For 23 years, Pediatric Radiology Nurse Erika McClain has cared for patients and families across our organization, building a career grounded in compassion, attentiveness and connection at the bedside. Early in her career as a NICU nurse, those qualities cultivated a relationship with one family that has lasted nearly two decades beyond their hospital stay.
Erika first met twins Michael and Joseph, along with their family, in our Level 2 NICU. As the twins spent three weeks in incubators, she monitored their vitals, assisted with their feedings and guided them toward the milestones needed to go home, while comforting their family during that challenging time.
“Nursing is more than just coming and getting an assignment,” Erika said. “It’s about comprehensively taking care of people during their most vulnerable moments.”
As the twins improved, daily clinical updates naturally turned into personal conversations between Erika and the family. During one of those conversations, the family learned Erika was from Lufkin, Texas, and that nurses often work major holidays, making it difficult for her to travel home. As the twins prepared to leave the hospital, the family exchanged contact information with Erika to stay in touch. Wanting to return the care and comfort she had provided during a difficult time and recognizing she would be away from her own family for the holiday, the family invited her to Thanksgiving dinner.
That invitation deepened their friendship, and over the years, Erika has joined the family for birthday parties, holiday gatherings and casual get-togethers.
Kim, the twins’ mother, shared that through every meaningful moment for the family, Erika’s support has remained a constant in their lives. “During our time at Texas Children’s, the connection we have created with Erika shows the commitment the hospital’s nurses and staff have for their patients,” Kim said. “It shows how much they care.”
Recently, Erika supported the family through another significant moment when she attended the twins’ high school graduation. “Going from seeing them in cribs and diapers to seeing young men graduate and head off to college, knowing I was there from the very beginning until now, that’s a full-circle moment I’ll always cherish,” Erika said.
For Erika, the special friendship she developed with the family, along with other invaluable experiences at Texas Children’s, has shaped her perspective on nursing. She has learned that a nurse’s proudest accomplishments are not always measured in recognition, but in the profound impact made on patients and their families.
“You may not ever get the plaque or the award,” Erika said. “But the fact that you have a lasting impression on a family for years and years to come, that’s the biggest reward you can receive.”
