Our Nurse of the Week is Jenni Chang, an oncology nurse who was honored by her patient Patrick Lewis for the care she showed him after being diagnosed with cancer. Lewis is a US veteran who served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps for three years. Being diagnosed with cancer made Lewis feel alone, like no one else could understand what he was going through, until he met nurse Chang.
After Lewis was admitted to the hospital for chemotherapy treatment for his sinonasal cancer diagnosis, Chang was assigned as his primary care nurse. She decided to share her own story to help him cope, telling him how she was inspired to become an oncology nurse after being diagnosed with leukemia at 16 years old. Her 28 weeks of chemo treatments made Chang want to dedicate her life to giving back to patients and their families.
In an essay about his experience battling cancer, Lewis described Chang with the following: “I have never seen someone so dedicated to caring for a specific patient population, veterans, whom she treats as if they are her own family members.”
It’s rare to find someone like you who can say they’ve been in your shoes and experienced a cancer diagnosis and treatment, but Chang is not like most nurses. She is using her difficult experience as a cancer patient and survivor to help inspire others.
To learn more about oncology nurse Jenni Chang and how she serves cancer patients, including veterans, visit here.
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