GIFTED NURSE SHARES HONOUR
Genna wins Human Touch Award
It takes a special gift to be able to take away the fear that lurks just below the surface when a patient first comes to the Windsor Regional Cancer Program’s Chemotherapy Suite.
Fortunately, local patients have such a gifted person in Maggie Genna, who’s the first oncology nurse from the area to win the Human Touch Award.
The annual award is given out by Cancer Care Ontario for exceptional care of cancer and kidney patients.
“I’m excited, humbled and surprised,” said Genna, an oncology nurse for more than 35 years in Windsor.
“I’m overwhelmed because the Human Touch Award is one you’re nominated for by your colleagues, patients and their families. This is an award to be shared by our whole team.
“It means more to me than any award I could win.”
First meetings with Genna are rarely under pleasant circumstances for patients.
Michelle Prince doesn’t recall much of that conversation with Genna having just been diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, but she remembers how she felt.
“She exudes such a quiet confidence and it transfers to you,” Prince said. “I remember feeling at ease afterward even though my mind was spinning.
“Her gift is reading patients and meeting them where they’re at.”
There’s no pretension about Genna. Her passion for nursing remains undiminished and her style as unforgettable as when she started her career.
“It’s raw,” said Genna of her style. “It’s down to earth.
“It’s care and compassion and I really show that.
“Some patients just want the straight facts, so I’m academic. Some need the comfort of having their hand held and some want to laugh.
“What they need will also change with their journey.”
It’s a journey that often lasts beyond treatment. Some become volunteers at the clinic; others major financial supporters.
A trip to the mall can be a timeconsuming adventure with so many patients coming up to talk to “their Maggie.”
“Before we had the anti-nausea drugs we have now, I had one patient come up to say hello at the mall and he threw up,” said Genna. laughing at the memory. “I didn’t take it personally.”
Nancy Brockenshire, manager of outpatient care, said Genna’s investment in her patients is only part of what makes her remarkable. As a team leader in the Chemotherapy Suite, she also oversees and sets the tone for the entire unit.
“Maggie has chosen to continually educate herself,” Brockenshire said. “She’s confident about what she knows is happening in the room. It allows her to concentrate on the present.
“When you’re confident in your environment you can deal with the unexpected.”
Genna is often the cause of some of the unexpected. A stash of party favours for impromptu celebrations, a magic wand and an infectious personality are every bit part of the course of treatment as the latest wonder drugs.
For those finishing up their chemo, there’s a toast complete with Champagne glasses and the finest apple juice available.
“Not all of us will get to experience that,” said Prince, who has had chemo every other week for three years.
“But it allows us to celebrate and laugh with them. It brings all of us closer together.
“If you can’t laugh at cancer sometimes, what’s the point?”