The Oncology Nurse Is an Inspiration and an Example

Patricia Beaty, M.P.H., RN - PHOTO BY BECKY BROWN

At the age of 29, I found out I had breast cancer. I was hospitalized the Monday before Thanksgiving, and an anesthesiologist came and took me down to surgery at 10 a.m. When I got back to my room, I could hear people talking around me. I heard a nurse say, “She should have been awake by now.” The anesthesiologist and doctors would come check on me and see how I was doing. When I finally woke up, I did not want to face reality. The cancer and chemo treatments took a toll on our lives.

While I was in the hospital, a nurse named Patricia Beaty took care of me. She shared her secret with my husband, his mom and me: God has a purpose for putting people in our lives at the right time and a purpose for what we go through in life. Even though we don’t understand his purposes for what we go through, God does.

While Patricia took care of me, she always had a smile; she had a positive attitude then and still does. Patricia went above and beyond her job to take care of me. She has been a godsend.

To this day, we keep in touch. Patricia told me in an email that I was her first patient with cancer and that I went through a horrible time that year.

Patricia is an inspiration and an example to me. She makes an impact on my life.

I’m thankful that God put Patricia in my life. She is like a sister to me, and we have an everlasting friendship. She touches the lives of others, and she is an extraordinary healer.