Unsung Heroes Among Oncology Nurses

Rosaura R. Acosta is a beautiful soul that takes time to meet with patients and is present for them. My mother and I met Rosaura when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. It was a terrifying time, but together, my mother and I were learning to navigate this new life that had been forced upon us that entailed countless doctors and medical visits. We quickly had to settle into a routine of care that included chemotherapy and then radiation to attempt to eradicate the cancer. We were thrust into an alien and foreign world not of our choosing, where we had to learn new medical terms, treatments and outcomes. It was a scary time, and like all people faced with this new, unwanted and unwelcomed horror in their life, it was mind boggling and confusing.

We were fortunate enough to have crossed paths with Rosaura on this journey, as I believe only God's intervention can make possible. My beautiful mother and I quickly felt an instant connection to this warm and giving soul with a quiet, professional and endearing quality that makes you feel that you are in the best care possible. She ensures that all patients receive the optimal care and that all their needs are met while they are in her watch. When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, she made us feel that we were the most important people in the world and that they would do everything to ensure that my mother's prognosis have a positive outcome.

She has a wonderful bedside manner and is a professional that is an asset to her organization, to the work she has chosen to pursue and to the medical profession in general. She makes you feel that together, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished to overcome this life-changing and terrible diagnosis. She is a Godsend to people who truly need someone during the most difficult journey they have to embark upon, and that journey is called cancer. All people that have chosen a career in the medical field are unsung heroes, and she is one of many; however, she stands out in the crowd! God bless her and all medical professionals for all they do.

Thank you, Rosaura, for coming into our life and making a difference to my mother and our family. Thank you for your extraordinary compassion, the helpfulness and expertise that naturally seems to flow from you. We will always be eternally grateful to you and the immense difference you made in our mother's cancer path and the positive trajectory you helped us establish navigating this journey. We truly believe that you have a place among the angels in heaven one day because you already are an angel on earth!

Editor’s Note: This is an essay submitted by Dee Martinez for the 2021 Extraordinary Healer Award. Click here to read more about CURE®’s Extraordinary Healer® Award for Oncology Nursing event on April 30, 2021.

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