Outpatient Infusion Center, Beads of Hope
May 2026
Outpatient Infusion Center, Beads of Hope
Outpatient Infusion Center
Rady Children's Health Orange County
Orange
,
CA
United States
• Amanda Niswonger, RN, BSN, CPHON
• Candace Heck, RN, BSN, CPHON, TCTCN
• Jennifer Salazar RN, BSN, CPHON
• Purvi Brahmkshatri RN, BSN, CPHON
• Nancy Kuntz, MN, CPNP, CPON
• Anna Eelkema, Volunteer
• Candace Heck, RN, BSN, CPHON, TCTCN
• Jennifer Salazar RN, BSN, CPHON
• Purvi Brahmkshatri RN, BSN, CPHON
• Nancy Kuntz, MN, CPNP, CPON
• Anna Eelkema, Volunteer
Beads of Courage team:
A team of nurses in the Outpatient Infusion Center has collaborated with our Nurse Practitioner, Nancy Kuntz, and volunteer Anna Eelkema to reinvigorate our Beads of Courage program. This program offers oncology patients and families a way to commemorate their journey through cancer treatment in a tangible way.
Patients receive a unique and meaningful bead for the many steps in treatment, including chemotherapy infusions, lab draws, procedures, and transfusions, as well as significant milestones such as graduations, holidays, and completion of treatment. The end result is impressive, many long strings filled with colorful beads that tell the story of all the patient has accomplished, finding something beautiful in the hard things.
While the whole program is amazing, I want to highlight the work that was done to help two patients in particular. Two oncology patients passed away last month, one in the PICU and one on 5S. Both of these patients had received a majority of their treatment in the Outpatient Infusion Center, and though they were admitted to the hospital, their imminent loss was weighing heavily on all of the nurses.
They were both young men who faced every step in their cancer journey with kindness, thoughtfulness, and a brave stoicism. It was a privilege to care for both of them. Amanda and Purvi especially took the initiative to go back through their charts and put together their Beads of Courage for their entire treatment. This required a lot of time and energy in addition to caring for their assigned patients in the Outpatient Infusion Center. After their Beads were completed, they were delivered to the parents and family before they passed. In this way, we were able to honor them and their incredibly difficult journeys in the hopes that this keepsake will bring comfort to their families.
I am so grateful to Amanda and Purvi, as well as all of the nurses involved in this program, for bringing this gift back to our patients and families. The love that they have poured into this is so beautiful and so evident in the cases of these two patients. We are all so appreciative of all that they do.
A team of nurses in the Outpatient Infusion Center has collaborated with our Nurse Practitioner, Nancy Kuntz, and volunteer Anna Eelkema to reinvigorate our Beads of Courage program. This program offers oncology patients and families a way to commemorate their journey through cancer treatment in a tangible way.
Patients receive a unique and meaningful bead for the many steps in treatment, including chemotherapy infusions, lab draws, procedures, and transfusions, as well as significant milestones such as graduations, holidays, and completion of treatment. The end result is impressive, many long strings filled with colorful beads that tell the story of all the patient has accomplished, finding something beautiful in the hard things.
While the whole program is amazing, I want to highlight the work that was done to help two patients in particular. Two oncology patients passed away last month, one in the PICU and one on 5S. Both of these patients had received a majority of their treatment in the Outpatient Infusion Center, and though they were admitted to the hospital, their imminent loss was weighing heavily on all of the nurses.
They were both young men who faced every step in their cancer journey with kindness, thoughtfulness, and a brave stoicism. It was a privilege to care for both of them. Amanda and Purvi especially took the initiative to go back through their charts and put together their Beads of Courage for their entire treatment. This required a lot of time and energy in addition to caring for their assigned patients in the Outpatient Infusion Center. After their Beads were completed, they were delivered to the parents and family before they passed. In this way, we were able to honor them and their incredibly difficult journeys in the hopes that this keepsake will bring comfort to their families.
I am so grateful to Amanda and Purvi, as well as all of the nurses involved in this program, for bringing this gift back to our patients and families. The love that they have poured into this is so beautiful and so evident in the cases of these two patients. We are all so appreciative of all that they do.