Nurse’s vital role in caring for children with cancer

Renée Reid, Friends of the Cancer Centre’s Teenage and Young Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist, works each day in supporting young people coping with a cancer diagnosis. Renée is the lead nurse for the Regional Teenage & Young Adult (TYA) service, meaning that as well as providing vital care for young people at the NI Cancer Centre, she helps support and develop services for young people and their families.

In her role at the NI Cancer Centre and Haematology service at Belfast City Hospital, Renée provides care for young people, their families, carers and peers. She works closely with the treating teams to ensure that patients and families are fully informed of their treatment plans and also provides emotional support. Renée works alongside her colleagues in the Teenage and Young Adult team, which includes another Clinical Nurse Specialist, Rachael Quinn, and a Teenage and Young Adult Social Worker, Laurena Kane, whose posts are also funded by Friends of the Cancer Centre.

“I am privileged to be able to work alongside our wonderful young people, and the way they face their treatment is hugely inspiring,” said Renée. “I work to build a relationship with both the young person and their family, to ensure that I can support them through what can be a really difficult time.

“A key part of my role is ensuring that our young people are given the information they need about their treatment. Particularly for young patients, treatment can be very complex, and I ensure that their treatment is fully explained and they understand what is happening. This means I can provide continuity of care across the treatment team, and any individual young person can make informed decisions about their care.

“As well as directly funding my post, Friends of the Cancer Centre provides a range of additional support for the TYA team. This includes funding to purchase resources for patients and their families with a long stay on the ward, and funding gifts to help us celebrate our young people who are spending special days in appointments or on the hospital ward.

“I am delighted to be a part Friends of the Cancer Centre’s Here For You campaign and I want to personally say a huge thank you to everyone who supports the work of the charity. My role would simply not be possible without it, and your support helps us care for young people and their families each and every day.”

For more information about the charity visit www.friendsofthecancercentre.com.

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