Nov 2, 2023
Vickielly's son, Artin, lived for only 20 hours when he was born last year, but those 20 hours changed her forever. The compassion that she developed for others who are suffering reached new levels. From Vickielly's 20 week ultrasound, she and her husband knew that Artin would not be a 'normal' baby. With hypoplastic left heart syndrome, they expected a long NICU stay and multiple surgeries. Unfortunately, complications developed during birth and Artin suffered severe brain damage. Their long NICU stay suddenly became very, very short.
As a trained nurse, Vickielly had been ready to take a break working as a charge nurse at a surgery center and spend the next years of her life caring for her own son. After his death, everything changed and nothing changed all at the same time. Even though Artin did not survive, Vickielly still wanted to live for Artin. She wanted him to have a legacy. Immediately after getting home from the hospital, she began pumping breastmilk. This would not be breastmilk for her own infant, but it would be donated as a gift from Vickielly and Artin to other babies in the NICU.
Once she returned back to work in the operating room, Vickielly found that it was just too difficult. She had flashbacks of the nightmare of her own C-section. Eventually, Vickielly knew that she needed to find a new path, but she still wanted to care for people who were suffering. Vickielly wanted the comfort of being home instead of in a medical setting, and she could do this while being a triage nurse on the phone. Now, Vickielly spends her days offering comfort and assistance to patients with medical concerns. She helps them find the right medical care whether it be home care, a doctor's visit or even calling 911 for them. VIckielly's compassion fueled by her love for Artin, is helping her to be a tremendous blessing to others every single day.