Three years ago, as a newly licensed nurse, I accepted a job at Children’s Hospital Boston and started a career on 6 West, the bone marrow transplant unit. The years have passed quickly and, as I look back, the technical aspects of the job and the lessons I’ve learned as a nurse seem blurred compared to the emotional experiences I have had.
I met Kaylee her first night on 6 West. She was admitted to our service for a bone marrow transplant to treat her rare form of AML. Everything I had heard about her was spot on. She was a seven-year-old girl full of life and laughter. She loved fashion, princesses and Tinker Bell, and she had a pillow pet for every day of the year. She taught me her best moves during our one a.m. dance parties, complete with glow sticks and a disco ball. She told me about her best friends and her favorite big brother. She was a daddy’s girl who loved holding her mommy’s hand when she was scared. She was a fighter.
As one of her primary nurses, I looked forward to coming to work every day so I could see her and her parents. I loved meeting her new pillow pets, seeing her panda and frog knit socks and revisiting my childhood while watching Peter Pan with her. “I used to clap to save Tink. I would clap and clap, louder and louder,” I told her, “and when Tink was saved, I thought I saved her myself.” She giggled, reached her arms out wide and hugged me. It was the first time I had seen her smile in days, and I can’t even begin to explain how it touched my heart.
Kaylee relapsed April 20, 2011 and lost her courageous battle four days later. Knowing her has changed me as a professional and as a person. While we couldn’t save her, I vowed to “just keep clapping” in hopes of saving others just like her.
That is why I have chosen to ride �" as a way to give back, to keep clapping. While I ride for Kaylee, I also ride for all the children like her diagnosed with cancer �" past, present and future �" in hopes that my physical challenge can help make their fight a bit easier.
The Pan Mass Challenge is a two-day, 192-mile bike ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown, MA, to raise money for the incredible work that Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston do for patients battling cancer. Last year, the dedicated riders for the PMC raised over $30 million dollars, and this year we hope to exceed that amount!
I am privileged to be a part of the 32nd annual PMC, riding as a member of team Pedals for Pediatrics. Every dollar raised will benefit the children and families of Children’s Hospital Boston/Dana Farber Cancer Institute and will go directly to helping families needing financial support, aiding in research projects, and funding projects to better our inpatient floors and outpatient clinics. My fundraising goal is $4,200 and I hope you will consider helping me in this effort by making a donation to my 2011 ride. Whether you can donate $5, $50, $100 or even $500, no donation is too big or too small!
