The nomination letter for the Extraordinary Healer Award highlights the work of Patricia McCrink, an oncology nurse with more than 30 years of experience. McCrink, according to the letter, has spent her career caring for patients and families facing the most difficult moments of their lives — holding hands, offering comfort, and creating hope in fearful rooms. The letter describes her as a nurse whose compassion, resilience, and dedication define the core of oncology nursing.
On October 10, 2024, McCrink learned she likely had cancer. Weeks later, she sat in the same building where she had cared for others and heard the words: “You have stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma.” Suddenly, she was no longer the nurse offering courage; she was the patient needing it.
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When the Caregiver Becomes the Patient
McCrink said: “I thought I understood what my patients went through, but when the tables turned, I realized no amount of experience could prepare me.” She described the humbling experience of sitting in the same chair where she had once comforted others, hearing medical jargon she used to use now directed at her. Despite decades of experience, she admitted feeling overwhelmed and afraid. Yet she allowed herself to trust her team, showing the same vulnerability she had encouraged countless patients to accept.
Turning Struggle Into Purpose
Even during treatment, McCrink chose to transform her struggle into action. She and her husband led an effort through the Light the Night fundraiser, raising more than $37,000 to support blood cancer research and patient services. Her openness, strength, and advocacy have inspired not only her family and colleagues but also the patients who see in her a reflection of their own battles.
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In July 2025, McCrink completed chemotherapy and celebrated a PET scan showing no active disease. Instead of stepping back, she returned to nursing and education with an even deeper capacity for compassion. She is now a better nurse because she has walked the journey of her patients. She embodies resilience, hope, and the belief that “we are, truly, better together.”
The letter concludes that McCrink has always been extraordinary, but her courage in the face of her own diagnosis has made her an even more remarkable healer. It recommends her for the Extraordinary Healer Award, calling her the very spirit of the honor.
