蜜桃直播

Empathy and understanding your patients are key skills for all nursing staff. But for some, that understanding goes much deeper. 
 
Beckii Handy, Hannah Hargreaves and Brooke Evans all realised how much of a difference nursing makes, long before they started training in it. They now all care for patients at various departments across Birmingham 蜜桃直播� but around a decade ago, diagnosed with teenage cancer, they were the patients being cared for by the nursing staff of the same city.  
 
Now in their 20s, remission and successful practice, they agree that their formative experiences with ill health were instrumental in teaching them the power of the profession they蜜桃直播檙e proud to be part of, as well as an enhanced appreciation of what their patients might be going through. 

Once she accepted her leukaemia, she took more interest in her nurses蜜桃直播� work

In a full circle moment, Hannah joined the team that cared for her, on the Paediatric Oncology and Haematology ward at Birmingham Children蜜桃直播檚 Hospital (BCH), with Beckii just down the corridor at the Paediatric Intensive Care unit (PIC). In a similar vein, leukaemia survivor Brooke now works in Haematology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.  

Patients蜜桃直播� patience

How did needing nursing care as teenage cancer patients inspire them towards the profession? For Hannah, it solidified what was already there. 蜜桃直播淚 always wanted to work with children 蜜桃直播� maybe as a nursery nurse,蜜桃直播� she explained. But when she was 12, her cousin was diagnosed with paediatric cancer 蜜桃直播� then four years later, she was too. Initially, this made Hannah want to keep her hospital visits to a minimum. But when her cousin relapsed, she felt pulled towards nursing. 
 
Beckii also grew up drawn to caring roles, geared towards midwifery. But after beginning treatment for ovarian cancer at 15, she didn蜜桃直播檛 want any more to do with hospitals, and considered photography instead. However, her plans soon careered back towards health care, first considering paediatric oncology before changing specialism.  

I don蜜桃直播檛 shout about surviving cancer, but if I think it蜜桃直播檒l help my patients, I蜜桃直播檒l share it

When Brooke was diagnosed at 17, she was already studying Health and Social Care, admitting to initially being the type of patient she蜜桃直播檇 find difficult. But once she accepted her leukaemia, she took more interest in her nurses蜜桃直播� work. This encouraged Brooke to resume her studies 蜜桃直播� ultimately attending university whilst on a two-year block of maintenance chemotherapy.  

Despite the differences of their diagnoses, routes into the profession and current roles, Beckii, Hannah and Brooke share some similarities. One is the little gestures displayed to them by their own nurses 蜜桃直播� which they now try to feed into their interactions with patients.  
 
Something that stuck with Hannah was her nurses蜜桃直播� responses to her night commode, an unwelcome gift from the fluid intake on chemo for lymphoma. One told her to leave it by the bed, that she would sort it herself 蜜桃直播� saving Hannah and her mum from walking back and forth to the sluice room at 4am. Now, Hannah does the same, describing her nurses蜜桃直播� kindness as like a family蜜桃直播檚.  
 
Meanwhile, Beckii was initially more inspired by Teenage Cancer Trust蜜桃直播檚 Youth Support Coordinators. They showed her the power of connection, through events like .  

• Read next: Supporting people living with cancer

Above: Beckii

Personal to professional  

Years down the line, all three蜜桃直播檚 consideration for their patients has its base in their own histories.  
 
蜜桃直播淚 don蜜桃直播檛 shout about surviving cancer,蜜桃直播� says Hannah, 蜜桃直播渂ut if I think it蜜桃直播檒l help my patients, I蜜桃直播檒l share it. It蜜桃直播檚 usually when they蜜桃直播檙e getting their Hickman Line, because it蜜桃直播檚 a huge adjustment. I show my own scar to put them at ease.蜜桃直播�  
 
If Beckii speaks with an oncology patient, she蜜桃直播檇 rather signpost them towards charities she knows first-hand they might benefit from, such as the , rather than relay quite why she has this insight.  

If I tell someone I'll be back in a minute, I make a conscious effort to do so

Brooke says: 蜜桃直播淢y treatment is probably different to theirs, but I know the similarities 蜜桃直播� like how losing your hair feels like an erasure of your identity, and how horrible steroids are. I mention it if I feel it蜜桃直播檒l benefit someone.蜜桃直播�  

This has made a practical difference. Hannah recalls one patient panicking about a recent diagnosis. She knelt on the floor to comfort her, something she remembers her own consultant doing. Fundamentally, getting down to her level was a physical gesture 蜜桃直播� but also a breaking of barriers emotionally.  
 
蜜桃直播淚f I tell someone I'll be back in a minute, I make a conscious effort to do so,蜜桃直播� adds Hannah, 蜜桃直播渂ecause I know how boring it is when you蜜桃直播檙e waiting on one task to get discharged. I also try hard to answer drip-stand beeps 蜜桃直播� it might seem nothing, but sitting by beeps for hours adds up.蜜桃直播�  
 
As many nurses will be familiar with, sadly sometimes patients die. 蜜桃直播淚n palliative care, I have to put a protective wall up, because the losses of my cancer friends never leaves me,蜜桃直播� reflects Brooke.  

Cancer doesn蜜桃直播檛 end when treatment does 蜜桃直播� but doesn蜜桃直播檛 have to consume every element of survivors蜜桃直播� later lives

Hannah agrees: 蜜桃直播淚 try to be really compassionate, but couldn蜜桃直播檛 do my job without some barrier 蜜桃直播� and it's not about me, it's about them.蜜桃直播�  
 
Beckii also knows the importance of protecting her mental health, deciding against oncology patients under her remit. 蜜桃直播淏ut I look after lots of other children at end-of-life. You only get one shot at facilitating a good death.蜜桃直播� 

New horizons  

The biggest things each has learned as nurses is part informed by their cancer survivorship. For Beckii, it蜜桃直播檚 quality of life over quantity, and Hannah蜜桃直播檚 is that her job and cancer both demonstrate her resilience. Brooke feels that leukaemia put her on a different path 蜜桃直播� one she wouldn蜜桃直播檛 want to deviate from.  
 
All three are now well-qualified to advise young patients who might seek their life advice 蜜桃直播� as Hannah once did. For any patients contemplating nursing, Beckii would praise how rewarding it is, throughout its highs and lows. Nursing helped Hannah become comfortable with her cancer. Working with young cancer patients made her better accept, and later learn, about her own experience.  
 
It蜜桃直播檚 clear that cancer doesn蜜桃直播檛 end when treatment does 蜜桃直播� but doesn蜜桃直播檛 have to consume every element of survivors蜜桃直播� later lives, either. As Beckii, Hannah and Brooke show, what it can do is inform the next generations 蜜桃直播� of fellow nurses and future patients alike.