Joyce started overseeing the care of a young man newly diagnosed with lymphoma. The young man's fiancé would accompany him to his treatments and bonded quickly with Joyce. The couple excitedly shared every detail of their upcoming wedding with Joyce. Joyce realized that she would see the young couple one more time before and decided to do something special for them. With her teammates, Joyce organized a pre-wedding celebration. On her own time and with her own resources, she gathered wedding decorations, a cake, and sparkling grape juice for the occasion. She asked the other nurses and medical assistants to wear scrubs the color that the couple's wedding party would be wearing and purchased bride and groom sunglasses for the couple. She passed a congratulatory card around for everyone to sign and decorated the area where the patient would receive treatment. When the couple arrived, they were utterly speechless and brought to tears by the thoughtfulness of the staff. The couple even wore their bride and groom sunglasses for the remainder of the treatment with the groom declaring he would not take them off until he was done. The mood for the day was lighthearted and jovial as everyone who entered the infusion area could share in the couple's happiness.
This act was one of selflessness and compassion; it was something she was not required to do, but she did out of respect and admiration of a young couple excited to start their life together. Joyce made a difficult time for them more meaningful and gave them a memory that would last a lifetime. The couple shared with management their appreciation for Joyce and the staff and how they were touched by the thoughtful gesture. Joyce is the epitome of a great oncology nurse.