Adam Pike’s lifelong dream has come true.
When the spring nursing graduate was four years old, he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Days later, he was scheduled for surgery, where the doctors removed a kiwi-sized tumour from his brain.
That was just the beginning of the little boy’s ordeal. Years of chemotherapy, radiation and Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre visits were ahead of him.
Today, Mr. Pike is cancer free and will cross the stage to collect his bachelor of science in nursing degree during convocation ceremonies at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre on Friday, May 31.
Throughout his treatment, he met numerous dedicated and kind pediatric nurses who cared for him in countless ways.
It was this support that inspired him to become a nurse.
“The care I received at the Janeway when I was sick motivated me to be able to provide the same care to other children to make them feel as I did,” said Mr. Pike, who is from St. John’s.
This past winter, he was assigned to the Janeway for a clinical placement on the same unit where he was cared for by numerous pediatric nurses.
Whether it was fate or coincidence, he walked into the Janeway hospital as a student nurse 17 years to the day he was admitted there to begin fighting his brain tumour.
“I am so lucky to be back caring for patients and giving back to a place that gave me so much.”
Within a few days, he was assigned to care for an oncology patient.
“It felt really fulfilling to be back caring for patients and giving back to a place that gave me so much,” he said.
Now that he has his degree in hand, Mr. Pike has accepted a position at St. Clare’s Hospital in St. John’s.
He says he is looking forward to making a difference in patients’ lives and hopes to return to the Janeway as a registered nurse.
He encourages anyone who is considering training to be a nurse go for it, as the rewards are like no other.
“It is so worth it,” he says. “All of the hard work pays off when you see your patients get better. It is the most rewarding feeling in the world.”
