May 2026 Honoree
Victoria Porreca, RN
Victoria is a leader and gives exceptional care to all of our patients and patients' families. We recently had a patient in IR that Victoria really went above and beyond for. This patient first came in for a paracentesis with a diagnosis of new ascites. With a new diagnosis and an uncertain future diagnosis, Victoria helped this patient understand this procedure as well as answer any questions. They immediately had a bond not only as nurse and patient, but also as friends. You could tell that the patient and his family who was with him felt at ease and more confident after their first encounter with Victoria.
He finally did receive a diagnosis of Leukemia. The patient was with the department for his port insertion, his weekly paracentesis, and most recently his port removal, with the great news of remission of his Leukemia. All through this year-long process, Victoria would make it a priority to visit with the patient and his family, even if she was not the nurse assigned.
The day of his port removal was a testament to how much Victoria had meant in his treatment journey. Selfies were taken, email addresses exchanged to keep in touch, and Victoria even went down to the gift shop to make sure he had tokens of celebration for such a joyous occasion! During a scary time for this patient - chemo treatment, weekly paracentesis, and all the physical and emotional toll - you could see on his face his excitement to see Victoria. She not only answered any medical questions and gave exceptional nursing care, but she also treated him like a friend, and they were often laughing and just talking about life experiences during his visits to the department. He truly became like family to the department, and Victoria was definitely the favorite sister.
I think this is such a great example of the tremendous impact nurses can have on their patients, not just with their physical health, but also their mental health. Going through cancer treatment has an exceptional toll on a patient, and Victoria helped ease that with her true caring spirit.
He finally did receive a diagnosis of Leukemia. The patient was with the department for his port insertion, his weekly paracentesis, and most recently his port removal, with the great news of remission of his Leukemia. All through this year-long process, Victoria would make it a priority to visit with the patient and his family, even if she was not the nurse assigned.
The day of his port removal was a testament to how much Victoria had meant in his treatment journey. Selfies were taken, email addresses exchanged to keep in touch, and Victoria even went down to the gift shop to make sure he had tokens of celebration for such a joyous occasion! During a scary time for this patient - chemo treatment, weekly paracentesis, and all the physical and emotional toll - you could see on his face his excitement to see Victoria. She not only answered any medical questions and gave exceptional nursing care, but she also treated him like a friend, and they were often laughing and just talking about life experiences during his visits to the department. He truly became like family to the department, and Victoria was definitely the favorite sister.
I think this is such a great example of the tremendous impact nurses can have on their patients, not just with their physical health, but also their mental health. Going through cancer treatment has an exceptional toll on a patient, and Victoria helped ease that with her true caring spirit.
Thank you, Victoria, for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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