“It's a special kind of person to be a caregiver to someone with cancer.” Steve Nash shared when telling us about his wife Charleen, who was an oncology nurse in Tower 10 here at AdventHealth in the late 1980s. Being an oncology nurse was challenging and after two years, she felt burned out. After a short stint in home healthcare and earning her BSN, Charleen began at an outpatient infusion cancer center and dedicated herself to her patients. Despite the burnout, she knew that’s where she needed to be.
Wanting to spend as much time as she could with family, Charleen reduced her hours in 2002, and in 2005, retired to help her daughter with the family’s first grandchild.
In those years, Steve noticed Charleen would ask the same questions or repeat the same things. On a walk together, Steve brought it up: “I feel like I’ve been forgetful lately. Do you feel like you’ve been forgetful? What if we get tested together?” Soon, Charleen was diagnosed with mild cognitive disorder, and Steve has lovingly cared for her for more than a decade.
In Charleen’s honor, Steve donated $31,000 specifically for Oncology nurses to pursue additional nursing certifications or attend conferences. When asked what inspired his gift, he said simply:
“She deserves a legacy.”
The $31,000 will fund multiple scholarships for AdventHealth oncology nurses. These nurses face high levels of burnout; this funding will fill a gap and provide necessary education and support. To date, twelve nurses have received scholarships: nine are pursuing additional certification, and three will be attending educational conferences. Cameron Moss, a senior nurse manager at the Outpatient Infusion Center, shared that, with this funding, “I’ll be able to share the knowledge I gain with colleagues to benefit our institution and have an immediate and direct impact on our patient care and outcomes.” Steve shared his hopes for the impact of his gift: “I hope that [the oncology nurses] give the kind of care that my wife gave. She is a very compassionate person.”
Steve and Charleen will celebrate their 57th year together this June. We at AdventHealth thank Steve for his generous gift and honor Charleen for her incredible work as an oncology nurse; a sign honoring Charleen and Steve’s gift can be found in the multisystem oncology unit on the 10th floor of the Women’s Tower at AdventHealth Orlando.
