If there's a silver lining in having been ill so often in the last few years, it's the healthcare providers I have encountered along the way, especially the nurses.

Nurses have been part of my care on countless occasions: going to the emergency department of the Queensway-Carleton Hospital, having surgery at The Ottawa Hospital to deal with ovarian cancer, undergoing chemotherapy, having surgery to deal with perianal skin cancer, spending a night in hospital when my surgical wound got infected, visiting nurses at a community clinic, undergoing radiation, having a bilateral mastectomy, spending a night in hospital to have an infected breast implant removed, visiting nurses at the same community clinic. They explained medical procedures, cared for me after surgery, removed surgical staples, administered cancer treatments, and cheered every evidence of progress and glimmer of hope.

I wish that I had learned and noted the names of all the nurses I had met over the past few years. I thank every one who cared for me—those whose names I learned and the many whose names I didn’t.

My thanks to Pascale, Jacinthe, Kathy, Hilary, Deb, Pat, Miranda, Courtney, Kaley, Fiona, Tuite, Sarah, Jessica, Melissa, Renée, Hannah, Kayley, Meghan, Amarpreet, Jennifer, Alex, Alexandra, Iheoma, Marla, Tracey, Lynne, Briana, Nancy and many more.

Happy National Nursing Week to all nurses.