Dianna Wills
June 2019
Dianna
Wills
,
ADN, RN, CPN
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic
VCU Health
Richmond
,
VA
United States

 

 

 

Nurse Dianna Wills has been an ongoing positive energy force during A's time at CHoR.
There are at least three occasions that readily come to mind as examples of Nurse Dianna's quiet dignity and professionalism. In February, we came into the clinic for an appointment. Sometimes A's appointments are anything but routine. This was one such occasion. A needed to have an emergency CT scan. Because of Nurse Dianna, A had (and still to this day) no idea of how serious this situation was. Nurse Dianna was instrumental in getting us an appointment for that CT scan. When the CT staff called me directly to set up a time, Dianna recognized that I was having difficulty impressing the urgency of the need to them. She took the phone for me and expressed the emergent need and was able to identify an immediate availability. A was in CT within an hour of that conversation. Because A was severely neutropenic, Dianna escorted us to the CT Scanner on a less-traveled route. Unbeknownst to me, she checked A in and saved me a trip to the front desk affording me critical time with my daughter. She thought of everything and I mean everything! Another staff member, who was going to be working with A, appeared to have the sniffles and Dianna politely raised concern for A's potential exposure to a contagion. I am not sure she is aware that I heard her as she was as discreet as she could be. She never left us until she was satisfied all was according to plan.
Once we returned to the Hem Onc clinic, Dianna was by our side and kept a watchful eye on A the entire time we were there. Nurse Dianna went so far as to make sure I was taken care of, reminding me to eat and bringing out the snack baskets for me.
Did I mention that A opened Hem Onc and closed Hem Onc that day and Nurse Dianna was there throughout? She might be known as Nurse Faithful! I could go on and on to discuss Nurse Dianna and how she has cared for my daughter and our family. It is obvious she really cares about all of us. She is one of the helpers that Mr. Rogers was speaking of so long ago: one of the helpers you look for when calamity comes knocking at your door. Countless times regardless of whether she was assigned as A's nurse for the day, I felt and experienced Dianna Wills' healing gifts of mercy. We are forever grateful to our modern-day Dorcas (Acts 9:36) and count her as family.