title: The gift of nursing.
abstract: As parents experience the illness in their children, pediatric nurses are often a source of information, reassurance, and even comfort. Especially in the case of life-threatening conditions of children, the relationship with nurses can provide a "lifeline" for parents who are truly facing their worst fears. Author Lisa Buell's daughter, Madison (Maddy), was diagnosed with a rare tumor as an infant. After several rounds of chemotherapy and surgery, Maddy spent her last months at home with family and friends, and died in August 1998 at 2 1/2 years. In her essay, The Gift of Nursing, Lisa Buell pays tribute to nurses and reminds them of the meaningful role they play in the lives of pediatric patients and their families, both during the course of an illness and long afterwards.
authors.affiliation: Parents, Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition, Watsonville, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Buell
mesh_terms: D002388:Catastrophic Illness / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations