First, I must say that this is a long journey. G is still under the care of so many amazingly gifted pediatric hematologists, oncologists, residents, nurses, NPCs, PAs, PCNAs, technicians, and staff. However, I have to stop and acknowledge how crucial nurse Alec Harrison is to my niece, myself, and our family. I believe that it is important for long-term stay patients like G to feel a connection to their caregivers in order to help them make a conscious decision to want to get better, and Alec found that connection. He is a big part of her motivation to be brave and fight for her life. 

He was one of the first nurses to take care of G after her transfer from the UVA PICU. She had been intubated for almost 2 weeks over the Christmas holiday and was immobilized for more than 30 days. The first time I met Alec was in the middle of the night, right before the New Year. Weary in mind and spirit, I knew that my niece was going to be in good hands while I attempted to sleep under her tiny tree and Christmas lights. 

Alec displays the confidence and knowledge of a nurse who has been practicing his craft for many years! Even though he has not been a nurse for long, I want him to know that "Aunt S', my adopted floor name, is so proud of him for continuing his education and becoming a certified chemotherapy nurse in such a short period of time. He stays on top of his duties and makes sure that everything is timed out correctly so that we don't have to hear the IV pump beep forever. 

G always needs a lot of supplies, and he makes sure that everything is well stocked so that the next shift would have one less thing to worry about. His communication skills are above reproach, and he makes sure that each of G's care partners is aware of what is going to take place with her care while on his shift. Yet he is still calm and comforting not only to G but also to our entire family. He speaks in a soft and sweet tone during the night to let her know what she needs to do to help him get labs, be changed, or give medication. 

G was famous for running fevers higher than the thermometer could measure! Alec could see that she was suffering and that the oral medication was not working to break her fever. He consulted with her team and his peers to see if there was an alternative to reduce her pain and suffering. I believe that he went above and beyond advocating for G. He was able to find an intravenous alternative to make sure that her cyclical fevers would break as safely and as fast as possible. 

Even if Alec is not assigned to G, he will pop his head in to check on us and see if we need anything. Alec knows her so well, that you would think he is caring for his own niece! He leaves positive notes on the whiteboard overnight to brighten our morning.,"See you later Aunt S + G, I love taking care of you guys." This is just one of many. After the holidays, when it was time for him to take a much-deserved vacation, we awoke to a beautiful picture of Minnie Mouse colored in her favorite color, pink! He wrote a special note in the corner to let her know that she is one of the bravest little girls that he knows and that everyone is on #Team G! She saw her picture and after I read his note of aspiration she was beaming from ear to ear with a beautiful smile. 

Our family cannot begin to thank Alec enough for continuing to be a source of inspiration and joy to this tiny but mighty five-year-old cancer patient. G has come such a long way in her journey. Alec is still here for G as she marches towards the end of her chemotherapy treatments and inches closer to being able to ring the cancer survivor bell.