I did not grow with the dream of becoming a nurse, but God had His plan. God placed people in my life, some temporary and some lifelong friends, but all placed in my path to fulfill God’s plan for me. I could not begin to imagine another career now. In nursing school, I got a job as a nurse extern, and I was randomly assigned to the oncology unit at hospital I worked. I developed a deep compassion for cancer patients. Cancer patients are not your normal patient that you encounter for a few hours, on a random shift, and never meet again. My cancer patients become part of my life. I learned to open my heart and take this incredible journey with them. Most of my patients I get to see every few weeks for treatment and we get to know each other. Our lives don’t just cross paths, but they intertwine with each other. A journey of highs and lows, laughter and tears, and hope and despair unfold. So many have said to me “You have the saddest job”, but it’s not true. I have the pleasure of caring for some amazing people during their cancer journey.
I had the pleasure of taking care of Stoney in the Infusion department when he came for his chemotherapy treatment. Stoney has a name and spirit you don’t forget so I would look for him when he was on the infusion schedule so I could at least say hi. Then one day, my husband, who works at the same hospital, was telling me about someone he met. I knew he was talking about Stoney. A friendship developed quickly. My husband learned that the song his mother use to sing to him, God on the Mountain, was written by Stoney’s dad. My husband and I had the pleasure of becoming part of Stoney and BJ’s journey.
