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Meet Patrick Holmes, Registered Nurse in our Intensive Care Unit
Thirteen years ago, Patrick’s younger brother, Matthew Holmes, was diagnosed with leukemia, which changed everything. Between relapses and bone marrow transplants, Matthew and his family spent many years in and out of CHEO’s oncology unit.
During those many years of treatment, Patrick remembers how the staff provided a welcoming environment for his family – how CHEO became a second home for him as he made memories with his little brother, Matthew. He fondly remembers visits from Molly Penny, CHEO’s beloved therapeutic clown for 20 years who has since retired, as well as a nurse painting his brother’s nails after a procedure – both bringing levity and humour to a difficult situation.
“The positive environment the nurses and staff cultivated at CHEO has always stuck with me,” says Patrick, “That’s why I’m a nurse today. I wanted to give back to our health care system and the hospital that cared for my brother until his passing in 2018. To me, working at CHEO was always the plan.”
For many of the staff who work at CHEO, putting a smile on a child’s face is what matters most. To Patrick, CHEO is simply unique. It provides a warm hug for children and youth — a place where the sun shines through among the clouds.
CHEO is filled with hundreds of caring people like Patrick. Join us.