Anne Carrelli steps into the waiting area and spots three other women standing in the middle of the room talking and laughing in the midst of a group hug. They spot Carrelli and invite her in.

Within moments, the excited group decides to go into a side room to chat privately. Carrelli turns to a waiting reporter and says sheB次元官网网址檒l be back in a few minutes and apologizes for the delay.

Carrelli returns a short while later and again apologizes to the reporter and points out that she was meeting with the mother of a child with cancer. In CarrelliB次元官网网址檚 world as a pediatric oncology nurse with Island Health, connecting with the family means everything.

Victoria General Hospital operates the regionB次元官网网址檚 only pediatric oncology daycare unit, which treats and counsels sick children in their cancer journey.

The team, which includes four nurses, a physician, social worker and child psychologist, is responsible for everything from physical checkups to chemotherapy, even palliative care. And while that seems clinical, it has one enduring quality: loving care.

B次元官网网址淵ou see a family at their most vulnerable here,B次元官网网址� Carrelli said in an interview. B次元官网网址淭here is nothing more terrifying to a family than the potential loss of their child.B次元官网网址�

Almost all of the families that walk through the clinic doors at Vic General have been treated at B.C. ChildrenB次元官网网址檚 Hospital first. ItB次元官网网址檚 a way the health-care system can keep families closer to home and still provide quality care.

To Carrelli, the key to good oncology care is building trust and getting to know the families.

This allow the family B次元官网网址� and more importantly the child B次元官网网址� to feel comfortable in their surroundings. During cancer care families are inundated with medical information they need to know to help their child fight the cancer.

B次元官网网址淲e try to build that trust with the families so they trust themselves,B次元官网网址� said Carrelli.

B次元官网网址淭hey need to know there is more to looking at the numbers on a [medical] machine. They know their child and need to assess how their child is doing by looking and talking to them, too.B次元官网网址�

Families have many fears when they come into care. They wonder whether the cancer treatment is going to work B次元官网网址� and there is always an underlying fear on how theyB次元官网网址檙e going to get through this with their child.

The medical team attempts to reassure families that pediatric cancer is curable, but is only as good as the science available.

B次元官网网址淲e believe in our treatments and we believe in our protocols,B次元官网网址� Carrelli said. B次元官网网址淚f we get to a point where things donB次元官网网址檛 appear to be working, we look at other options.B次元官网网址�

Carrelli has been a pediatric nurse for more than 20 years, the last eight in pediatric oncology. She wouldnB次元官网网址檛 trade her job for anything, she said.

Still, there are many hardships in the job. Like the kids that donB次元官网网址檛 make it.

B次元官网网址淚 might not be able change the end result, but I really have to make a difference on their way there. For me, thatB次元官网网址檚 treating every family the way I would want my family to be treated,B次元官网网址� Carrelli said.

Children fighting cancer often are more optimistic than their parents or sometimes even the health team treating them.

Most parents say kids who are fighting cancer just want to be kids. Oftentimes you can see children working hard to please their parents and do whatB次元官网网址檚 expected of them.

Children, especially the younger ones, seldom talk about the cancer, Carrelli said, but some do have fears about some painful procedures.

B次元官网网址淲hen kids get very sick we are sometimes protective of them and we and the families donB次元官网网址檛 tell them how much sicker they are, but the children seem to know without being told.B次元官网网址�

Still, Carrelli stresses itB次元官网网址檚 always important for the team to do a better job and make the cancer journey as easy as possible for both her young patients and their families.

B次元官网网址淥ur families are why we are here,B次元官网网址�

she said.

klaird@blackpress.ca

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