patients. From distributing tablets to ensure that high-risk patients received virtual care during COVID, to training BPS nurses in asthma treatment, to teaching families how to economically protect their homes against pests and rodents, Linda never shies away from a fight to improve patients’ health. – Nominated by Fiona Unsworth

Emily Kenneally, Boston Children’s

Our daughter, who spent 11 days in the ICU after an auto accident, was blessed to have Emily as her nurse. We never saw Emily stop for even a minute. She was constantly working, yet simultaneously giving our daughter her complete attention. Emily explained everything to her — every reason for her pain, every change in her status, every tube placed, every blood test, every CAT scan, and every ultrasound. She comforted her and put her at ease and distracted her, talking about all matters important to a 14-year-old girl. Nurse Emily treated our daughter kindly, empathetically, lovingly, and with positivity. Our daughter and entire family will always appreciate the care she provided and the light she brought to a difficult situation. – Nominated by Laura Fisch

Erin Morrissey, Boston Children’s

It’s hard to describe a real-life hero in just 300 words. Erin has been my nurse for many years, working directly with my surgeon, and I’ve had four surgeries so far. I always felt like Erin was doing her absolute best. Thank you, Erin, for giving your all every day to help me get through my darkest times. – Nominated by Jacqueline Lopez

Ediri Ogege-Abedi, Boston Children’s

Ediri was a lifeline during the first few months of my daughter’s life. She was patient, kind, and took her time to explain what she was doing. I could tell immediately she cared tremendously for her patients and would do whatever it took to do her job well. As a new mom, I greatly appreciated her care and support when I was struggling with my daughter’s diagnosis. My daughter will be five soon, and I still think about how wonderful Ediri was. I try to find her to say hello when we have our return visits. – Nominated by Virginia Musiek

Brianna Starkey, Boston Children’s

Brianna provided extraordinary care to a patient whose type is not normally seen on her floor. Brianna communicated effectively and maintained her commitment to compassion and clinical competency. – Nominated by Patrick Raeke

Christopher Zerrip, Hale 9, Boston Children’s

Chris took care of my granddaughter after emergency open heart surgery. She is only eight months old. He is so extremely caring that she and the rest of our family haven fallen in love with him. We can’t thank him enough. We leave Ella with comfort, knowing she is well taken care of. – Nominated by Amele Ambrosino

Christopher Zerrip, Hale 9, Boston Children’s

Chris was my seven-month-old daughter’s nurse when she had emergency heart surgery. Chris was her main nurse after she left the ICU. Because we have another young child, my husband and I had to split our time. Whenever Chris was with her, we knew she would be cared for as if we were there. She always smiled when he was in the room. He was amazing, he was very helpful, and super knowledgeable. – Nominated by Brianna Marchant 

Editors: Spence & Sanders Communications, LLC.