{"id":199831,"date":"2019-04-09T09:23:25","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T14:23:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=199831"},"modified":"2019-04-08T23:49:27","modified_gmt":"2019-04-09T04:49:27","slug":"noone-visited-nicu-nurse-adopted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/noone-visited-nicu-nurse-adopted\/","title":{"rendered":"No one visited her in the NICU for five months… so a nurse adopted her"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Liz Smith had always wanted to have a family of her own. But infertility got in the way, so the nurse dedicated herself to her job, and her nieces and nephews. All of that changed, however, when she saw a beautiful baby girl one day at her hospital.<\/p>\n

According to Smith, it was her mother’s example that led her to want a family so much. “My mom was a pediatric nurse who always put others first,\u201d she told the Washington Post<\/a>. \u201cSo I grew up wanting to be a nurse, too.\u201d After her mother died of liver cancer, Smith dedicated her life to honoring her mom’s life and following her example. She became a nurse as well, eventually rising to the position of director of nursing at Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts. But what she wanted the most — a family — eluded her. IVF wasn’t an option, and she didn’t feel called to adopt. \u201cI never imagined becoming a mom would be a challenge,\u201d she admitted. \u201cIt\u2019s a desire you can try to push away and fill with other distractions, but it never goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n

So she decided to be the best aunt she could be, and thought motherhood wasn’t in the cards for her… until she saw Gisele. “Since the moment I met her, there was something behind her striking blue eyes capturing my attention,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI felt that I needed to love this child and keep her safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Dying child finds a new chance at life and love thanks to adoption<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It was a typical day, and Smith was going to the elevator when another nurse wheeled Gisele by. Just eight months old, she had been transferred to Franciscan after being born premature, and addicted to heroin, cocaine, and methadone due to her mother’s drug use during pregnancy. At three months old, the state of Massachusetts took custody of Gisele, and she was transferred after she needed more specialized medical care. The baby had not had a single visitor in five months of being hospitalized. “Gisele. Gisele,” Smith said she told herself the whole way home, saying she knew then. \u201cI’m going to foster this baby. I’m going to be her mother.\u201d<\/p>\n