
From grief to gratitude: “I will never forget the kindness and compassion she showed me and my family,” a patient said about RN Abi Kidwell.
By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
When Abi Kidwell was deciding on a career path as a young college student at Indiana University Bloomington, she had crossed nursing off her list.
Not because she wasn’t interested in the profession or capable, but because she came from a long line of nurses and simply wanted to do something different in healthcare.
It’s a good thing though that after first earning a bachelor’s degree in community health, she chose to go back to school to get her nursing degree after questioning how effective she could be teaching health education in Indiana.
“I believe people when they say nursing is a calling,” said Kidwell, a nurse in the maternity tower at Riley Hospital for Children. “I knew I was passionate about the right to healthcare.”
Talking with a neighbor who was a midwife about the state of maternal healthcare in the United States fueled a deeper passion in her to become a labor and delivery nurse. She worked in labor and delivery for two years at IU Health Bloomington Hospital before transferring to Riley earlier this year.
“I wanted to come to Riley to learn more about high-risk care,” said Kidwell, who hails from the tiny town of Hope, Indiana. “It will help prepare me for the day I intend to go back to school to become a midwife.”

Since coming to Riley, Kidwell has been involved in many high-risk deliveries and recently was awarded a DAISY for her care and compassion when a patient’s baby was stillborn.
“The bereavement world can be very heavy and emotionally taxing on nurses,” she acknowledged, “but to know that those moments I spend working so hard for these families truly makes an impact feels good.”
For Rebecca Gonzalez, Kidwell’s care definitely made an impact, which is why she nominated her for the DAISY award.

“The day after I had my daughter was the hardest day of my life,” said Gonzalez, who agreed to share her story publicly. “Nora was stillborn, and a piece of me died with her.”
Gonzalez found out earlier in her pregnancy that her baby girl had Potter syndrome, a severe birth defect that infants rarely survive.
Choosing to carry her for as long as possible, Gonzalez delivered Nora at 34 weeks at Riley.
“She passed during labor, but I was able to keep her with me in a CuddleCot, and we took lots of pictures,” said the first-time mom, who was supported by her mother and sister during and after delivery.
Kidwell’s quiet support, along with the mementoes she created, also brought comfort when the grieving mom needed it most.
“She listened to me, she was there for me emotionally, and she helped me make all these memories with Nora. I am profoundly grateful for Abi and for all the nurses who made a terrible experience just a little easier.”

For Kidwell, ushering her patient through the shock of loss and the waves of grief that follow is part of her calling to be a nurse.
“It was so important to let her process that in the way she needed,” Kidwell said.
“She made me comfortable in my most vulnerable moments,” Gonzalez said. “I will never forget the kindness and compassion she showed me and my family.”
Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org