Sara Peeples, M.D., Receives Willow Award for Compassionate End-of-Life Care
| A crowd gathered in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on May 22 to honor neonatologist Sara Peeples, M.D., with the Willow Award: Excellence in End-of-Life Care.
The Willow Award, sponsored by Smith Family Funeral Homes and Tipton & Hurst, recognizes caregivers who provide exceptional end-of-life care.
Staff from the NICU attended the ceremony to honor Sara Peeples, M.D. (center).
Peeples, who treats patients at both UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), was nominated by Samantha and Mason Pennington for the care she provided to them and their son, Christian.
Jodie McGinley, executive director of the Willow Award, read the couple’s nominating letter to the crowd. In it, the Penningtons said they were on vacation in Colorado in 2023 when the Arkansas Department of Human Services called to tell them a baby boy had been left in the Safe Haven Baby Box in Benton. The baby was sick and was being treated at ACH.
The couple returned home to Arkansas and went to meet their son.
“When we laid eyes on Christian for the first time, we knew he was meant to be our son,” the couple wrote.
Eventually, Christian was diagnosed with D-bifunctional protein deficiency, a rare, fatal condition in which the body cannot break down fatty acids. After more than a month in the NICU, Christian went home on hospice care.
The family met Peeples a few months later when they had their first complex care appointment at ACH.
“From the moment she walked into the room, I knew she cared — not just about Christian, but about us as well,” the couple wrote. “She talked with us about details that mattered. She explained things about Christian’s condition that no one had taken the time to explain before.”
Additionally, Peeples gave the family her personal cellphone number and urged them to contact her with questions or concerns.
As Christian’s condition worsened, the couple wrote, Peeples helped them prepare “for the reality that we might lose him.”
“When the time came for us to begin having conversations about end-of-life decisions, Dr. Peeples walked us through every step with incredible compassion,” the letter said. “She even came to talk with us after finishing a shift at UAMS one afternoon. We discussed what Christian’s death might look like and even the possibility of organ donation. She carefully explained the pros and cons and made sure we felt supported and informed in every decision.”
Christian Pennington died May 1, 2024. He was 11 months old.
Peeples’ care for the family didn’t stop with Christian’s passing. She attended the funeral, the family said, which meant a lot to them.
Additionally, she sent Samantha Pennington a Mother’s Day card. “The fact that she thought of me during that time meant more than I can ever fully express,” the letter said.
“Through every appointment, every hospitalization, every difficult conversation, and every precious milestone, Dr. Sara Peeples cared not only for Christian’s medical needs — but for our entire family,” the family wrote. “She went above and beyond in ways that we never expected. She treated our son with dignity and compassion, and she treated us like people who mattered. She gave us the space to be Christian’s parents and allowed us the room to make informed decisions during the hardest moments of our lives.”
Peeples was presented with a glass Willow Award and floral vase, commissioned by Arkansas glass artist James Hayes, as well as pinned with her very own Willow Award lapel pin during the ceremony.
After the ceremony, Peeples said she was honored to receive the award.
“It is always nice to know that your work is appreciated and remembered,” she said. “This is a reminder that what we do makes a difference, even if we don’t know that or see that. The families we help remember, and they carry it with them.”
Founded in Arkansas, The Willow Award: Excellence in End-of-Life Care has grown into a national movement — one that brings visibility to the quiet acts of compassion that so often define a person’s final days. Through heartfelt nominations and shared stories, the award honors caregivers whose presence, dignity, and kindness leave a lasting imprint on the lives of patients and families.