Susan Holliday is a VMC nurse that works in the School Health Program covering North Pitt High School and Bethel Elementary School. Earlier this year, a teacher asked her to see a student who had been hit in her face next to her eye by a ball in PE the previous day. Susan gladly assessed the student and was concerned about the amount of swelling. She spoke with the student's mother and encouraged a visit to the girl's primary care provider. The mother made an appointment and took her daughter the following day to the pediatrician. They were assured that it was ok and she returned to school. Susan checked on this student the next day she was at Bethel. The swelling had continued to get worse. Susan called the mother again, who was hesitant to take another day off of work when the pediatrician has already assured her that the injury was okay. With Susan's urging, the mother agreed to take her back the following day. The pediatrician, again, told the mother it was nothing to be concerned about and sent her back to school with a note stating she was not contagious.

However, this was not Susan's concern and she checked on the student, yet again, as she did not agree with the pediatrician's assessment. At this point, the girl's eye was almost swollen shut and the swelling had just continued to grow. She called the mother again and shared her concerns. They agreed that they needed a second opinion, and quickly. The mother took the student to the VMC Children's Emergency Department that afternoon. The ED physician sent her for a CT where they determined there was more going on and referred her ultimately to Duke University Medical Center for evaluation. The 6 year old girl was scheduled for surgery and tissue was sent to pathology. As it turns out, she has an embyonal rhabdomyosarcoma; a fast growing malignancy behind her eye. She has begun her chemotherapy at the Maynard Children's Hospital.

Thanks to the persistence of her school nurse, this cancer was diagnosed much faster and this child is now receiving treatment. Had Susan not followed her own assessment and used critical thinking skills to determine the severity of this concern, this child and her mother might still be waiting for the swelling to go down, as they had been assured would happen.

Susan is very humble about this and will not openly share that she also packed a basket full of coloring books, crayons, snacks, and a stuffed animal for this child when she was leaving for Duke University. She made referrals to the school social worker to assist with the financial needs of this family having to take off work and travel to Durham. Not only did she go the extra mile advocating for this student's health, she also went the extra mile in supporting her emotionally and assisting the family in a very difficult situation.