Nancy graduated from Mohawk College in 1979 as a registered nurse. She began working at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. She returned to Canada after almost a year and then began working at the Hamilton General Hospital in the ICU. She has always been a very dedicated and compassionate RN and worked in this unit until 2003, when she became the Organ and Tissue Donation Coordinator with Trillium Gift of Life. In this role, Nancy has continued to develop her communication and leadership skills and has become involved in numerous personal and professional growth activities, both with Trillium and with Hamilton Health Sciences.

Nancy completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Ryerson University in 2007. Personally, she is married to a registered nurse and has 3 children.

Nancy took up the position of Organ & Tissue Donation Coordinator in 2003 when Trillium Gift-of-Life was still in its infancy and this type of role was new to Ontario hospitals. Nancy initially met with significant resistance to her role and to the practice of organ donation in general. However, Nancy worked tirelessly to educate people about the importance of organ & tissue donation, not only for the recipients whose lives could be saved, but also for the donor families. Nancy has opened many people’s eyes to the fact that organ donation always occurs within the context of a devastating loss, but that giving families the opportunity to fulfill the last wishes of their loved ones to donate their organs can provide solace in the midst of tragedy. Nancy’s unwavering commitment to patient- and family-centred care has enabled her to overcome the initial resistance she encountered. In only three years HHS has become the leading donation site in the province and in Canada. Nancy has received wonderful support from the HHS leadership for her role, however, it is the integrity and compassion she exercises in every encounter with donor families that has won people over and made this remarkable achievement for HHS possible. Most of the kidneys donated at HHS stay within our community, enabling Hamiltonians to become free from dialysis and the crippling effects of organ failure. Thus her efforts have had a direct and measurable positive impact on the health of our community.

Nancy has a caring and positive approach to patient- and family-centered care and is a strong patient advocate, always looking for ways to provide care that results in quality patient outcomes. She works well independently as well as collaboratively within a multidisciplinary health care team; she always provides safe and ethical care and exercises decision-making that is appropriate within her scope of practice. She works autonomously and adheres to nursing’s code of ethics and standards of practice. Additionally, she acts as an informal leader and consistently role models the professional values of nursing.

Nancy works with various community groups including the Rotary Club, Lions Club, and Catholic Women’s League. Additionally, she voluntarily speaks with groups at local high schools in an attempt to broaden education and interest in organ donation. She has also been a guest speaker in Mohawk’s continuing education classes (Critical Care, Module 1).

Nancy was nominated for and received the Hamilton Health Sciences Cornerstone Award in 2008. She was also nominated for the Nightingale Award in 2008. HHS also received the provincial award of excellence donation activity in 2007.

In October of 2012 Nancy was given a new opportunity to join McMaster Children’s Hospital and help to develop a Pediatric Palliative Care Program there. It is a wonderful opportunity for MCH to develop a palliative program that meets the international recognized gold standard of care and is an incredible chance for me to once again be a part of developing a program that supports patients and families at end of life; an area she is most passionate about.