A mother describes how skilled, compassionate in-home nursing helped her son thrive—and gave her family room to breathe.
When Abagael Safdieh’s son, Saulie, was diagnosed at 20 weeks gestation with a serious congenital heart condition, she knew life would look different. What she could not yet know was just how much expert support her family would need once he came home from the hospital. Saulie underwent his first open-heart surgery just days after birth in 2022 and spent his earliest weeks in the cardiac ICU. When he was finally discharged, the transition home brought a new kind of challenge: round-the-clock feeding, constant monitoring, and the reality that one missed sign could become a medical emergency.
Like many parents of medically complex children, Abagael and her husband quickly realized that love and vigilance alone would not be enough. She needed trained pediatric nurses she could trust. After trying an in-network option that did not feel equipped for her son’s needs, she fought to bring in Towne Kids. That decision changed everything. What began as eight hours of daily support eventually grew to 20 hours a day, with a morning nurse and a night nurse helping Saulie at home and, now, even accompanying him to preschool as a dedicated one-to-one caregiver.
The support goes far beyond routine care. Saulie’s nurses help administer medication, monitor his oxygen levels, assist with feeding and daily activities, and respond when he has frightening breathing episodes during naps or overnight sleep. At school, they make sure he stays safe when activity becomes too strenuous and intervene if his oxygen drops or he shows signs of overexertion.
For Abagael, that kind of skilled attention has meant peace of mind. For her son, it has meant the freedom to keep learning, growing, and enjoying the everyday experiences of childhood.
Over time, something else happened: The nurses became part of the family. The consistency of seeing familiar faces helped Saulie feel comfortable and secure, and it helped Abagael and her husband trust that their son was in capable hands.
“My son absolutely loves them,” Abagael said.
Their daughter, Violet, formed her own bond with the nurses as well. Birthdays, family celebrations, and milestones became shared moments.
Today, as Saulie approaches his fourth birthday, his medical future remains uncertain. For Abagael, in-home nursing has provided more than clinical support. It has made it possible for her to work, for her family to preserve small moments of normalcy, and for her son to be safely cared for by people who know him deeply.
