The Oncology Nurse Who Got Me Through 2 Years of Cancer Treatment

My name is Paul Stachelek, and I have been a patient for more than 2½ years at the Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Center at UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Being diagnosed with cancer is both physically and mentally challenging to the patient.

When I first started this journey, I was assigned to a nurse, Jenny Gnoza, who was going to provide my care. As with all new patients, there were a lot of unknowns: "How will I respond to treatment? What are the possible side effects? When will I start feeling better?" I am sure Jenny could see the worry in me and my concern about what my future held when we first met. She took the time to listen to my story about how I ended up there. She assured me that the nurses and doctors at the facility were familiar with my type of cancer, had treated other patients with the same disease and that I would start to feel better soon.

I truly feel Jenny knows what the patient is going through. She brought a sense of ease and hope to me that I was in the right place. My treatment was aggressive, and I was receiving it every other day. I was always greeted by Jenny with a smile and asked, "How are you doing?"

Fighting cancer and treatment is a marathon. I knew I was not going to be better within a week or two like I had a common cold. There was always blood work, followed by various shots and intravenous (IV) medication drips.

Jenny is a very skilled nurse. At times, the phlebotomist on duty would struggle to find my vein for the blood draw that determined whether I would receive treatment that day. I am not a fan of being a voodoo doll getting repeatedly jabbed. I would always ask if they could get Jenny to come over and draw my blood, which she always did. Not only was she able to draw my blood the first time, but she also provided guidance to the phlebotomist on how she was able to do it the first time. Sometimes my vein needed to be warmed up, or maybe a little pat to wake it up, or the tourniquet a little tighter. In either case, I saw her skill applied to me and her leadership in teaching her colleagues.

Before treatment, Jenny would review my blood work results with me and communicate in real time with Dr. Daniel Winokur if anything was abnormal so that treatment could proceed. She would explain each shot or treatment I would be receiving that day so I would have a good understanding of what it does. Jenny keeps a close eye on me during treatment for possible side effects by taking and recording my blood pressure and pulse in the database and always asking how I am feeling.

Jenny often fills in for her colleagues while they are out of the office, pulling double duty and managing last-minute treatment coverage for patients while taking care of her own patients. I am very thankful to have Jenny as my nurse. Her care of me and her demonstrated skill set has been exceptional. For these skills and traits, I would like to nominate Jenny Gnoza to be a recipient of the Extraordinary Healer Award.

This nomination reflects the nominator's personal experience and perspective. CURE® does not endorse or evaluate individual nominees, and submissions are not influenced by any commercial or professional affiliation.

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