On the Wings of a Dragonfly: the story of how one nurse's kindness inspired a breast cancer survivor
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"The dragonfly on the ceiling was the first thing I saw when I woke up from my surgery," Meryl Cook said. "I was confused and scared. And then, there was Agnes."
The dragonfly Cook is referring to is one painted on the ceiling tile of the post-surgery unit in Breast Health. And Agnes is Agnes Downey, a nurse with the post-surgery recovery team.
Cook had surgery to remove a lump in her breast on September 25, 2015. "It was an experience that changed my life in many ways, oddly helping me transform into the person I've always wanted to be. And Agnes was instrumental in that."
During her treatment, Meryl would walk a beach close to her home and dragonflies would dance and hover around her. She began to wonder more and more about the meaning of dragonflies, a thought which she shared with Downey. Agnes looked up the meaning of dragonfly for her: "Joy, adaptability, transformation and digging deeper into the emotions."
"It was perfect for what I was going through,” Cook said. “The fact that Agnes took the time to look that up and share it with me made all the difference in me being able to dig deeper into my emotions.”
The dragonfly qualities became Cook’s recipe for recovery and it became the representative image for Cook’s healing journey. She began to work with the concept of "joy", challenging herself on the way to radiation appointments to look for things that made her happy: the colour of a rosehip, a child’s smile, the smell of the air. She also treated herself to a beautiful coffee along the way.
Cook has never forgotten Downey. This is why she recently visited with Downey to give her a copy of the book she wrote during her healing process. “One Loop at a Time", available at Book Mark on Spring Garden Road, chronicles Cook’s journey and her healing process through writing and rug-hooking.
Downey, humble and quiet by nature, was initially overwhelmed and nervous about meeting her patient again. "I was overcome by emotions when I saw her again, and the joy and inspiration I experienced was instantaneous," Downey says. "She has now given me so much joy in return."
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#YesThisisNursing #IWKNursing
This week is National Nursing Week and there has been a lot of activity at the health centre dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating our more than 1,000 nurses. Social media played a large part in this year's celebrations with two hashtags being used to promote the event and share stories of nursing.
"IWK nurses are critical partners on the front lines of patient care, practitioners providing preventative and diagnostic care across the Maritimes through mobile services, mentors of new and mid-career nurses, and researchers innovating models of care. In the face of changing patient needs, a transitioning health care system and emerging technology, our nurses are agents of change responding to today while looking towards the future."
- Tracy Kitch, RN, President & CEO
"At the IWK, we have more than 1,000 nurses working in many diverse areas and roles. The commitment, dedication and leadership of IWK nurses is a source of pride for the organization and contributes to the excellent care we provide to women, children, youth and families of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic provinces. Sincere thanks to IWK nurses, today, and every day."
- Jocelyn Vine, RN, Vice President Patient Care and Chief Nurse Executive
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National Nursing Week Kick-off (Monday, May 8)
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NSNU Afternoon Tea (Tuesday, May 9)
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Nursing Awards (Wednesday, May 10)
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One more case: the new mantra for Women’s Gynecology Surgical Services
What happens when you break down silos and bring a diverse Perioperative team including nurses, managers, physicians, anesthesia, patients, housekeeping, medical device reprocessing, biomedical engineering and pharmacy all in a room to examine service from the patient’s perspective? You realize that even though everyone’s already working really hard – there are still areas and opportunities to do better. That was the consensus at the Women’s Gynecology Surgical Services lean value stream workshop held April 24th– 26th.
During the three day examination to improve processes, the team realized that if they could break their work process down and find a way to perform even one more case per day, the wait list would be eliminated in just one year. By cutting minutes here and there through eliminating wastes that exist everywhere (i.e. duplications, rework, over production) those minutes would quickly add up. That profound realization became their mantra. Suddenly three simple words, one more case, written on yellow sticky note with a sharpie carried big meaning...read more.
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Current state and waste identification
*Waste = non-value added activity
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First stop: Sri Lanka
Staff were treated to a culinary delight in the Heart & Hearth Cafe last Friday.
Established by the Food Services team, the Heart and Hearth Cafe has started a new initiative to feature dishes from the many home countries of our staff. The first stop on this culinary adventure took place on Friday with lunch recipes coming from Sri Lanka.
The country selection for this month was a recommendation from Cook's Helper, Jerald Premanath. Jerald has been with the IWK for 10 years and has a passion for cooking Sri Lanken dishes. If you enjoyed Friday's menu, you can find more of Jerald's cooking at the Alderney Landing Farmers Market every second Saturday.
