For more than three years, oncology nurses have poked, prodded and put a smile on this patient's face.
PUBLISHED May 11, 2018
Martha lives in Illinois and was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in January 2015. She has a husband and three children, ranging in age from 12 to 18, a dog and a lizard.
A few weeks ago, I met an oncology nurse whose mom, like me, has metastatic breast cancer. Although she was at an event as her mom's chosen caretaker, she was busy collecting and storing away information about side effects and resources. Her plan? To share it all with other oncology nurses.
This is the kind of thing nurses do.
Like parents, teachers, social workers and pastors, it seems that their minds don't wander far from the people they help every day. It was a special moment for me to hear from this nurse about how the oncology nurses at her hospital want to bring more to the conversations they have with patients. Now, I know enough nurses to know they are not infallible. A good nurse, though, even on a bad or busy day, even when her thoughts return to personal worries, can turn a day around for someone like me. If you're a regular in the cancer center, like I have been for nearly three and a half years, my hope is that when you think about returning to the hospital for treatment, there's a moment within the sadness or anger or fear that you see a nurse's smile in your mind and know there's someone there who can help you make it through.
This is the kind of thing nurses do.
Like parents, teachers, social workers and pastors, it seems that their minds don't wander far from the people they help every day. It was a special moment for me to hear from this nurse about how the oncology nurses at her hospital want to bring more to the conversations they have with patients. Now, I know enough nurses to know they are not infallible. A good nurse, though, even on a bad or busy day, even when her thoughts return to personal worries, can turn a day around for someone like me. If you're a regular in the cancer center, like I have been for nearly three and a half years, my hope is that when you think about returning to the hospital for treatment, there's a moment within the sadness or anger or fear that you see a nurse's smile in your mind and know there's someone there who can help you make it through.
No comments:
Post a Comment