When you step into the orbit of Bernadine “Bernie” Wafford, the first thing you’re drawn to is her voice – sweet and whisper soft. Then, before you know it, a sense of serenity envelops you as though you’ve just sat down for a meditation, guided by angels.

Ms. Wafford is the smiling face of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital. It’s hard to imagine a more fitting human at the desk.

“Bernadine is the best part about all that is good in the NICU, and every nurse would tell you how amazing she is,” says her supervisor, NICU Nurse Manager Aziza Young, RN. “When she retires, I will retire, because I feel like I can’t live without her.”

Although Ms. Wafford is celebrating her 45th anniversary at UT Southwestern this year, don’t plan on her retirement party anytime soon.

Bernadine "Bernie" Wafford

She has held several different positions – her first as a housekeeper at the former St. Paul University Hospital, fresh out of high school. She eventually moved to the NICU, where she’s been a Service Technician and, since 2014, a Health Unit Coordinator (HUC). She’s loved it all.

When she started in the NICU, she had never seen such tiny babies before. “They were just 4 or 5 pounds,” Ms. Wafford says. “And just to watch them get ready to go home, that was just a miracle. When they were discharged, we would wheel them in a stroller to the discharge area. It was so special.”

Of course, there are tough days in a NICU, and Ms. Wafford had to learn how to navigate those waters.

When a family is going through a difficult time, and the parents are scared, you want to say the right things and make sure you’re encouraging, she says. We always say: ‘You’re at the best place; you’ve got the best nurses and the best doctors.’ You let them know they’re in good hands.

She’s bonded with parents, and through UTSW’s annual “Preemie Reunion,” she’s even been able to see some of their babies grow up.

She has built a second family at UT Southwestern, and throughout her story she weaves in a long list of doctors, nurses, supervisors, colleagues, and volunteers. When she recalls their kindness for taking her under their wing, her eyes puddle at nearly every name.

There were the nuns at St. Paul; NICU Medical Directors past (the late Dr. Gary Burgess) and present (Dr. Becky Ennis, Associate Professor of Pediatrics); former teammates (Mary Harrison); volunteers (the late Stella Bressler); Assistant Nurse Manager Reynaldo Ray; and a host of current and retired nurses. And of course, Ms. Young, who hired Ms. Wafford into the NICU in 1974.

I have found my second family here, Ms. Wafford says. All the nurses were angels; they were so helpful. And Aziza. I can’t describe how she has been a true blessing. She gave me the confidence to be a Service Tech. There’s not enough paper to describe Aziza. Not only to me, but to patients in crisis. She’s a godsend.

The feeling is mutual.

Bernie is so calm, so gentle, and so graceful and gracious, Ms. Young says. This job demands someone very special, and she truly is the epitome of what it is to be out in front of an intensive care unit, working with the families and at the same time supporting her manager.

Ms. Wafford lets her boss know when a unit is short on supplies, or when a mother is distressed, or when a member of the UTSW family they knew from St. Paul has passed away.

She finds people to cover when we’re short-staffed in the secretarial position, Ms. Young says. She just takes care of everybody, she just helps everybody. I feel 2 inches tall when I’m around her. She’s just so awesome, you think: ‘Could I ever be that nice?’

She’s part of the fabric of what we do here, Ms. Young says. She’s family.