Vikki's Story

Vikki, a registered nurse, was seven months pregnant with her daughter Catherine when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. She fought through six weeks of chemotherapy, five weeks of radiation, and the delivery of her daughter all in a matter of months.

Then, the PET scan from her one-year checkup revealed her greatest fear: the cancer was back. Vikki had already shown incredible courage, and now she would need a bone marrow transplant and additional treatment. That’s when her oncologist referred her to Moffitt – the only center in the area that offered the treatment she needed.

Five years after her transplant and treatment, Vikki’s test results continued to come back cancer-free. Then she had an epiphany. “I decided it was time I went back to the place that gave me life. I wanted to give back, so that’s why I’m here.”

Vikki began her career at Moffitt working in the operating recovery room, caring for patients coming out of surgery. “Getting them oriented after anesthesia, treating their pain, if they have nausea. Sometimes you're just standing there holding their hand…and saying ‘It's going to be okay, my name's Vikki, I'm your nurse, I'm going to take good care of you.’” And when she feels patients need a little extra courage, she tells them her own story.

Vikki now fills a nursing leadership role at Moffitt as the Manager of Central Staffing. She says she’s privileged to help in every way that she can.