“I’m a medical oncology RN at the Cancer Centre, where I’ve been working since 2009. A lot of people assume it’s a really sad job. It has its ups and downs and its struggles, but I feel like it’s my spot.

“There’s a memory that stays with me always: When I first started at the Cancer Centre I had a patient… I met him on his initial visit, and continued to look after him for the course of his treatment. I saw him through a lot of treatments and became very close with him and his wife. I had a really strong bond with them, and I remember the day that his oncologist told me that we were taking him off treatment and transitioning him to palliative care. There wasn’t any further care that we could give him, which sadly is sometimes a common story. I went down to the room to express my condolences and he put his arms around me and started to cry, and so did his wife. We all huddled there and cried. I know that sounds sad, but it was a really cathartic moment for them and myself. That was a hard one to shake for quite some time, but I still think of him often and fondly, and I felt very privileged to have been a part of his care.

“What you’ll never be prepared for when you start your nursing career is the real-life situations, when only being there in the moment teaches you how to cope. High-stress situations can occur where a patient’s health is declining and you have to react immediately, and then with the next patient you’re celebrating good CT results, or a chemo break. Then the next person you’re saying your final goodbye to them and you know you’re never going to see them again. You’re acknowledging that you will not see this human alive again. You’re holding it together for them and then you’re sneaking in the bathroom and crying your eyes out. No school will ever prepare you for that.

“Can I say one more thing? Can I do it as a P.S.? You guys had all better wear sunscreen this summer.”

The many faces and stories of the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia.