Cancer Survivor Retires After Nearly Half A Century Of Caring For BayCare Cancer Patients

Safety Harbor FL

01 June, 2021

5:21 PM

Description

From the BayCare Health System: June 1, 2021 One morning in mid-April, oncology unit secretary Nicole Mulroy wrote an acronym on the whiteboard in St. Joseph's Hospital's 2 West: WWBD? What would Betty do? The day before, Betty Harmon, 83, retired after 50 years at St. Joseph's Hospital, including 49 years as a patient care technician (PCT) on the oncology unit. Even in retirement, she remains a guiding light. When team members need a dose of hope or motivation, they ask themselves, "What would Betty do?" and find insight in the answer. "No matter how stressful our unit was, Betty always had a positive attitude," said Louise Light, a nurse on the oncology unit who worked with Betty since 1989. "Her optimism rubbed off on other people." Betty started in the housekeeping department at St. Joseph's Hospital in 1971, shortly after the birth of her fifth child. It didn't take long for her to make an impression. Just a few months in, the manager of the cancer center encouraged Betty to sign up for a new nursing assistant certification program. After completing the program later that year, Betty joined the oncology unit as a PCT. Betty found her calling caring for cancer patients. They're special, she said, and need special attention. But something changed in 2006, when Betty was diagnosed with colon cancer discovered through a cancer screening. Suddenly, she was battling an illness that consumed countless numbers of her patients. She underwent chemotherapy yet never stopped working. Betty continued clocking 12-hour days until she defeated the disease four months later. "I was already in love with cancer patients but once I was diagnosed, I could really be with the patient," Betty said. As a cancer survivor, she was able to connect with patients on a more personal level. "I told them about my condition and they saw that I survived," she said. "That uplifted them." Going in for a cancer screening can be hard for anyone. Even Betty, ever optimistic and assured, admitted she was nervous. "I was worried about getting screened but I knew it was something I had to do," she said. "I think many people are afraid of what the doctor will find. But you should do it for yourself and your family. It's better to know." This press release was produced by the BayCare Health System. The views expressed here are the author's own.