I am a 9 year advanced stage breast cancer survivor. Nurses played a critical role on every step of my journey. I actually have 3 registered nurses in my family and luckily, the last one I asked to feel a suspicious lump in my armpit region was an oncology nurse. She urged me to see a physician about it and turned out it was cancer.
It was a nurse that delivered the painful blow on the phone about my diagnosis. It was a nurse that traveled to my home on her off time to remove my post-surgical drainage tubes. It was a nurse who calmed my fears at my first chemo session and it was a nurse who motivated me not to give up on radiation after noticing that my mood and demeanor was steadily declining.
My story echoes the journey of so many patients because nurses are the backbone of the healing process. I am truly grateful for the standard of care and compassion I received.