Radiation for D was 5 weeks, a break and then 3 more weeks. D had a rough "break week" which became almost a month including a 5 day hospital stay and losing almost 30 pounds.
When we learned that our primary nurse was transitioning to another area, we panicked a little.
In walks Holly. She could have used being the "new" gal as an excuse, but she didn't. She had made it her business to get to know D's MyChart before meeting with us. That meant our first conversation didn't feel like a battery of rote questions. She also knew the baseline of where he was the week before that. When you typically see a rotation of 3 people (nurses and Residents) before your Doctor it can be exhausting. That we weren't just a generic patient meant a great deal.
We ask a lot of questions. Holly didn't fall into any traps of making promises she couldn't keep. If she knew the answer she shared the frame "in my experience" or "another patient has shared" and her common refrain would be "that is a question for the Doctor."
Most of all she has compassion. She worried when D was showing up each week a little more forlorn. She noticed when he started putting weight back on. She encouraged him to share when he was feeling lousy and talked through each of the side effects, validating that he had every right to feel out of sorts.
Holly's humanity shines through in her every action. She manages to express that with a warm smile and tender approach. We're very grateful that she was part of our support team.