Oncology nurse becomes patient after diagnosis

By Jennifer Dougan, AHN Cancer Institute at Saint Vincent

I have been given the honor and privilege of being an oncology nurse for 17 years in the Erie area.

This means I have been able to care for many in our area with a cancer diagnosis.

I love what I do!

Is it hard? De nitely, but it’s more than worth it. Each day, when I go to work, I hope to make just a small di erence for a patient and their family - to encourage them and teach them about their diagnosis or how to manage a side e ect.

But you know what? My patients make a di erence in my life instead.

My patients are strong and courageous in the face of a devastating diagnosis. They smile and laugh when I’m administering their chemotherapy or doing an assessment. And yes, they even ask me how I am doing. My patients have taught me more about life than I could ever learn in a nursing book or class.

In November of 2021, a er a CT scan to follow up on an ER visit for pain I was experiencing, there was a role reversal as I quickly found myself as the patient.

I began reading my CT scan with the words “large mass arising from the pelvis into the abdomen, certainly a uterine neoplasm would have to be suspected.”

I shook my head in disbelief as I read those words and for a moment I felt what all my patients must feel - a crushing weight and the question, “how could this be true?”

My coworkers immediately went into action, becoming my nurses and my own personal heroes.

A fellow co-worker noti ed our Nurse Manager, who got me an appointment that very a ernoon with the BEST gynecological oncology surgeon in the world, Dr. Thomas Krivak. We are so fortunate to have Dr. Krivak here at the Oncology Institute at Saint Vincent.

Dr. Krivak held one hand and my loving and incredibly supportive Mom held the other as Dr. Krivak pulled the pictures of the CT scan up on the computer in the exam room downstairs at the AHN Cancer Institute at Saint Vincent, and tears streamed down my face.

Later that week, I found myself having surgery at West Penn. I can’t say enough good things about the sta and nurses who cared for me there. West Penn was full of the kindest sta -from the precious ladies who cleaned my room, to the kind folks who brought my meals. Each and every nurse went above and beyond. Those nurses worked so hard- I found myself whispering prayers for them as the call lights seemed to be going o continually and the alerts for emergencies seemed frequent.

My team of heroes back at home were with me each step of the way during my recovery. They formed a prayer chain the day of my surgery, which gave me so much peace. Several of the nurses donated their paid time o to me. The nurses brought delicious snacks and treats for my daughter and me.

I had a constant stream of texts from people checking on me, thoughtful cards were sent, and generous donations given to help to cover my expenses. There will never be enough words to thank each of them for the ways that they so sel essly cared for me and my family. They certainly went above and beyond.

The best part is that I know I’m not the only person who is treated this way. Each and every patient who walks through the doors at AHN Cancer Institute at Saint Vincent is treated with the same caring. The sta truly puts their patient rst and treats each one as they would treat a member of their own family.

The mass in my uterus turned out to be benign and I have completely recovered. It’s been di cult for me to understand why I didn’t have to go thru cancer, but my patients do. But this experience has helped me to relate to patients in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to before.

In a career like this, one easily learns that each day we wake up and are given breath is a blessing!

I’m so very thankful for the compassionate care that my heroes gave me and to be a part of the AHN Oncology Institute at Saint Vincent team. Being an Oncology Nurse is an incredibly rewarding career!