Paige Cullin always knew she wanted to be a nurse.
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Originally attracted to midwifery, she had almost finished high school and was preparing to pick her university degree when her family’s lives were changed for ever.
In his late teens, her brother was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare type of haematological cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
“He had a pretty rough trot going through all of that as a young adult,” Paige said.
“(So did) my family and my mum as his main carer.
“But the nurses were incredible.
“I went to a lot of those treatments and they were just so good.
“They tailored their care specifically to him (as) he was 17, 18 being treated as an outpatient in an adult setting (and) he was the odd one out.”
Her brother's experience showed Paige a new side of nursing, providing her with a different outlook on the type of care you can provide to people.
“Nursing is one of those things,” she said.
“It’s not just a job, it’s not just an income, you’re actually there at some of people’s most vulnerable points.
“I think that my personal experience provided me with a really unique opportunity to provide that care for someone else, and I wanted to give that to someone else.”
True to her word, Paige decided to pursue cancer nursing, working in Melbourne after graduating from university.
After six years of working across acute inpatient wards and a clinical trial centre in the city where she grew up, she decided she was ready for a change.
That change came in the form of a role as a McGrath cancer care nurse specialising in haematological cancers at Echuca Regional Health.
“I have some friends in the Echuca region,” Paige said.
“I’ve visited for many years and I did slowly fall in love with the community and the lifestyle.
“So when this role came up, I thought this is a perfect natural fit so why not take the chance?”
“The beauty of these cancer support roles (is) that we can provide, not only the clinical care, but we can (also address) the psychosocial, practical needs and physical things.
“It’s not just about the patient, it’s about their families, their loved ones, their carers.
“It’s having a constant contact, someone who can explain things to you so that you actually understand it, someone who knows your story and can advocate for you.”
Though regional hospitals often face challenges that their counterparts in the city don’t, one difference Paige is enjoying is the smaller volume of patients.
“In a large metropolitan hospital ... working on the wards (is) very task orientated,” she said.
“People are really unwell, and you don’t get too see what their life is like once they leave the hospital.
“Whereas in this role, in this smaller regional community, I get to be involved in every aspect of their life, which is so important.”
Even though she only began her role at ERH in April, the care she’s giving hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I’ve had some really great feedback from patients and their families,” Paige said.
“(They’re) saying that just having someone to contact outside of hours or outside of their appointments when they’re not seeing the doctor has made such a difference in how comfortable they feel with their care.”
That comfort is what it’s all about for Paige.
She’s determined to mitigate the stress involved in navigating the complexities of accessing cancer care, especially in regional areas where patients may have to travel to access certain services.
“I think it’s really important to empower our patients and their families in the healthcare system,” she said.
“So it’s really important in my role to make sure that patients are feeling like they understand what’s going on, (that) there’s someone backing them, and that they do have control over their life and decisions.”
It’s not just patients and their families that Paige works with.
A big part of her role involves supporting hospital staff to ensure they’re confident and have the right resources behind them for ERH’s haematology service to function as well as possible.
Her work and patient advocacy has already meant that several patients have been able to keep parts of their treatment closer to home.
“I had one patient who they were going to send to Melbourne to a different hospital to manage his care,” Paige said.
“I thought, ‘no, we can do it here, that’s fine!’
“The patient was really happy because he had to sell cattle the next week.”
With a little bit of liaising, she blocked the proposed transfer, and the patient was able to sell his cattle.
No two days are the same for Paige, but no matter what she’s doing, her mission stays the same.
“A lot of people are really happy just to have someone in their corner, and that’s the whole idea of this role,” she said.
“That’s the whole idea of the McGrath Foundation, that you don’t go through your care and diagnosis without the contact of a cancer care nurse.”
Paige works alongside one other McGrath cancer care nurse at ERH, who provides specialist support to people experiencing breast cancer.
McGrath Foundation nursing care is completely free and can be accessed without a referral.
To find out more or to find your nearest nurse, visit mcgrathfoundation.com.au