Lung-Cancer.Com: 2011 “Extraordinary Healer for Oncology Nursing” Award
Lung-Cancer.Com is a valuable information resource for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma, a form of cancer that targets the soft tissue around the lungs, as well as other lung diseases stemming from exposure to asbestos. The site also offers news updates on the latest progress in the fight against mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Lung-Cancer.com details many facets of mesothelioma, including its pathology, its symptoms and current treatment methods. The increased incidence rate of mesothelioma is a major cause of concern for physicians and health care workers, as the disease is expected to peak within the next ten to twenty years.
The editors at “Cure” magazine are now taking nominations for the publication’s 2011 “Extraordinary Healer for Oncology Nursing” Award. Both current and former cancer patients, as well as other medical professionals, can nominate oncology nurses they feel demonstrate “compassion, expertise, and helpfulness” to those dealing with mesothelioma and other deadly forms of cancer. The goal of the award is to recognize nurses specializing in oncology and chemotherapy treatments for mesothelioma patients.
The occurrence of mesothelioma, normally a rare disease, has increased over the last two to three decades. Scientists have established that the disease is linked to exposure to asbestos, a mineral commonly used in the mid-twentieth century in fireproofing, insulation and as a binding agent for concrete. Unprotected workers inhaled the deadly mineral fibers, which become embedded in the pleural mesothelium. The fibers then mutate the mesothelial cells, causing them to become malignant tumors.
With the rise in the incidence rate of this deadly disease, the tasks facing medical professionals in the oncology field have grown at an exponential rate. Oncology nurses face daily challenges in treating mesothelioma patients. Nurses must assist with surgical preparations, post-operative recovery, and administering chemotherapy and radiation treatments to affected patients. This year’s “Extraordinary Healer for Oncology Nursing” Award highlights these efforts and gives these dedicated nurses the recognition they deserve.
Many of the services oncology nurses provide go beyond administering treatments and filling out paperwork. Nurses also provide guidance and emotional support through the treatment process. Patients often view nurses as being more accessible and less distant than doctors and oncologists, and so begin to rely on nurses in times of stress. Families of the patients undergoing treatment also depend on nurses to help them understand the ongoing treatment regimens and to turn complex medical procedures into concepts that they can grasp.
Last year, over 150 nurses were nominated for the award. Dorothy Wahrman, an oncology nurse from Omaha, Nebraska, won the award. Cure Magazine is accepting nominations for the 2011 award until 21 March. The awards ceremony will be held on 28 April at the Oncology Nursing Society’s 36th Annual Congress. Three finalists and their nominators will receive round-trip airfare and a two-night hotel stay in Boston for the ceremony.
For more information, please visit our website at www.lung-cancer.com.
Please contact us at: info@mesotheliomaweb.org
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