SHEEPSHEAD BAY, Brooklyn (PIX11) — It’s National Nurse’s Week, and one Brooklyn nurse got a special thank you from one of her patients, a breast cancer survivor.
The pandemic has taken a toll on New Yorkers’, and nurses helped save lives. One of Laura Lau’s patients — 86-year-old Georgia Gandia — survived breast cancer amid the pandemic. She said she could not have done it without Lau, who visited her at home.
“I’m happy I’m able to function easier,” Gandia said, “but I’m sad because my visits are over.”
Lau, who has been a nurse for 12 years, is part of a team of nurses with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. There are more than 1,500 nurses working through the program; they operate in all five city boroughs, Westchester and Long Island.
When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Gandia turned to Lau, a special behavioral nurse. Gandia was living on her own in Sheepshead Bay, and Lau helped her through the emotional toll of radiation.
Lau’s supervisor, Yvonne Eddy, told PIX11 News it’s the work of nurses like Lau that help’s people with a critical aspect of recovery — mental health.
“They are out in the community, facing so many challenges [and] doing the work needed,” she said.
If you need more information on home visits, head to Visiting Nurse Service of New York’s website. PIX11 News has a list of mental health resources here.
