My son was recently diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at the age of 5 weeks old after his routine one-month checkup at the paediatrician. My husband and I were shocked as life as we knew it changed in the blink of an eye. We also have a 19 month old son at home. From the moment we stepped onto the oncology floor and specifically, 8A, we were completely overwhelmed and did not know what to expect. We were hearing so many scientific “cancer” words and terms being used and we knew nothing about this medical world. That is where Christine came in.

We first met Christine when she was our nurse for 3 days during our initial stay. We had only just found out about our baby’s diagnosis and were still in shock. We were told that it was unknown when we would be going home as our son urgently required chemotherapy. Christine walked into our room and was bubbly and friendly, explaining everything to us over and over again in simple terms that we understood. She was patient and comforting when we needed someone to talk to, and she provided the best care to our baby. She was gentle with our son and checked on us frequently all while maintaining a positive and friendly demeanour. When we had questions about our son's chemotherapy, she sat and explained everything to us and even wrote it out for us on a whiteboard so that we would be able to reference her notes. She explained every medication that was being administered to our son so that we did not feel confused.

Christine also went above and beyond and at times sat with our son so that we could go to the cafeteria and grab a bite to eat. Due to COVID-19, visitors are not allowed in patient rooms, and it was impossible to eat or go to the bathroom while holding a 5-week-old baby who was in constant pain and who did not sleep. Christine not only provided excellent medical care to our son, but she also allowed my husband and I to make sure we were also fed and taken care of. Christine also took the time to explain the bravery bead program to us and help us pick beads for our son. She came into the room cheerful at all times and never became frustrated with us or annoyed. She always had a smile on her face.

When it came time for our son's second round of chemo a few weeks after our initial discharge, we were so happy to see that Christine was once again our nurse. While we were admitted to the hospital again, Christine provided a level of comfort to us and our son. Christine was excellent at providing us with information and has made this awful experience so much more bearable for us. We are so lucky to be in her care as we continue to navigate this difficult journey of childhood cancer.