Going into my first chemo infusion, there were no words to describe how I felt because I was also 31 weeks pregnant with my first baby. I was crying in the room before the nurse even walked in, and when my nurse, Heather, saw me, she immediately sat down and wanted to know everything I was feeling.

She took her time throughout the entire appointment to explain everything to me- for example why we were waiting for the pharmacy to prep the medication, how she was going to do to the IV and make sure nothing was going to "leak" out, what she was hooking up to the IVs, what to expect when immediately after the appointment.

It just so happened that they had a baby shower for a co-worker on that same day and had leftover game cards, so she brought some in for my fiancé and I to play; it was a wonderful and fun distraction during a time that we were so nervous about. Heather quite literally altered my brain when it comes to chemo appointments. She made me feel confident, brave, and at peace while also acknowledging my very real and stressful situation. I could never repay her for the difference she made in my life that day; she was an integral part in building me up to face cancer treatments while pregnant, and I attribute my ability to go into every other infusion since then with peace and readiness to her.