Rachael has worked in infusion at the WVU Cancer Institute Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, since 2015. As an infusion nurse, she gives intravenous treatments including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and blood products. She also is part of the apheresis team, which collects stem cells and specialized immune cells used in advanced cancer treatments.

Her connection to cancer care, however, began long before becoming a nurse.

In her late 20s, while living in Boston, Rachael’s first husband, Andrew, was diagnosed with leukemia. He underwent a stem cell transplant, which replaces damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells. The goal is to help the body produce new, functioning blood cells.

Despite this aggressive treatment, Andrew relapsed and passed away in 2007.

“It was the hardest time of my life,” Rachael said. “When you’re that young, you don’t expect something like that to happen.”

Deciding to Come Home to West Virginia

At the time, Rachael was working in advertising and sales. About a year after Andrew’s death, she returned to West Virginia to be near her family. It was there that she began reconsidering her career path.

“I always thought, if I could give back even half of what was given to us during his treatment, I would be so blessed,” she said. “The nurses and doctors in Boston were incredible. Even on the worst days, there was always someone saying, ‘We’re here for you.’ I wanted to be that person for other people.”

So, Rachael enrolled at Fairmont State University and earned an associate degree in nursing. After gaining experience in pediatric intensive care, she transitioned to infusion and later joined the WVU Cancer Institute full time.

A Special Connection to Patients and Families

The Infusion Center has grown significantly since Rachael started working there. Back then, the center might care for about 50 patients a day. Now, as many as 130 may come in. Treatment options have expanded, too.

“It’s amazing to see how targeted therapies have changed cancer care,” Rachael said. “We have patients with late-stage diagnoses who are living years longer than we would have previously expected. There is so much more hope now.”

Infusion therapy typically involves coming to the Infusion Center for weeks or even months. This long treatment course gives Rachael and her fellow nurses the chance to form lasting connections with patients and families.

“I really like being there for caregivers just as much as I am for the patients,” she said. “Over the years, I have become pretty intuitive about what they need. Sometimes I can tell they just need to laugh and joke around. Other times, they have serious questions and need me to listen. I’ve learned how to meet them where they are.”

Part of Something Bigger

Rachael remarried about six years ago, and she and her husband, Luke, have two children, Stella and Rhett. Much of her time outside work revolves around her kids’ activities — from ball games to dance competitions.

She also is part of an exciting new effort at the Infusion Center. Soon, the team will begin collecting stem cells for the National Marrow Donor Program, allowing healthy donors in the registry to give lifesaving cells at WVU Medicine.

“I think it’s incredible that someone would volunteer to help a total stranger,” Rachael said. “Being part of that process is really special.”