For Mackenzie Lovvorn, being a nurse allows her to combine two of her passions: care giving and traveling. Together they have taken the Buford professional to locales around the country, where she often fills in for two or three months wherever she’s needed.

But for the last few years, Lovvorn, RNC, BSN, has concentrated her efforts at Gwinnett Medical Center, where she's assigned to the 32-bed neonatal intensive care unit. Working with the most fragile children is part of the dream she has had for as long as she can remember.

“My dad says it’s all I’ve talked about since I was three years old,” Lovvorn said with a laugh. “Most people think it’s hard; they say, ‘I couldn’t do what you do.’ But I believe every nurse has a special gift; I just have a passion for kids.”

Being a neonatal ICU nurse takes an added degree of dedication, said Lovvorn, 27.

“Children are so innocent and resilient; they’re very easy patients,” she said. “As sick as they are, they still love to play and will give you a smile. But you don’t get as much of that from the neonatals. Those little babies are fighting for every breath they take.”

Taking care of the most at-risk babies also means working closely with families, Lovvorn said.

“I think a lot of these nurses have a special bond with the families,” she said. “Especially in the first several days, you’re the person holding their hands during the most stressful time of their lives.”

Lovvorn still keeps in touch with a half-dozen families long after they’ve been discharged. David and Kimberly Prince are among them. The couple nominated Lovvorn for the exceptional support she provided last summer when their daughter, Jessica, was born prematurely at home. The baby and mother were rushed to the hospital, where Jessica was hooked up to life-support systems.

“Mackenzie was the first nurse Jessica had, as well as the last,” David Prince wrote. “When we were told our daughter was brain dead, Mackenzie was there to show compassion. On the day the life support was disconnected, she was there for the whole time. The love she showed for our daughter and the compassion she showed for our family, I believe, is what being a nurse is about.”

For Lovvorn, that kind of care is an integral part of her job.

“It’s not unusual for us to get attached to babies and their parents, too,” she said. “You have to have a lot of compassion. No one plans to spend three or four months in the NICU, but if you do, we’re there to help pick up the pieces.”