From Cancer Patient to Cancer Nurse: Kate Lopez Gives Back to the Hospital That Cured Her
If you ask Kate Lopez, RN, what her approach to caring for patients in the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is, she’ll tell you that the magic’s in the little things.
Those little things include gestures like ensuring patients have plenty of ice and water during chemo, adding comfort items to their rooms and, Lopez’s specialty: making them laugh.
“I get made fun of for my dad jokes all of the time,” she notes.
Gestures like these matter to Lopez because she’s experienced the 4 West Oncology unit at CHLA from both sides: today, as a registered nurse, and 12 years ago this month, as a cancer patient herself.
Even before Lopez got sick, she knew the nursing field was for her—though she didn’t yet know what specialty she wanted to focus on. When she received a harrowing cancer diagnosis in 2012, she took it as a sign to pursue a nursing career in pediatric oncology.
Kate, meet CHLA
Lopez was a seventh grader when doctors found osteosarcoma, an aggressive and fast-moving bone cancer in her leg.
She and her mom spent 10 months driving from their home in South Orange County to CHLA, where Lopez underwent 18 rounds of chemotherapy. Even after her cancer went into remission, she needed multiple complex surgeries to remove the tumor and ultimately save her leg.
While Lopez had already decided her future career path before she started treatment, interactions with her care team reinforced the decision. “I got to know the nurses on the floor and thought to myself: ‘These people are amazing. They care so much about every single kid here and they made my time so much more enjoyable—and not just the medical aspect, they connect with you on a personal level. Why wouldn't I want to do that with my career?’”
From patient to care provider
Even as a nursing student living in Boston, Lopez felt that familiar floor at CHLA pulling her back to the West Coast. During two different six-month periods, she flew to L.A. to live and work as a pediatric oncology care partner on 4 West.
“I wanted to make sure this was something I wanted to do, but also to make sure I could handle it emotionally,” she says. When she graduated nursing school, she was accepted into CHLA’s RN Residency Program and has worked on 4 West ever since.
“I think the fact that someone like me—now almost 13 years after being a patient—is working with some of the same nurses who cared for me, shows that people stay because we love what we do here,” Lopez adds. “In nursing, there can be a lot of turnover, but people want to be here. That speaks volumes about this place.”
Kate Lopez, RNI think the fact that someone like me—now almost 13 years after being a patient—is working with some of the same nurses who cared for me, shows that people stay because we love what we do here.
‘We go the whole nine yards’
Lopez doesn’t always disclose her health history to her patients, but there’s no doubt her experience adds a new level of empathy and understanding to the care she provides.
“I definitely take in the patient’s background and what they’re going through, because I do know how it feels,” she says, noting that there are times when she can physically feel the patient’s pain in her body. Lopez explains this perspective helps in moments when, from a medical standpoint, an activity might sound easy or simple—if the care team can just “get it done,” they can move on to seemingly bigger aspects of a patient’s care.
“But for the kid, going to the bathroom so they meet parameters for their chemo, for example, can be scary,” she says. “They know when they do that, they're going to feel really sick for the next few days. That makes it a lot harder for them.”
These moments are where a little humor can make a big difference: “Just doing something to make them laugh or get them up and out of bed … it’s what nurses did for me. It makes me so happy to return the favor. We go the whole nine yards as often as we can.”
Lopez made a special connection with 13-year-old Ella, who is battling a rare kidney tumor. “She's one of those who has a big smile on her face no matter how badly she's feeling.”
Ella and Lopez have spent lots of time just sitting together, talking about Ella’s journey and what her life was like before as an active kid and competitive dancer. “It’s kind of a similar situation to what happened with me,” Lopez says. “There are some patients who I can just tell would benefit from knowing my story. Now she can say to herself, ‘I know Kate did it. I can do it too.’”
4 West memories
One memory stands out to Lopez from her time as a patient on 4 West: Her nurse tracked down and installed a bed trapeze (a mobility aid most common for orthopedic patients) so Lopez could move around in bed more easily.
“I had just had a major surgery on my leg. Once she tracked the trapeze down, we could not figure out how to get it on the bed,” Lopez recalls. “She spent hours trying to get the trapeze built and get it on the bed. She did not have to do that, but she wanted to because she wanted to make this tough time easier on me.”
A community built of heart and spirit
Twelve years, 18 rounds of chemo, 10 major surgeries, 12 months of care partner work and one nursing degree later, Lopez is proud to be part of a community that cares so deeply for its patients. “There's not a single nurse I know on our floor who does not have the same heart and spirit that I do toward what we do,” Lopez says.
“To be a pediatric nurse, you kind of have to be a kid at heart,” she adds. “We’re still running around playing tag, getting temporary tattoos and wearing stickers. You have to enjoy that."
“As a whole, kids have this amazing spirit to them. If we can somehow still hold onto that childhood spirit, we’re better at our jobs.”
Kate Lopez, RNTo be a pediatric nurse, you kind of have to be a kid at heart. We’re still running around playing tag, getting temporary tattoos and wearing stickers. You have to enjoy that.
