By My Side As an Oncology Nurse — And a Friend

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 1989 when I was 29 years old and had surgery the week of Thanksgiving. I was scared when they took me down for surgery. When they got me back to my room, it took me the longest time to wake up. I heard a nurse say, “She should have been awake by now.” When I finally woke up, I did not want to face reality and wanted to give up.

The next day, a nurse, Patricia Beaty, M.P.H., RN, OCN, took care of me. She told me I was her very first cancer patient. Patricia is a godsend and is my extraordinary healer. She was there when I went through cancer and chemo treatments. She went above and beyond her best to take care of me.

Patricia always has a smile, she has a lot of compassion for others, has a lot of knowledge and cares about her patients. She is a very hard worker and does an excellent job. Patricia and I have a very close bond and a very close friendship. We think of each other as family. To this day, she and I keep in touch with each other.

God puts people in our lives for a reason and a purpose, even though we might not understand his plan. We just have to keep our trust in God, and my opportunity to meet Patricia because of my cancer is proof of that.

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