My daughter, E, has been a patient in Clinic 8 since her Hodgkin's Lymphoma diagnosis In October of 2017. Since our initial diagnosis, we have had the most extraordinary experience in Clinic 8 of Children's Hospital. The technical staff, front desk, doctors, and clinic nurses treated us with the utmost respect and careduring the entire process. I cannot speak highly enough about our experience in your clinic.
But of all the people who we encountered and received treatment from, one nurse, in particular, stands head and shoulders above all the others. Kristen Knarr took a special interest in my 17-year-old daughter, encouraging us, explaining complicated things to us with care and concern, joking when we needed to smile, and rendering an extraordinary level of nursing care the entire time. She remembered important life events every time we came into clinic and checked on E's emotional and social life in addition to treating her physical symptoms. She went beyond any expectation we had of nursing staff.
When Kristen came to the waiting room to call patients, she always greeted every child in the room with a hug and a huge, excited smile, asking specific life questions that had nothing to do with cancer. "How was your birthday party?!" or "How are you going to style your hair now?!" or, "I think you've grown two inches in a month!" She clearly expressed individualized interest in the patients, the families, and the siblings. She communicated in a professional, but completely relatable manner. Everyone lights up when Kristen comes into the waiting room-kids and parents alike.
She also spoke to my daughter in a real way when in the clinic examination rooms. She asked questions that indicated she was concerned about all areas of E's life, not just checking the cancer box or completing a list of duties. Kristen made us feel included and welcomed in an incredibly personal way. I can honestly say that my daughter was moved by Kristen's concern for her wellbeing on a regular basis. We looked forward to every visit to seeing Kristen and joking with her. She literally brought joy to us in a very dark time. I also can say as a parent that she made the process MUCH more pleasant for our family. She treated our entire family during the cancer journey-not just our daughter. We count her as one of the best things that came out of cancer in our household.
Kristen also encouraged E to become involved in Smile-A-Mile, which was a life-changing experience for my teen daughter. E attended camp for the first time this past summer as a direct result of Kristen's encouragement and promotion of the camp. E has since done many things with Smile-A­-Mile and is interested in being a camp counselor next summer. Without Kristen's constant prompting, E never would have been involved or gone to the camp. Kristen's encouragement has literally worked to the advantage for that camp and for my daughter's personal wellbeing.
The Clinic 8 experience couldn't have been improved in any way. Our family went through a terrifying, confusing, overwhelming experience with cancer and came out on the other side better as a result of our contact with your professional, incredible staff. People are quick to point out the negative in our culture. I wanted you to know that you are all making a difference one child at a time. And I thank God for you all.
Note: This is Kristen's 2nd DAISY Award!