Avery Award of Excellence in Pediatric Surgery
Cabell Huntington Hospital
Huntington, West Virginia
Nominated by Jordan Bennett
Dr. Bonnie Beaver was nominated for the Avery Award of Excellence by Jordan Bennett for the care of her daughter, Taylor, during her stay in the NICU. “I can never thank Dr. Beaver enough for what she did for our daughter and our family. When we first discovered Taylor was going to be born with Gastroschisis, we were the most scared I think anyone in our family had ever been. No one in our area had been born with this before and we had no idea what to expect. The OB I originally went to had called me on the phone to deliver this news. He told me to, “Google it.” At that time there was no Avery’s Angels. I made the mistake of Googling it. We waited two weeks after that to meet Dr. Beaver. She was two and a half hours away in Huntington but that didn’t matter to us. She was the best in our area and that’s what we wanted, the best. I will never forget the day I met her, my mom, husband, mother in law and I waited anxiously to put a face with the name. A face of the person who would have our daughter’s life in her hands. She came in and introduced herself. Her voice and calm nature really calmed all my nerves. She didn’t talk in fancy words that I didn’t understand. She talked to us and explained what we were about to go through, what our baby would go through. She then told us her daughter was born premature and spent time in the NICU. I loved that! Now she wasn’t just talking to me from a doctor’s perspective but a mother’s. She was so comforting. I battled keeping Taylor inside my tummy most of the pregnancy but every hospital stay Dr. Beaver came in, talked to us, touched my hand and told me she was ready and wasn’t going anywhere. Taylor was born January 15, 2008 at 7:14 am, she was five weeks early. We all waited patiently to see what Dr. Beaver would say. She came in about an hour before surgery and talked to us, checked on me and told me that before surgery she would bring Taylor to my room so I could see her. I was so excited, I had not seen her except in the delivery room. That was so comforting. Taylor had surgery at five hours old. Dr. Beaver was able to get everything back in with the ONE surgery and no silo. We spent 23 days in the NICU and Dr. Beaver visited almost everyday. She would come in, sit down beside us and talk to us about Taylor, breast feeding and making sure we were resting. I can never say enough good things about the woman who helped our baby girl. She talked to me, mother to mother. She genuinely cared/s for our daughter. She helped us find the best pediatrician in our area and gave us words of encouragement. Taylor knows Dr. Beaver as her angel, because of her, we have Taylor.”