Grieving Mother Sends Message to Nurses Who Were By Her 17-Month-Old Daughter’s Side During Her Final Moments (Exclusive)

Brittany Johnson thanked medical staff for how they helped her daughter at the end of her life, administering medication and helping paint her nails.

• After Brittany Johnson’s 17-month-old daughter Sloane passed away, the grieving mother took to TikTok to share a message for nurses

• Johnson posted footage of Sloane’s honor walk and, in a series of captions, detailed some of the ways medical staff went above and beyond.

• The TikTok video has reached more than 2.2 million views since Johnson posted it in April.

For nine months, Brittany Johnson watched her daughter, Sloane, fight for her life in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Sloane was born prematurely with a genetic condition in May 2022. She spent most of her childhood in the neonatal intensive care unit, but was eventually released from the unit. Sloane spent her first birthday out of the hospital and was living at home.

But things took an unexpected turn during a family outing in October 2023, when Sloane suddenly stopped breathing. After being transferred to the hospital, the 17-month-old was later taken off life support and died.

Although Johnson wasn’t able to take her baby home, she says she left with deep gratitude to the nurses who were there during Sloane’s final days.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: 22-Year-Old College Student Survived Stage 3 Breast Cancer, Now Enters Menopause Along With Her Mother (Exclusive)

Due to several medical complications, Sloane was unable to donate her organs after being declared brain dead. Still, Johnson told PEOPLE that her daughter’s nurses wanted the family to experience the “walk of honor” that many donors take before heading into surgery.

Six months after Sloane’s death, Johnson created a TikTok video featuring footage of herself and her boyfriend, Javier Davis, carrying their daughter on her “walk of honor.” In a caption overlay, Johnson took the opportunity to share how Sloane’s nurses went above and beyond for her family.

“We could never imagine how these nurses do it…but they do,” Johnson – who is also a mother of three sons – wrote at the beginning of the video.

Related: Influencer Notices Her Daughter’s Eye Was ‘Moving Weirdly’, Days Later, She’s Diagnosed With a Brain Tumor (Exclusive)

The TikTok creator went on to detail some of the meaningful gestures from nurses that have stuck with her.

“To the nurse who went out of her way to get me nail polish because I could never paint my daughter’s nails. Thank you,” Johnson wrote. Another nurse tied Sloane’s hair into pigtails before her “final wagon ride” through the hospital hallways.

Johnson also described the “compassionate” medical staff who did their best to stay strong in times when their patient’s family could not.

“To the nurse who had to leave the room while I was screaming… so she wouldn’t see you cry,” Johnson continued. “I saw you. Thank you.”

Related: Five Months Before His Death, Father Attends Wedding Plan to Walk His Single Daughter Down the Aisle (Exclusive)

The TikTok, which has reached more than 2.2 million viewers on the app, also pays tribute to the nurse who continued to administer morphine to keep Sloane comfortable after she was taken off the ventilator. Johnson tells PEOPLE that gesture is especially meaningful.

“Right before she died, she took deep breaths that seemed uncomfortable,” the Baltimore mother recalled of her daughter’s final moments. “(The nurses) were doing everything they could to make that transition easier … Even though we knew she was comfortable, it just eased my mind.”

Johnson and Davis stayed in touch with the nurses after they were released from the hospital. Several of them attended Sloane’s funeral, as did some of his doctors.

“(Nurses) do a lot more than we think,” Johnson tells PEOPLE. “They go through a lot more. They go through this over and over again. And it really touches me how involved they are with these families.”

Related: Heartbreaking Story of Father Who Added Daughter’s Necklace to Headstone After His Three Children Died (Exclusive)

TikTok has also given Johnson a supportive community and a way to express her grief. She says she often feels more comfortable expressing her grief on camera than in face-to-face conversations.

Through social media, Johnson has even heard from people who crossed paths with Sloane at the end of her life, from the paramedics who were on the scene when the little girl stopped breathing in October 2023 to the passersby who witnessed the emergency response.

“Everyone has reached out to us to offer their condolences,” she told PEOPLE. “It’s been a really touching experience.”

For more People news, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.