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Kamloops caregiver honored with first-ever Community Care Award
Jan. 8, 2007, Vancouver, B.C - Kamloops Cancer Clinic nurse Janice MacDonald was literally speechless when she got the phone call: the BC Cancer Agency had chosen her as the first ever recipient of the BC Cancer Agency Community Care Award, sponsored by the BC Cancer Foundation.
“I really don’t know what to say,” uttered MacDonald after a few, silent moments digesting the news. “This is such a shock.”
MacDonald received a standing ovation from hundreds of colleagues attending the BC Cancer Agency’s Annual Cancer Conference on November 24 when she was presented the award by Kelowna-Mission MLA Sindi Hawkins.
“After much careful deliberation, we chose an individual who we believe has worked for many years to make a unique and positive contribution to the cancer care community,” said Hawkins, a member of the selection committee. “Janice has demonstrated a personal commitment to help build a solid oncology program, provide continuity and tremendous leadership through sometimes difficult transitions, take on an enormous workload, adapt to new working environments and embrace technology, and above all ? keep the focus on helping cancer patients through their journey.”
The BC Cancer Agency received 63 nominations for this award in its first year, and MacDonald was chosen for her outstanding commitment to patient care in her role as oncology nurse at the Kamloops Cancer Clinic.
Described by her colleagues and nominators as the glue that helps bind together the team at the Kamloops clinic, she is widely considered an exceptionally compassionate, intuitive, and positive person.
MacDonald became a nurse in 1980, and has spent her entire career in Kamloops. Oncology nursing was a natural choice for her, she said, because it’s a profession that gives her the ability to make a difference in someone’s life. She played a key role in helping the clinic transition to a BC Cancer Agency service, and has taken the lead in pioneering initiatives such as Telecare and electronic records.
“The relationship you gain with the patients is incredibly rewarding,” said MacDonald. “You become involved with the family, because you can’t look at a patient in isolation – what their disease means to them is determined by where they are in their life.”
Throughout her career, MacDonald’s kindness has touched thousands of patients and their families, but there are a couple of examples of her dedication that stand out in the mind of Dr. Susan Mann, a Kamloops physician.
“I know of one occasion when she drove 120 kilometres after work to give a patient an injection that couldn’t be arranged through community nursing,” said Mann. “Another morning, she received a message of distress on the answering machine from a patient who hadn’t identified himself. With the help of Telus, she identified and located this person and secured needed medical intervention. The way that Janice works it is often easy to miss just how much ‘above and beyond’ she goes most of the time.”
The award, established to recognize cancer caregivers in the community whose work supports the BC Cancer Agency, acknowledges those individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty. Nominations for this annual award will be accepted again next fall.
“We have been hearing about the wonderful work going on in communities for years through our regional centre and networks,” explained Barbara Poole, co-chair of the award committee. “This work contributes to BC’s excellence in cancer care. We feel the best way to acknowledge this sort of community leadership is through the BC Cancer Agency Community Care Award.”
For more information, please contact:
Jinny Wu
Communications Specialist
BC Cancer Agency
604.877.6272
Toll-free: 1.800.663.3333, ex 6272
jwu2@bccancer.bc.ca
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