Sunshine Coast nurse Martina O’Neill awarded cancer fighting scholarship

A Sunshine Coast cancer nurse passionate about preventing and curing the deadly disease plans to use a new windfall to help patients she says taught her the meaning of “love, dignity, and grace”.

Sunshine Coast nurse Martina O’Neill awarded cancer fighting scholarship

A Sunshine Coast cancer nurse passionate about preventing and curing the deadly disease plans to use a prestigious scholarship to help patients who she says taught her the meaning of “love, dignity, and grace”.

Five nurses were the recipients of a $35,000 MooGoo postgraduate cancer nursing scholarship to help upskill the workforce, which currently faces a dire shortage.

More than one million Australians currently have or have had cancer, with one in two diagnosed with the disease by the age of 85.

The Cancer Nurses Society of Australia is concerned retirement of experienced cancer nurses will lead to a loss of knowledge, clinical expertise, and leadership, and succession planning is important to address this skills gap in the workforce.

Martina O’Neill, 41, has been awarded a $10,00 scholarship to do just that.

Her funds will go towards further studies, and she plans to create a new one-of-a-kind, shared care model of care, and establish the first Queensland site as a contributor to the upper gastrointestinal cancer registry.

Sunshine Coast nurse Martina O’Neill awarded cancer fighting scholarship. Picture – contributed.

“I entered the nursing profession almost 15 years ago as a mature graduate – which put me in good stead to have the tenacity to seize all opportunities and gain exposure in all aspects of cancer care,” Ms O’Neill said.

She had previously studied law before realising her passions laid elsewhere.

Ms O’Neill said she knew she had to shake up the system when she was involved in the care of a cancer patient – whose story changed her life forever.

“We weathered multiple storms that ranged from crippling chemotherapy toxicities to significant post-operative complications – one being a decrepit recurring oesophageal stricture,” she said.

Martina O’Neill. Picture – contributed.

Ms O’Neill said she was left devastated by the lack of options and her patients likelihood of survival.

To help other Aussies struggling with cancer, she plans to create a one-of-a-kind, shared care model of care which will safety net patients diagnosed via an emergency presentation and awaiting new patient appointment with the general surgery team.

“In recent times, I have come to realise that the greatest gift was not my time being given to patients but the powerful lessons that patients were subconsciously imparting onto me – courage, love, acceptance, perseverance, resilience, dignity, and grace,” she said.

“For that I will be forever indebted and grateful to those patients.”

Originally published as Sunshine Coast nurse Martina O’Neill awarded cancer fighting scholarship