Thank you, Kylee Uden, for being my cancer treatment nurse. You made my "Infusion Tuesdays" a memorable experience.
Thank you for my early morning greetings and those funny comments and your silly, twisted sense of humor. You made me laugh. Thank you for the confidence you show in doing your work, the attention to detail and your reassuring smile that says, "don't worry, I got this, you'll be fine". I quickly learned to trust your work. But it's more than that, it is also those unspoken words and kind gestures that mean more than you'll ever know.
I'm in a fight for my life, and on "Infusion Tuesday" for the 5 hours of my chemo treatment, you and I stood side-by-side locked in a battle against a common foe. It's an enemy that we can't see and we can't touch, but sadly we know it's there, it's living inside me. It's frightening, and for those 5 hours of my treatment day, you are my chemo partner and I depend on you to help me win this battle. You didn't let me down.
Perhaps you (and others) will never truly comprehend the importance of your work because you and I view cancer from opposite sides of an IV Pole (an IV Pole with a bee stuck to it). Maybe you do see your work as a job to do, but I see an incredible, kind and loving nurse dedicated to her work. You put my Infusion Tuesdays and cancer fears at ease...at least for a little while. You earned, and I called you, my "Designated Tumor Killer"!!!
So please don't think of your nurse responsibilities as "just you, showing up and doing your job", because, from this cancer patient's perspective, it is so much more, it's personal and it's a battle we must win together.
I thank God for putting Kylee in my chemo life, even if it was for 5 hours on Tuesdays and just for a few short months, I am honored to have been her patient. My "Infusion Tuesdays" are over for now and I move on to Phase II of my treatment plan. Thank you, Kylee, for your encouraging words, I will fight on and not let you down. And thank you, Kylee, for your prayers, God is listening!