MILWAUKEE — Hana Christiansen spends her days caring for some of the smallest patients in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee.
"These families are going through some of the hardest times in their life dealing with a baby so tiny and they think is so fragile, but they're really super resilient," Christiansen.
While Christiansen has been a nurse in this unit for two years, she feels a close connection to her patients and their families.
Christiansen's life started in this same NICU when she was born at just 28 weeks. This was home for about a month.
"I'm so grateful for all those nurses that cared for me. My mom always calls them angels, and I always strive I want to be one of those angels," Christiansen shared.
As Christiansen grew up, so did her passion for nursing. Her mom is also a nurse and nurtured Christiansen's interest by connecting her to Jamie Kaczmarek in high school for a job shadow.
"I was only supposed to be here for like four hours, and I texted my mom, 'I'm gonna stay for eight hours,'" Christiansen remembered.
Kaczmarek was a nurse educator in the Columbia St. Mary's NICU at the time. She is now the nurse manager on the floor.
"From day one Hana has always been a go-getter, very excited, passionate about becoming a nurse," Kaczmarek recalled.
Christiansen joined Ascension as a nurse in May 2020 and started in the adult ICU working with COVID patients.
A year later she found her way back to the NICU floor working with the nurses and even the doctor who took care of her as a baby.
"I just love being able to provide hope to families and say I was here at one point and look at me now," Christiansen said.
A nurse's job is hard and demanding, but it is a calling close to Hana's heart.
National Nurses Week begins May 6 and lasts through May 12.
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