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Meet McGrath Cancer Care Nurse Marie Laing
This International Nurses Day, we’re celebrating how McGrath Cancer Care Nurses change lives.
Marie Laing has been a cancer care nurse for 17 years and is based in Canberra. She is one of our first McGrath Cancer Care Nurses to specialise in lung cancer.
“McGrath Cancer Care Nurses change people’s lives by making their diagnosis and treatment easier to navigate.”
- Marie Laing
Marie says one of the best things about the role, is that “every day is very different.”
“The area that I cover includes a lot of rural patients or people from the South Coast, who have to travel away from their homes and their families for treatment. To be able to support them and guide them while they’re out of their comfort zone is really rewarding.”
Marie says she was excited to become a McGrath Cancer Care Nurse after learning we were taking our care to all cancers.
“To have that opportunity to progress and become a McGrath Cancer Care Nurse really excited me,” she says. “The McGrath Model of Care really reflects my values because it takes a very holistic approach and puts the patient at the centre of their care by putting their needs first and making sure they feel supported every step of the way.
“It’s one of the most challenging times of their lives, and we provide clinical, psychological and emotional support to make that journey a bit easier. Not only for the patient, but for their family as well.
“It’s also inspired me to become a better nurse and made me realise that I do have a wealth of knowledge to share with my patients so they can have the best possible outcome through the education and support that we provide.”
Jade Wendt, 45, had just finished supporting her mum through breast cancer when she was diagnosed herself. Four months later, her husband David, 44, “stole her limelight” when he was diagnosed with renal cancer while she was midway through her third round of chemotherapy.
Kristyn Schilling joined the McGrath Foundation in late 2024 and is one of our first specialist nurses providing care to people going through Gastrointestinal, Genitourinary & Gynaecological Cancers.
Every day, Michiko Ban provides life-changing care to people going through cancer, and their families. This International Nurses Day, Michiko reflects on her role, and the impact it makes to people during their diagnosis and treatment.
As our first male McGrath Cancer Care Nurse, David Brock is paving the way for others this International Nurses Day by providing life-changing care for people going through cancer.