I was diagnosed with HER2+ Breast cancer in the spring of 2023 and began my 12 weeks of chemo. Bob was assigned as my infusion nurse, and we forged a fast friendship. I was so anxious in the beginning, but he eased my fears and kept me laughing. He went out of his way to make sure my family and I were comfortable and had anything we needed. The first day was a very long day as I had 3 drugs plus a clinical trial drug to infuse along with premeds. I had meetings beforehand with oncology and the clinical trial team, so we really didn't get started until early afternoon. To watch for reactions on Day 1 you must wait an hour in between each med. The day was getting late, and I still had the heavy hitter Taxol to go. Bob was concerned about it getting late if I were to have a reaction. He spoke with his Supervisor, and they arranged for me to go to the hotel across the street and come back in the am to finish the final drug. That made a world of difference in me tolerating the treatment and prevented me from having to drive in from RI again in the am.

Each subsequent treatment Bob was my nurse and while I didn't look forward to treatment, I did look forward to seeing him. He was kind and funny and made me feel so at ease. He was so excited when I came to tell him my post-chemo MRI showed the tumor was gone at the end of the summer. I had my surgery and then in late fall started my PHESGO immunotherapy injections. Bob, again, was my nurse for these. I love how the MGH Cancer program does its best to have you with the same nurse throughout your treatment. The familiarity and continuity of care is such a comfort.

Bob has a great technique for pushing the large injection where I barely even feel it and he keeps me talking and distracted for the several minutes it takes to administer it. I came for one of the shots two days before my birthday and he had flowers for me to say how proud he was of how I had done with treatment. I only have four shots remaining, and while I'm very excited to be done, I will miss my check-ins with Bob every three weeks. I consider him not only my nurse but my friend now. He’s an outstanding nurse who is not only excellent at his job but is full of compassion and genuine empathy for his patients and their experiences. He made a very scary time in my life a lot less stressful and really cared about my well-being. I felt like we were a team working together to achieve the best possible outcome, which we did! Bob is the BEST!!

Note: This is Bob's 2nd DAISY Award!