I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer a year ago. I began with my first chemo treatment and since that time I have had more than 40 chemo treatments all at the CCC at DRMC. Val has been either the nurse in charge of my chemo or present on the floor when I was receiving treatment. When she was not my assigned nurse she still would stop and ask me how I was doing and show that she was genuinely concerned about my progress. When she was the nurse in charge of my treatment she treated me as though I was the only person there. She seemed to be everywhere at once. Each time she would greet me it made the chemo floor seem like a welcome place, not something to be dreaded. She set my mind at ease that everything was going to be all right. She asked how I was feeling and was truly interested in my response. As time went by she became more than a nurse on the chemo floor, more than a friendly face but more like a family member caring for me and about me.
Val is professional, skilled in her craft, friendly, cheerful and encouraging to patients. She never changes, never shows if she is having a bad day (we all do) and she always builds me up making my day better. All of the nurses on the chemo floor of CCC are wonderful but Val stands out; demonstrating what a nurse should be in every way. She deserves to be recognized partly because she does not seek recognition. She just sincerely cares for her patients in a very professional manner.