Kim was one of the nurses on call one evening in the Broward program. She received a call from the triage nurse, who informed her that a ten-month-old baby girl on VITAS service had just died; they asked Kim to attend the death. During her drive to the home of the young parents, Kim thought of her own daughters. One was 18 months old and the other was three years old. Her youngest had been sick just last weekend—nothing very serious—but that was all she could think about.

When Kim arrived at the home, she was greeted by two distraught parents. The mother was walking through the house, holding her baby close to her chest and weeping. After introducing herself, Kim recognized that the parents needed time to deal with their loss, and she gave them the space they needed. She assured them there was no hurry and gave them permission to express their grief openly. Kim explained that she would make the necessary calls when they were ready.

The parents later indicated that they were ready for Kim to place the calls. Kim continued to provide the parents with emotional support. When the funeral home attendants arrived, Kim met them at the door. They were wheeling a small gurney up the driveway and Kim asked them to return the gurney to the transport vehicle. She explained to the drivers that there was a baby involved and asked them to please wait in their vehicle for a few moments.

When she went back into the house, she told the parents that there was no hurry. They could take as much time as they wanted. When they were ready, she asked if they wanted to take the baby out to the vehicle. The parents continued to hold their baby, and several minutes later they took their little girl outside and placed her inside the vehicle.

When they went back inside, the parents thanked Kim for allowing them to take their time. Most of all, they thanked her for allowing them to place the baby in the vehicle, rather than having people they did not know take their little girl out of their home.