It’s Friday afternoon in Pod C at the KU Pediatric Outpatient Cancer Center. It’s clinic day when a dozen or more children and their families will check in with the hospital’s skilled Pediatric Hematology and Oncology team.

This particular August afternoon, most of the young patients are just arriving by bus from Camp Quality, a sprawling facility for children with cancer. Like any kids just back from camp, they arrive in muddy sneakers, rumpled jeans, and grubby T-shirts, bursting with stories of swimming, fishing, fun, and games. For them the past week has been a time to be kids again, away from the needles, blood transfusions, and chemotherapy that have become routine in their young lives.

Among the Pod C staff there to greet them is Nancy Potter, ARNP, a clinical nurse specialist who’s been with the department for almost ten years. As she looks at the afternoon board where appointments are scheduled in 20-minute intervals, she says, “It’s going to be a busy afternoon.”

Whether it’s time spent at the two weekly outpatient clinics, teaching nursing techniques, or catching up on paper work in her office, every day is busy for Potter.

Much of her work involves scheduling X-rays, lab procedures, and chemotherapy and radiation treatments for her young patients. She consults with colleagues about the progress of each child, reviews test results, and stays in close touch with families, answering their questions, addressing their concerns.

This afternoon she’s fielding several phone calls, but takes time to talk to a young man who has been telling the receptionist about a camp baseball game. “You’re getting so tall,” Potter says to the middle-school-aged leukemia patient who has been coming to the clinic for three years. “I’m wearing a size 13 shoe,” he says proudly. He holds up his shoe for Potter. In the same breath, he adds, “Did you know they’re scheduling me for an electrocardiogram today?”

Potter smiles warmly and moves down the hall taking orders for a blood transfusion to the KU Hospital pharmacy for a young girl in another cubicle whose hemoglobin has gotten dangerously low.

“These kids are quite sophisticated about medical terms,” she says, “and very involved in their treatment.” She attributes that to the team approach to their medical care and the openness of the staff. “There’s a camaraderie here born out of trust,” she says. “Dr. Robert Trueworthy and Dr. Debra Smith believe in being up front with the kids about their conditions. Being truthful lets the kids know they can trust you. It helps reduce the fear factor.”

Children come to the KU Pediatric Hematology and Oncology unit from all over the Midwest. After their initial diagnosis, they may stay in the hospital for a week or longer. Once a treatment plan is developed, those from distant locations return to their hometowns. KU staff continue to track their progress, working closely with the patients’ local primary care physicians and monitoring radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

Potter remains in constant communication with those care providers in the field. She and her co-worker, clinical nurse specialist Lavonne Ridder, alternate weeks of being on call, 24/7.

While the medical condition of each young patient is monitored with precise care no matter their location, KU makes certain that children’s social and psychological needs are met as well.

In addition to the medical staff, the patient and family support team includes a child life specialist and a teacher. The teacher works with the patient’s school to make sure the child does not fall behind. The child life specialist focuses on therapeutic play and helps young patients learn relaxation techniques to use during sometimes painful treatments.

“There’ve been so many advances over the years in the way we work with our patients,” says Potter, “and it is encouraging that there’s now a 70 to 80 percent survival rate among children with cancer.”

“But, it still can be tough. You get to know the patients and their families over a long period of time,” she pauses, “and, well, it can be difficult.”

But there are many reasons why Potter can’t see herself doing anything else. Her husband died of cancer three years ago. She says she was able to help him through it because of her work at KU. And then there are the kids. “They are so precious, so innocent, and so very, very brave. They inspire us all,” she says.

There’s a photo collage in her office filled with the faces of hundreds of young cancer patients who’ve been treated at KU. When asked if there are one or two special stories about kids that come to mind, she says softly, “They’re all special. I couldn’t just pick one.”

She smiles and her green eyes sparkle. +