Extending Healing Commitment to a Cancer Community

From left: MEREDITH R. COOPER, M.A., CCLS, LPC, and MEAGHAN MOONEY, B.S.N., RN, OSN

PHOTOS BY ZACH BRIGHAM

The initial introduction of Meaghan Mooney, B.S.N., RN, OSN, to Wonders & Worries came about through the care she gave to Heather Gabbi, wife of the nonprofit organization’s Executive Director Alex Gabbi, after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the birth of their third child in 2010.

As the oncology nurse for Dr. Paul Loar with Texas Oncology, Meaghan provided care to the Gabbi family during the two most emotional portions of their cancer journey: the first 90 days after Heather’s diagnosis and during her last six months of life. Meaghan’s patience, compassion and clear commitment to going the extra mile for her patients made a profound impact on the Gabbi family, and, in turn, made it so meaningful to Meaghan that she would continue to stay involved in helping other families in need through her service on the Wonders & Worries board of directors.

At the time of her diagnosis, Heather and Alex reached out to Wonders & Worries for community-based support for their two older children. Over the course of Heather’s care and subsequent death, the Gabbi family became involved with ensuring that children beyond those living in Austin, Texas, had the same opportunity for support as their children received through age-appropriate illness education, expression of feelings and enhancement of positive coping skills.

Meaghan joined the Wonders & Worries board of directors in 2018 to take an active role in contributing to the nonprofit’s vision of ensuring that all children in the United States who need support during parental illness receive it. She has served tirelessly on the board, including its development committee. She has been an active member of Wonders & Worries’ gala committee since 2020, serving as chair in 2023 and co-chair in 2024, helping to raise over $2.1 million to ensure that more children receive support during their parent’s serious illness, such as cancer.

Importantly, Meaghan connects the staff at Wonders & Worries to referring professionals and new donors through her vast network of medical and personal relationships, thus expanding the footprint of support for oncology patients’ families. In 2023, a key relationship of Meaghan’s allowed the production of an important resource for families to move forward. A hospital-like setting was needed to create a video to prepare children before visiting a parent in the hospital. When an actual hospital could not be confirmed, Meaghan quickly pursued an idea to use a simulation center at Fairfield University’s nursing school. This moved the project into the filming stage and will soon positively impact many children and families facing parental illnesses and associated hospitalizations.

Meaghan is a compassionate oncology nurse who has used her years of experience to move from clinical roles to significant roles overseeing the well-being of the patients of Ascension Medical Group, currently serving as chief of staff. In this role, she is a key contributor to both the strategy and operations of the medical group that has over 1,000 providers. In addition, Meaghan also maintains a key role in overseeing the quality and safety of programs.

It is Meaghan’s unwavering dedication to supporting children and families during a parent’s illness, along with her willingness to take her direct patient care to practices within her professional position and her community service, that allow me to say Meaghan is truly an extraordinary healer deserving of this honor.

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