In the 17 years that Sarah Hartwig, RN, has worked at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, she’s helped send thousands of infants and their families out into the world after caring for them in the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit, CHLA’s Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
“There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting a family through something they never expected, then seeing them get to take their baby home,” she says.
Most of the time, discharge day is the last time Hartwig will ever see those families. But in January 2026, when Hartwig and her colleagues gathered to hear who’d won a prestigious DAISY award for excellence in nursing, she was floored to see several familiar faces waiting to greet her.
One of those was a young woman she hadn’t seen in over 12 years.
“I spotted my husband and son through the door, and I thought, ‘Wait, is this DAISY award for me?’ But when I noticed Maria, I was just so surprised,” Hartwig recalls.
The woman—Maria Lara—started reading from an award nomination letter she’d written:
I know this nomination is 12 years late, but not a day has passed without me remembering the extraordinary care Sarah gave, the letter began.
June 21, 2013, I gave birth to my son James. I was only 15 years old. Sarah treated me with respect and kindness that I never expected, especially given how young I was … At a time when I felt small, scared, and unworthy, Sarah saw me.
As she read on, Lara revealed just how deeply her time with Hartwig had influenced her life:
Because of Sarah, I am now a NICU nurse. She lit a spark in me that has never gone out, and I carry her example with me in every shift I work.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is a prestigious recognition program that celebrates nurses all over the world for their compassion and excellence in clinical care. The award enables patients, families, and colleagues to show gratitude by nominating nurses whose care has positively impacted them.
Lara isn’t quite sure what prompted her to sit down and nominate Hartwig after her shift at a neighboring L.A. hospital in Fall 2025.
“I wish I could tell you I had this grand reason,” Lara laughs, “It was close to James’ birthday, and I was looking at pictures of him and thinking about her.”
“That’s when I wondered if anyone had ever nominated her for a DAISY. The words came easily, and I submitted it without a second thought.”
James was born in 2013 with gastroschisis, a birth defect where intestines and other organs protrude outside the baby’s body through a hole near their belly button. Babies typically undergo corrective surgery within 24 hours of birth and stay in the NICU for a few weeks or months to ensure their organs heal and mature properly.
Fortunately, James’ condition wasn’t a surprise—it had been spotted during a routine ultrasound and there was a plan in place for Lara to deliver at a nearby hospital, then transfer James to CHLA.
While everything went to plan, Lara was understandably shaken as she recovered in a separate hospital from her son. “I was so young, so it was scary … It was a lot. When I was finally well enough to go to CHLA and see James, I felt this huge sense of relief.”
The day Lara finally got to see her son was also the day she met Hartwig. “I could just immediately tell that Sarah loves what she does and how passionate she is about the families she cares for.”
Hartwig explains that sometimes she and a patient's family just click—and that’s exactly what happened with Lara and James. She requested to serve as the family’s primary nurse, meaning she’d be a constant in their NICU care until James was discharged.
As to the specifics of what stood out most about Hartwig, Lara’s nomination letter says it best:
Sarah didn’t just care for James … she cared for me. She explained things over and over without ever losing patience. She included me in James’s care, empowering me when I felt helpless. Her compassion and professionalism went far beyond what any nurse is asked to give.
As Lara watched Hartwig care for her and James so expertly, she started to think about her own future career.
“I was a junior in high school at that point—that's the time you really start thinking about what you want to do with your life,” she recalls. “The healthcare world piqued my interest. I ended up applying for nursing school after I graduated high school.”
Throughout her schooling, she had one specialty in mind: NICU. “It was what drove me through nursing school,” she says.
Within a year of working as an RN, she’d found her way to the NICU.
When Hartwig learned that Lara had pursued a nursing career, she wasn’t surprised. “I was obviously so proud, but I could always tell she was very smart and driven. So I knew she’d be able to achieve anything she put her mind to.”
Today, Lara still uses the lessons Hartwig taught her about nursing, as well as her own experience as a NICU parent, to inform her approach to care.
When I comfort a frightened parent or guide them through unfamiliar territory, I think of her, Lara’s letter says. When I care for a fragile baby, I remember how she held James, and how she made him feel safe.
Lara’s son, James, is now an energetic 12-year-old who loves music and is learning acoustic guitar. The best part: He’s perfectly healthy. “You probably couldn't even tell he had any issues as a baby besides not having a belly button—but he likes to show that off to all his friends anyways,” Lara laughs.
“I hope this story serves as a reminder to the nurses who sometimes feel like they don’t make much of a difference in the day to day,” Hartwig reflects. “That your attitude, negative or positive, has a ripple effect.”
Twelve years later, Sarah’s kindness still echoes in my life—and now in the lives of the babies and families I serve, Lara’s letter reads in closing. Sarah didn’t just change my life; she gave me the courage to build one.
(Newswise/HG)