A personal reflection: family survival in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Being the parent of a child hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit can be frightening and very stressful. This personal reflection is written by a father whose son was a patient in such a unit and conveys his feelings and thoughts about the experience. This is the first of a 2-part article. The second article will discuss "The Family Survival Guide to the Intensive Care Unit" in detail.