My Experience At TCCC - Annabeth Guzman, Delta High Shcool Intern

Annabeth (center) with Sue C. (left)
and Karen DuBois (right)

A Healthcare Administrator, the top of the top, the leader and the one in charge. That’s what I wanted to be when I started my internship at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center (TCCC). I dreamed of being in charge of a hospital and giving employees the tools needed to treat patients. However, as I progressed through my internship here at the TCCC I learned so much about all the little bricks that go into building healthcare facility. One brick in particular that caught my attention: Nurse Navigation with an emphasis on Palliative Care. I jumped onto the nurse navigation train with TCCC nurse navigators, Gretchen Saunders and Karen DuBois.

On this train ride they opened my eyes to what nurse navigation and palliative care mean. One aspect the navigation team attends to is patients whose cancer disease is treatable but not curable. In oncology, there are four levels assigned to a cancer which identify how far the cancer has spread throughout the body, level four (IV) being terminal. Gretchen navigates all patients at the TCCC while Karen works with Stage IV patients as a Palliative Care Nurse Navigator. In this role, she works with patients to set goals and achieve them; she calls patients at home and makes visits to patients. I had never heard of palliative care before coming to the TCCC, but now that I know what it is I am determined to become a Nurse Practitioner specialized in Palliative Care.

I met Sue C., Rosemary R. and Roberta G. who are palliative care patients of Karen DuBois. I had the honor of interviewing them about their lives and the legacy they wanted to leave. I learned valuable information from these three wonderful ladies. Rosemary truly inspired me when she said, “I am not afraid to die.” I have heard so many people say that before, but I have never heard anyone say it with such assurance. Rosemary also left me with these wonderful words, “Life is short; enjoy what you have and who you have. If there’s nothing you can do about it, let it go. It could be worse, don’t worry so much over nothing.”

Most students finish an internship to put another star on their resume, but I have left truly changed and touched. I learned so much about life and what’s important, especially at the end of life. While sitting in on the IMAGO palliative care support group with TCCC’s chaplain Rainy, patients with terminal cancer were asked if they could have anything what would it be. They came to the consensus that material matters of the world aren’t what they want to concern the end of their life with. They are more interested in the relationships with family and friends, knowing that they gave and received love. There is so much to learn from one another. When sitting down with someone and taking the time to hear about them, it may just change us, it changed me. Sitting with people who have lived three times longer than me and hearing what they have to say is truly inspirational and really made me think twice about my life and where I want to be.

~ Annabeth Guzman
   Delta High School Intern
   Class of 2014