Nurses are the Heart of Rex Healthcare! They are the healing hands that impact our lives and the lives of our friends and loved ones. When you encounter a Rex nurse, it doesn’t take long to realize there is something extra special about the care they provide; it’s personal. Each May, we celebrate National Nurses Week. In honor of that celebration, we bring you the stories of some very special Rex nurses.
Cancer Hits Close to Home
When she was just 18 years old, Heather Sasser’s (right)
mother passed away from a rare sarcoma tumor after a difficult decline in health. “She died at home. It was a very hard time in my life and still is,” Heather recalled. “Watching her decline and the care, compassion, hope and love that was shown by her caregivers was so inspirational to me. I wanted to make a difference like that in the lives of others who were suffering.”
As an oncology nurse at Rex Cancer Center, Heather makes life
easier for those battling cancer.
“I still see my mother in some of my patients and it is hard
sometimes to hold back the tears,” explains Heather. “I treat everyone as if they were a family member, just the way they should be treated while undergoing such a scary experience (like cancer treatment).”
“It’s incredible the number of nurses here at Rex who have either experienced cancer first hand
or through a close relative. For us, it is more than a job … it’s a calling,” explains Metra Ashworth, R.N., B.S.N., O.C.N. (left). Metra was one of the first nurses to be hired when Rex Hematology Oncology Associates formed six years ago. “I had just accepted this position when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was at work one day and I looked over at my mother, sitting in the chemo-chair. This emotional wave came over me, and I told one of my fellow nurses, ‘I don’t know if I can work here with my mother sitting there.’ She told me to hang in there – it would make me a better nurse. I truly believe it has.”