Lisa Whelan
July 2022
Lisa
Whelan
,
RN
Danvers Cancer Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston
,
MA
United States
Lisa found a way to connect by talking about his passions.
I work with Lisa covering her Head & Neck practice desk on Fridays. She is meticulous in detail and works closely with her providers and me to ensure the best care possible for all of her patients. Her compassion for everyone she is in contact with is completely above and beyond giving so much of herself to each person she talks to.
One story, in particular, is about a younger male patient who is a single father struggling to maintain normalcy. He struggles with extreme anxiety making any discussion with medical staff nearly impossible. Cancer diagnoses call for swift action with heavy discussion careful planning and many tests including some requiring very restrictive equipment causing the easiest most relaxed person to become claustrophobic. Initially, the patient would sit for a few minutes with a provider become anxious and walk out ending his appointments. Lisa found a way to connect by talking about his passions; his employment which he is so proud of talk about, his pride in his son, and all other things that put ease to his anxiety. She spends a great deal of time chatting with him and stays with him during his most challenging visits of planning and reviewing tests. She is a true DAISY in my eye working alongside her inspires and lifts me up and rekindles my faith that nursing is a work of Heart.
In COVID Times when we struggle to find the good, I look toward Lisa and find it in each story she shares with me when giving me report of her patients. She truly takes the time to get to know her patients so she can use the personal connection with them as a guide to help comfort and guide them through their Oncology journey. Most of her patients are not curable; she follows them for the rest of their lives and they call in telling me how wonderful she is and has been such a source of help and inspiration to live their best life.
***
Lisa is the best ambassador for the cancer center - ever. She is thoughtful caring and does everything in her power to help her patients. Even those who aren’t her patients. I am a patient of the cancer center. I had an issue recently where I was in incredible pain. I sent an email through the patient gateway asking for help. Lisa was covering for my nurse who was out that day. She called me immediately and asked about my condition, found a doctor who could prescribe something for me, and I had medications available within 30 minutes. She is the definition of going above and beyond. She followed up to see how I was doing and her comment “we are here for you” will be something I will never forget. I am so lucky to have Lisa in my corner and the cancer center is so lucky to have her.
One story, in particular, is about a younger male patient who is a single father struggling to maintain normalcy. He struggles with extreme anxiety making any discussion with medical staff nearly impossible. Cancer diagnoses call for swift action with heavy discussion careful planning and many tests including some requiring very restrictive equipment causing the easiest most relaxed person to become claustrophobic. Initially, the patient would sit for a few minutes with a provider become anxious and walk out ending his appointments. Lisa found a way to connect by talking about his passions; his employment which he is so proud of talk about, his pride in his son, and all other things that put ease to his anxiety. She spends a great deal of time chatting with him and stays with him during his most challenging visits of planning and reviewing tests. She is a true DAISY in my eye working alongside her inspires and lifts me up and rekindles my faith that nursing is a work of Heart.
In COVID Times when we struggle to find the good, I look toward Lisa and find it in each story she shares with me when giving me report of her patients. She truly takes the time to get to know her patients so she can use the personal connection with them as a guide to help comfort and guide them through their Oncology journey. Most of her patients are not curable; she follows them for the rest of their lives and they call in telling me how wonderful she is and has been such a source of help and inspiration to live their best life.
***
Lisa is the best ambassador for the cancer center - ever. She is thoughtful caring and does everything in her power to help her patients. Even those who aren’t her patients. I am a patient of the cancer center. I had an issue recently where I was in incredible pain. I sent an email through the patient gateway asking for help. Lisa was covering for my nurse who was out that day. She called me immediately and asked about my condition, found a doctor who could prescribe something for me, and I had medications available within 30 minutes. She is the definition of going above and beyond. She followed up to see how I was doing and her comment “we are here for you” will be something I will never forget. I am so lucky to have Lisa in my corner and the cancer center is so lucky to have her.