Christian Friend

Cristiana is 26 years old, she is a young professional who speaks with a smile whenever she mentions her "little patients". She works as a nurse in a pediatric ward and with children and their pain clashes every day."Meeting a child who is not well is never easy but it is essential to take care of them, for us nurses. One aspect that is less talked about is the contact with parents, which is necessary in our work. It is an inseparable triad: it is not possible to take care of a child and not take care of his parents." Theright balance between empathy and professionalism allows her to relate to children and their parents. "It is important to know how to put oneself in a listening position and to enter into the intimacy of these people."When we talk about the neonatal intensive care unit, her gaze becomes serious, intense and her words firm, mature: "The nurse of a neonatal intensive care unit must not only know how to speak, she must first of all know how to listen".Communication with the parents of premature babies is difficult in itself, but during this period it is even more difficult: "There is a lack of looks, which in some moments are fundamental; like when the right words cannot be found and silence makes noise. In those moments, looking into each other's eyes is the only way to communicate. Covid-19has changed every dynamic, it has forced mothers and fathers to move away from neonatal intensive care, away from their children. It amplified their fears: "Replacing parents is not easy and let's face it, it's not really possible" but Cristiana and her colleagues are doing everything they can to make mothers and fathers feel the closeness of their children. They do it daily through smartphones and tablets, the only means of communication that allow a secure connection, through which they can establish a human relationship. Overthe weeks they have found alternative ways for their children to show their parents: sending photos through the company email and scheduling calls, in the morning with the doctors for clinical news and in the afternoon with the nurses to tell their children's day. Intense calls, which took place day after day, amid emotional tears and smiles. Calls that reassured mothers and fathers discouraged, frightened. Calls that stretched a thread that not even Covid was able to undermine, thanks to the work of the nurses. Amoment like this made the importance of the nurses even more visible, the only bridge between distant parents and newborn babies, helpless, with an immense need for care and affection. This is the professionalism of the nurses, ready to stretch the thread of a relationship, beyond the situation we are facing. We are looking at the humanity of the nurses in the face. Not heroes, but attentive professionals, people Going through a period of medical emergency in an intensive care unit further changes the way we look at life: "I have a growing desire to listen even more to everything that revolves around a premature infant. To listen to the parents, even if they are far away at the moment, to welcome their fears and take care of them with greater strength."They called us Heroes, but we are professionals and before that we are people, who continue to work every day with dedication. Right now we need an outstretched hand, that of all of you. SupportCristiana. Give to nurses in need.