Christine Shaughnessy, RN, blends superb nursing skills with an array of related talents to guide patients and their families through the anguish and uncertainties of cancer. Christine drew on her instincts as a sister and daughter to steer one family through their worst weeks.
“Last January my father was rushed to Mass General with leukemia and pneumonia,” writes Julia Bateman. “I’m an only child and I feared losing him and also worried about my mother’s well-being. I would go to the back staircase in Ellison 14 and cry.
“Then I began to appreciate the amazing care of our wonderful team of doctors and nurses. And when Christine’s name was on my father’s white board, I’d go home to rest and have a meal with my mother.
“Christine took my father’s jokes in stride and gave them right back. Whenever he rang the bell, Christine was right there. At times, he just wanted to see her face and laugh with her. Once I walked in to find my father sipping a chocolate milkshake — a reward from Christine for eating his supper.
“Thanks to my father’s entire team, my family felt comforted during such a frightening time. Although I didn’t have siblings to help me through this family crisis, I had Christine.”
