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In the last few months, the world has really started to give healthcare workers the appreciation they deserve. This story really highlights the lengths they go to.

Undergoing surgery can be a scary and stressful experience for adults. For children, it can be unbearable. Luckily, Slade Thompson had someone to help him through the ordeal.

When Slade, a five-year-old who lives in Pennsylvania, began struggling to walk, his mother took him to the hospital.

The doctors operated on Slade and did a fantastic job. He would have to use a wheelchair for several months, but pretty soon, he was expected to recover.

But then there was another issue. Slade needed to undergo another surgery. The boy had hated the first experience and was dreading going back into the operating theater. This time, the surgery would cauterize his tonsils, adenoids and nose.

Luckily, Slade was put under anesthesia this time around. He didn’t feel a thing during the surgery.

But when Slade woke, he started panicking. He couldn’t remember where he was and couldn’t see his mom. Soon, he was crying loudly.

That was when Nurse Annie Hager came to his side. She hugged the child and told him that everything was all right.

When he had calmed down, Hager told him that his family was just outside and that he could meet them soon.

A little later, Slade’s mom, Layla, came into the room. She saw that Hager was still cuddling her boy, who had started crying again.

“Yeah, you want somebody to treat your child the way that you would treat them. So when I turned the corner and I saw them, I looked at my fiance, and I said “Ohhhh,” and we both started getting a little teary-eyed.” – Layla Thompson.

The mother took a photo of the moment and posted it to Facebook. It soon went viral.

People all around the world were quick to praise Hager for going above and beyond to comfort the child.

Slade and Layla were incredibly grateful for Hager’s support.

A few days later, they even showed up at the hospital again to present her with some thank you flowers. Slade was also keen to hug Hager once more.

“I cried, yeah. It’s humbling.” – Annie Hager.

Hager herself is modest. She says that anyone who works there would have done exactly the same thing. That may be true, but it in no way diminishes how special acts of kindness like this are.

Healthcare workers become healthcare workers not for the money but because they want to help people. They spend their entire careers going above and beyond. In fact, actions like these are so common that they don’t even realize just how amazing they are.

Society has long treated athletes, actors and celebrities with reverence. But in the last few months, the world has really started to wake up to the fact that healthcare workers deserve the same respect.

People like Annie Hager are out there every day, caring for us and our children. They are nothing short of heroes.

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Source: WNEP 16, Bored Daddy