Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 9-20-19

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Nurse Tells, ‘Why I Chose A Career In Cancer Care’
A nurse at Moffitt Cancer Center, Cydney points to two important factors that led to her career in can- cer care: her mom and dad. While her mother is a breast cancer sur- vivor of more than a decade, her fa- ther has recently been diagnosed with a recurrence of prostate can- cer.
“I mean, they inspire me every day with what they went through,” she says. “I just felt like even though I didn’t personally have cancer, that was my battle with cancer.”
Aside from her parents, Cydney witnesses courage firsthand on a daily basis, citing hematology pa- tients as some who never fail to in- spire her.
CYDNEY WARFIELD ...Moffitt Cancer Center Nurse
As she explains, “They are some of the strongest oncology patients that we see. They go through long, rigorous treatments that require a lot out of them physically, emotion- ally, mentally...it inspires me be- cause it makes me feel like the things that I deal with on a day-to- day basis that we fuss about, you know, are so small.”
It’s this inspiration that helps her remain strong for all her pa- tients. And it’s not always easy to do. But she feels that giving each pa- tient the time and attention they need is one of the most important job requirements for a Moffitt nurse.
“We’re the person they can cry
to, laugh to, talk about their day,” she says. “So if they know that we’re in their corner and we’re advocating for them, I think that helps them get through their process.” She claims her best days are simply the ones that allow her to give each patient the attention they need.
“You have people that come from hours away and their families can’t make it to be with them. So I’ve sat in the room sometimes and just talked to patients if they want to talk for a little bit.”
Cydney is currently pursuing her doctorate in nursing at the Uni- versity of South Florida. She plans to become a nurse practitioner, spe- cializing in oncology.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 7-A