Montana is very special to us here at the NCCS. She is a past scholarship recipient and has been a judge for our scholarship essays since 2017! Montana was diagnosed with cancer twice – first when she was 2 and then again when she was 14. After that, she couldn’t imagine becoming anything other than a nurse. She’s happy she followed through with that dream as she celebrates her 7th year as a nurse.
Montana’s goal was to work at the same hospital in which she received treatment as a child – and she accomplished that and more. “I worked on the inpatient hematology-oncology floor for a couple of years at the hospital I was treated at,” she said.
She then got married – to another cancer survivor – and decided to try for a change of pace. She moved to a pediatric outpatient surgical center for a few years before moving on again. “I now work at the hospital where I received radiation therapy, with the radiation oncologist who treated me,” she said. “We mainly see survivor patients and kids currently on treatment who need radiation. It’s been fairly cool going from the patient, to inpatient nurse, to survivor nurse.”
Montana absolutely loves working with kids. “It never ceases to amaze me how resilient they are,” she said. But it can also be challenging to work with such young patients. “Seeing any person – especially a child – have cancer is heartbreaking. But they are resilient. The kids are tiny superheroes in my eyes and I try to not let them forget that.”
Montana is such an inspiration. Her enthusiasm and love for life can be felt through her contagious smile and thoughtful words. And her passion for nursing is something she hopes more people might consider. “For anyone out there who is thinking about nursing, I say go for it! It can be such a rewarding profession!”
We’re so proud of you, Montana!
You can read Montana’s scholarship essay here: https://thenccs.org/scholar-story/meet-montana-b/
