‘Living well with cancer’: How cancer care nurses change lives
Battling her second cancer diagnosis and a brain tumour, Lee Pittman is spending this International Nurses Day praising her McGrath Cancer Care Nurse for being her “level guide” through it all.
NSW
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Cancer has been part of Lee Pittman’s life for almost 20 years but she is adamant she is “not really ready to go”, thanks to the support of those around her, including her care nurse.
Ms Pittman, 74, “nearly fell off the chair” when she was told her breast cancer had metastasised and spread to her bones, 14 years after her first diagnosis 18 years ago.
“I was devastated because it was so long ago since I’d had breast cancer … I felt pretty good in myself,” Ms Pittman said.
To mark International Nurses Day, Ms Pittman spoke, laughed, and cried about her McGrath Cancer Care Nurse, Kate Wilson, who has remained a “steadying, level guide” as she navigated her cancer, treatment challenges, and a shock brain tumour diagnosis last year.
“(Kate’s) been there to help me with medications and what will happen … cause every time something changes I think ‘oh this is it’ and I’m not really ready to go.”
Ms Wilson, from Sydney Adventist Hospital has helped Ms Pittman through her uncertainty.
“She had all these unanswered questions, a lot of fears and not knowing,” Ms Wilson said.
“Often it’s not even me knowing the answer, but I just help work out who to go to, who to ask.”
Ms Wilson also helps to manage Ms Pittman’s cancer side effects “so she can still do everything that she loves - so she’s living well with cancer rather than getting caught up in it”, Ms Wilson said.
Prior to Ms Pittman’s secondary cancer diagnosis, she tragically lost her sister and son to cancer.
She wishes that a McGrath Cancer Care nurse was available during that time.
“It would have been so much better … if there was support for him and my sister,” she said.
Husband, Rob Pittman, said Ms Wilson’s support “comes down to little things”.
“When you’re in a big hospital, you don’t know where to go and Kate’s guided us around,” he said.
McGrath Foundation CEO Holly Masters invited people to donate this International Nurses Day, so “more people experiencing cancer will have access to the life-changing care of a McGrath Cancer Care Nurse”.
Originally published as ‘Living well with cancer’: How cancer care nurses change lives
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