Lesley Harris developed a passion for nursing at the age of 16 when she began training at a hospital in Wales and later came to South Africa where she was drawn to the nursing and care of cancer patients.
When asked how she manages the emotional stress of her job as an oncology nurse, Harris replied, “They say you have to be hard but I disagree. Although I control my emotions for my patients, I often go home and have a cry because I love my job and care deeply about my patients.”
Harris said she has been working with oncologist Dr Vorobiof for more than 20 years and was with him from the birth of the Sandton Oncology Centre. She revealed that within the walls of the centre, there have been many rewarding and heartbreaking moments.
“I love seeing patients come back after a few years for a check-up, especially because they give me such a warm hug. We are like a family here at the centre,” said Harris.
She explained that patients like to see a familiar face and it helps that she has been working at the centre for many years.
There is a sad side to nursing and Harris reflected on a heartbreaking case when she said, “A young lad who was far too young to die passed away from lung cancer while I was working at Morningside Clinic. I also saw many other young children pass away during that time and I went home and cried a lot. I did, however, realise that crying is not going to change anything and this was a turning point for me.”
Although Harris said she cares very deeply about all of her patients, she confessed that she has become particularly fond of a handful of them. She expressed a deep passion for her work when she said that she can say, with her hand on her heart, that she loves the people that she works with.
Harris ended off by saying that she loves being needed and that it is this thought that gets her up in the morning year after year.