"The launch of our culinary cultural event went very well. We sold out of the special, and customers were raving about the flavours. It was great to have the IWK Band playing over lunch for STARS as well," said Andrea Connell, Manager, Food Services & Business Development.
Lunch included chicken curry, Sri Lanken fried rice and spicy potato featuring flavours such as curry, garlic, ginger and tumeric.
The Heart and Hearth Cafe will be continuing with their culinary cultural tour around the world and featuring new dishes and countries in the first week of every month. Stay tuned for June's offerings!
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IWK researchers win Governor General’s Innovation Award
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The IWK’s Dr. Patricia Lingley-Pottie and Dr. Patrick McGrath are one of six winners of the second annual Governor General’s Innovation Awards announced on May 5 in Ottawa. The awards recognize and celebrate outstanding Canadian individuals, teams and organizations whose exceptional and transformative work help shape the future and positively impact quality of life.
Drs. Lingley-Pottie and Mc
Grath are the creators of the Strongest Families Institute, a non-profit organization that delivers evidence-based mental health programs to children, youth and families through a unique distance-delivery system. Using proprietary software technology, trained coaches are able to connect with users by phone or via the Internet allowing families greater flexibility when accessing mental health services.
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Newly renovated Interventional Radiology & Cardiac Catheterization Lab now open
Thanks to new technology, the IWK now has one of the most advanced units in Canada. The new unit will use significantly less radiation than the previous lab. By using interventional radiology, doctors can assess diseases and deliver targeted treatments. Many diseases that once required surgical treatment can now be treated non-surgically with less risk, less pain and faster recovery time.
These upgrades also enable the ability to treat heart arrhythmias. Previously these patients would have needed to go to the adult hospital.
The Cardiac Catheterization Lab is located on the 3rd floor of the Children’s Building next to the pediatric operating room.
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Will Creene, Carol Grace and Elaine Talma in the new Cardiac Cath Lab.
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IWK Language Services update
As of May 20, the Bilingual Services Coordinator position at the IWK will be vacant for a short period of time. Until the position has been filled, for language services, please use the details below.
French interpretation:
- Nova Scotia Interpreting Services (NSIS) for in-person interpretation: 902-425-5532
- Access Alliance – Remote Interpretation Ontario (RIO) for telephone interpretation: 1-888-278-8007 (IWK Client ID 252960)
- Interpretation for all other languages, please follow usual practice (NSIS and RIO)
Translation services:
For more information on resources and tools to support patients and families – please visit the Language Services page of the Diversity and Inclusion Pulse subsite.
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Family Leadership and Youth Advisory Councils' Co-creation Engagement Session
The IWK Health Centre prides itself on practicing the principles of patient and family centred care: dignity and respect, information sharing, participation and collaboration. Co-creating physical spaces is a key part of delivering exceptional experiences for patients and families. Earlier this spring, Family Leadership Council sent a survey to stakeholders regarding the redesign of the Goldbloom Gallery, a common entryway for most of our patients and families.
As part of the engagement process, the IWK Family Leadership Council and Youth Advisory Council participated in a facilitated session this past Wednesday evening to review some of the survey results. The goal of the co-creation meeting was to host a meaningful engagement to enhance patient and family centred care. Participants toured the Gallery while having robust discussions about the potential changes to the space.
Janet Rhymes from See Meaning guided the groups through the engagement session, capturing the group’s experiences, thoughts, values, suggestions and action items.
Huddles of approximately 4-5 participants made for intimate dialogue related to their personal experiences at the IWK. Some great ideas were generated and more follow-up will occur through the ongoing efforts of Family Leadership Council and the Youth Advisory Council.
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Dr. Anthony Otley, Dr. Johan Van Limbergen, and the IWK GI Division are excited to share the launch of the
Maritime Intestinal Research Alliance (MIRA)
. For over ten years, Investigators at IWK have been leading research projects and collaborating with other gastroenterology research centres both nationally and internationally. As a research team, some of their areas of research interest are:
- Advancing our understanding of the role of the gut microbes (the microbiome) in IBD, with a particular focus on nutrition and the gut microbiome.
- Improving treatment options for children with IBD through drug and nutrition trials.
- Developing and validating outcome measures and disease activity indices which can be used in clinical and research settings to assess disease-related outcomes. We have a particular focus on patient-reported outcomes (PROs).
Please join us in celebrating MIRA and visit our new website:
www.mirapeds.ca
and following our Twitter feed @mirapeds for updates on our research and information about our team.
