February 2021
Kiflom
Woldeabzgi
,
RN
Cancer Care
Seattle Children's
I was allowed to ease up a bit because I trusted his judgment and knowledge to know how to best administer the care needed for H. Overall, there is a calming effect when Kiflom was "in da house" as H would say.
Our son H was dx with stage 4 lymphoma, DLBCL in early April. He started chemotherapy at Children's under the supervision of his primary HEMOC providers. During the 5+ month course, he encountered various chemo-related complications and setbacks including surgery for intussusception, C-DIFF, sepsis, and most recently a bike crash which resulted in his arm being broken in 2 places.
During the numerous inpatient stints in the Cancer ward, I recall being given a sheet by a charge nurse to list "preferred nurses" and while no guarantees, the list would just be utilized to try and accommodate where possible. We never filled out that sheet. Obviously, we had our personal favorites and some that we did not hit it off with for whatever reason. However, looking back, not filling out that sheet allowed us to meet so many different nurses/CNAs/staff many of which we look back and remember fondly and almost miss seeing them now.
Now that we are at our son's End of Treatment stage, and things have stabilized for him as our family attempts to return to some semblance of normalcy, I wanted to take the time to reach out to acknowledge some of the incredible people we have met through this process. We fully appreciate all the hard work and dedication of the hospital personnel particularly during this pandemic and it's hard to remember everyone's name, but there were a few specific individuals whom we felt we worthy of mention.
During our numerous inpatient stints in the Cancer Ward, we were fortunate to have gotten Kiflom as our RN on several of those occasions. It's hard to specifically pinpoint what exactly it is about Kiflom that makes him such a success in his role. I've heard him being referred to as the "cancer kid whisperer" and perhaps that is apropos, but for H, he was the nurse that H looked to for comfort, care, and knowledge.
It was H that first told me about Kiflom (as his first encounter with him was on a day that my husband was covering). But as I too got to know Kiflom, I could see the numerous qualities he brings to his role that make him so universally well-liked. In addition to his calming demeanor, he is able to relate to the patient as an individual, not just a sick kid needing care. He saw in H a teen that was goal-oriented but like many others, saw how much he hated being inpatient and wanted to go back home as soon as possible at the end of each chemo cycle. To that end, Kiflom would educate and encourage H where appropriate (i.e. drinking water to clear the chemo from his system), but also take the time to just sit and talk with him about mutual interests or life in the cancer ward.
From my vantage point, I learned from Kiflom the various aspects that go into chemo care. He took the time to teach me about different chemo meds and the likely effects (the doxirubicin's neon pink urine, the levels needed to clear methotrexate from the system, the body's need for TPN where unable to take in food orally, but how it works thru and affects the liver, and so on).
When Kiflom was assigned to our room, in the back of my mind I was allowed to ease up a bit because I trusted his judgment and knowledge to know how to best administer the care needed for H. Overall, there is a calming effect when Kiflom was "in da house" as H would say.
Life in the Cancer ward is miserable even on the best day, and Kiflom is truly an asset to Cancer Ward, one that would be hard to ever duplicate!
Note: This is Kiflom's 2nd DAISY Award!
During the numerous inpatient stints in the Cancer ward, I recall being given a sheet by a charge nurse to list "preferred nurses" and while no guarantees, the list would just be utilized to try and accommodate where possible. We never filled out that sheet. Obviously, we had our personal favorites and some that we did not hit it off with for whatever reason. However, looking back, not filling out that sheet allowed us to meet so many different nurses/CNAs/staff many of which we look back and remember fondly and almost miss seeing them now.
Now that we are at our son's End of Treatment stage, and things have stabilized for him as our family attempts to return to some semblance of normalcy, I wanted to take the time to reach out to acknowledge some of the incredible people we have met through this process. We fully appreciate all the hard work and dedication of the hospital personnel particularly during this pandemic and it's hard to remember everyone's name, but there were a few specific individuals whom we felt we worthy of mention.
During our numerous inpatient stints in the Cancer Ward, we were fortunate to have gotten Kiflom as our RN on several of those occasions. It's hard to specifically pinpoint what exactly it is about Kiflom that makes him such a success in his role. I've heard him being referred to as the "cancer kid whisperer" and perhaps that is apropos, but for H, he was the nurse that H looked to for comfort, care, and knowledge.
It was H that first told me about Kiflom (as his first encounter with him was on a day that my husband was covering). But as I too got to know Kiflom, I could see the numerous qualities he brings to his role that make him so universally well-liked. In addition to his calming demeanor, he is able to relate to the patient as an individual, not just a sick kid needing care. He saw in H a teen that was goal-oriented but like many others, saw how much he hated being inpatient and wanted to go back home as soon as possible at the end of each chemo cycle. To that end, Kiflom would educate and encourage H where appropriate (i.e. drinking water to clear the chemo from his system), but also take the time to just sit and talk with him about mutual interests or life in the cancer ward.
From my vantage point, I learned from Kiflom the various aspects that go into chemo care. He took the time to teach me about different chemo meds and the likely effects (the doxirubicin's neon pink urine, the levels needed to clear methotrexate from the system, the body's need for TPN where unable to take in food orally, but how it works thru and affects the liver, and so on).
When Kiflom was assigned to our room, in the back of my mind I was allowed to ease up a bit because I trusted his judgment and knowledge to know how to best administer the care needed for H. Overall, there is a calming effect when Kiflom was "in da house" as H would say.
Life in the Cancer ward is miserable even on the best day, and Kiflom is truly an asset to Cancer Ward, one that would be hard to ever duplicate!
Note: This is Kiflom's 2nd DAISY Award!