Since this article is being published the day after the 10^th anniversary of September 11, I felt it appropriate to dedicate this column to the first member of Team Beat The H*ll Outta Multiple Myeloma (BTHO MM).  While readers might think the first member would obviously be my sister Deana, who is the myeloma patient in our family, I contend our first member was Nurse Linda.

Without covering information already shared in my first column, Nurse Linda works at UPMC Passavant – Cranberry Campus.  This is a branch of the UPMC system located in Deana’s community.  A few days before Deana’s multiple myeloma diagnosis, Deana got a call on Good Friday from her primary care physician instructing her to get to the hospital for three units of blood.  It was Nurse Linda who was there to care for Deana at the hospital.

It was a long afternoon for Deana, as first there were issues with getting the right blood for her, and then there was only time for two units, not the three that were ordered.  As I talked to Deana via phone, I became increasingly concerned, as it would seem that needing three units and only getting two because the Easter weekend was closing in, was not ideal. I can imagine my sister had similar concerns.

Although I was not there to bear witness, Deana assured me that Nurse Linda did much to make this situation more bearable.  Although we didn’t know we were up against multiple myeloma at the time, I suspect Nurse Linda may have known, based on her review of Deana’s blood work.

When Deana was being discharged, Nurse Linda handed her a copy of her paperwork and urged her to be assertive regarding her health.  Whatever exchange took place there, it made all the difference.  I’m not sure if Nurse Linda looked at Deana a certain way, used a certain tone of voice, or had some “nurse magic” that got through to Deana, but clearly she affected Deana.

It was because of Nurse Linda that my sister called her primary care physician on Saturday when she still wasn’t feeling great and called a doctor friend for advice when she continued to experience chest pain on Sunday night.  If you’ve read the first column, you know that the result of this last call was Deana’s visit to the emergency room, at which time she was admitted and within 72 hours we knew the demon we would battle was multiple myeloma.

Nurse Linda called Deana a week or so later to see how she was doing.  I thought that was an incredibly nice thing to do.  Deana wasn’t admitted to the Cranberry campus, so I wonder if Nurse Linda had checked the central database to see what was transpiring.  She was not at all surprised at the diagnosis. This is why I believe she was the first member of our team – she had a pretty good idea of the likely diagnosis, even before we knew.

I have heard many people in medicine share that nurses know a great deal, sometimes perhaps more than doctors.  Our youngest sister, Darrie is an x-ray technician, also certified in mammography and bone density.  I’m often surprised about things she knows that wouldn’t seem to be in the purview of her job.

The Dietzler women truly believe that Nurse Linda played a very critical role at this early stage.  We are grateful to her beyond what words will express.  UPMC has a Daisy Award program where patients can nominate employees for this recognition that honors excellence.  On behalf of the Dietzler women, I filled out the nomination card in support of Nurse Linda being recognized with this award.

Last week, Deana told me that Nurse Linda has received the Daisy Award as a result of our nomination.

I am so pleased.

I have not yet met Nurse Linda in person.  My visits and her schedule still haven’t coincided.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to hold it together when I finally see her.  I am as grateful to her as I have ever been to any person.  Given that I wear my heart on my sleeve, I’m confident there will be some tearing up.

So often, people take the time to complain when someone has wronged them or when the job hasn’t been done right.  It is rare that people call attention to those who not only do their jobs with excellence, but who go above and beyond the call of duty.  Nurse Linda certainly embodies a nurse who lives her job, and when dealing with a life-threatening illness, that’s the kind of nurse you want on your side.

Deana loves all her nurses at the Cranberry campus – she brought them bagels last week as a token of her appreciation, though we’ll never truly be able to thank them for all they mean to us.  They are valuable and treasured members of Team BTHO MM.

So my call to action for this week, when we as a country would do wise to honor our heroes, take the time to acknowledge the good work your multiple myeloma heroes are doing for you and your families.

And for those in the multiple myeloma family who aren’t aware (I know I wasn’t) let’s hold special thoughts for those 9/11 first responders who have since developed multiple myeloma (see related Beacon news).  Although their numbers are small and there’s no direct proof that their exposure at Ground Zero was the cause of their myeloma, they are heroes of the highest order.