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Research coffee break
On May 4th Research Services hosted the Research Coffee Break as part of STARS Week at the IWK. This event provided an opportunity for researchers and other staff at the IWK to display posters and view some of the amazing research happening throughout the Health Centre. It also allowed research and staff from all departments to meet and network with colleagues, discuss research and grow potential future collaborations.
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Nominate your colleagues for the 2017 John Lindsay Sr. IWK Humanitarian Award
D
o you have a colleague who leads by example and motivates others? One who goes above and beyond in caring for patients and families at the IWK Health Centre? One who contributes to his/her community?
The IWK Foundation and the family of the late John Lindsay Sr. are seeking nominations for the 2017
John Lindsay Sr. IWK Humanitarian Award.
This award recognizes IWK Health Centre staff members who consistently give of themselves and improve people’s lives at the IWK and/or in the community.
The nomination deadline is Friday, May 26, 2017. Visit Pulse for more information.
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Arthritis Society officials visit IWK to celebrate national funding announcement
IWK staff were joined by representatives of The Arthritis Society on Monday to mark the organization's largest research commitment into childhood arthritis: a $5,000,000 commitment titled Stop Childhood Arthritis. This research strives to stop childhood arthritis in its tracks by supporting scientific research into personalized medicine and optimal outcomes for children and families living with arthritis.
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Left to right: Lynne Broderick - RN, Hailey Parliament - The Arthritis Society, Dr. Suzanne Ramsey - Division Head, Dr. Elizabeth Stringer, Susan Tilley-Russell - Executive Director Atlantic Region - the Arthritis Society, Victoria Dempsey - Research Coordinator, Andrea Weagle - RN
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IWK Run for Families
Join us on
Sunday, June 18, 2017
for the IWK Run for Families on Confederation Bridge!
Participants in the IWK Run for Families will have the unique opportunity to run or walk across the longest bridge in Canada to support the IWK Health Centre.
All participant levels are welcome and everyone is encouraged to set an individual fundraising goal and collect donations for the IWK for a chance to win amazing prizes!
Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity – register today!
Find an individual or team using the search tool.
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Kudos stands for "I Know U are Doing an Outstanding and Special job!"Anyone can send a Kudos to a staff member or volunteer who has done something special and deserves to be recognized. This week, several deserving individuals across the health centre were nominated by their colleagues. Congratulations to:
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Adam Lutz Amanda Warren Annette Fraser Beryl England Bev Campbell Chantal Leblanc Cheryl Lavoie Christine Felix Christine Shaffer Clara (Housekeeping) Danielle Dunn Darryl Delorey Emily Churchill Glenda Hoskins Hailey Smith Heather Hiscock Jane Small Jeana Daye Jennifer Munro-Aucoin Joanne Wolstenholm Joe Dober Justina Lee Kaitlyn MacDonald Karen Pellerin
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Karen Perrin Kate Stone Lauren Robar Mandy Rice Melissa King Michele Myers Michelle Kerr Nancy Cashen Nancy Elliott Natalie Pattison Neil Colosimo Nicole Boyd Niki Gyorfi Pamella Beliveau Patsy Pettipas Sara Jane Arason Scott Bosse Shelly Waddell Shireen Singer Stephanie Noonan Tara Roberts x2 Valerie Conlon Venessa Lawrence Vivian Mancini- Miller
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To send a Kudos, complete the
linked form
and send it to Human Resources. A copy of the form will also go on the nominee's HR file.
Take a minute to give someone you work with a Kudos!
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In the news
National recognition was foremost in the news this week. Dr. Goldbloom’s induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame was covered in the Herald and All Nova Scotia (no link) and the presentation of the Governor General’s Innovation Award to Drs. Pat McGrath and Patricia Lingley-Pottie was reported in Dal News and All Nova Scotia (no link).
Genetic counselor Meghan Ferguson appeared on both CBC Information Morning and CTV Housecall to speak about ovarian cancer.
Dr. Tony Otley spoke to the Herald about a study that suggested Scottish heritage may be factor in bowel disease.
Dr. Noni Macdonald’s workshop on Speaking up for Science was attended and reported on by CBC Information Morning (no link).
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As part of the media monitoring process, Communications & Public Affairs compiles a list of articles that have been published regionally, nationally and internationally pertaining to the IWK and/or topics of professional interest to those who work here.
If you would like to receive this daily email or know someone who would, please contact Ben Maycock 902 470 7086 ben.maycock@iwk.nshealth.ca and he will add you to the subscriber list.
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