2021 Health Care Champions Nurse: DesiRey Prost

Myriad emotions accompany a cancer diagnosis, spiraling through the grief cycle. Mercy Cancer and Hematology Infusion Center nurse DesiRey Prost has seen it all, and she is dedicated to helping such patients by any means possible – starting with a comforting smile.

“I try with each interaction with my patients to get them to laugh or somehow forget about what is really happening,” she says. “I truly believe that laughter is the best medicine, and sometimes we all need more laughter to get through each day.”

Prost always knew she was made for this work. In 2004, she earned her associate degree in nursing science from Cox College, followed by a job at CoxHealth as a registered nurse in the cardiac unit. In 2007, she became employed in Mercy Springfield Community’s cardiac unit, where she worked for three years before transferring to the oncology center. In 2018, she received certification as a specialized oncology nurse.

While the title of oncology nurse conveys images of administering chemo or preparing patients for radiation treatment, Prost’s job also involves providing information and emotional support.

“Education is a large portion of my job – educating the patients and even their families on the side effects of their treatment, what to expect each time they are in the infusion chair and what to expect at home the coming days,” she says.

She is purposeful in ensuring the entire family, especially the patient’s caregivers, are not left behind in receiving lovingkindness and informative instruction as they also endure the difficulty of a loved one being diagnosed with cancer.

“Oftentimes, the caregivers are forgotten about – and what they are also experiencing,” Prost says. “They are so important to the healing of the patient, and I try to give them ideas of how they can be of help to their loved one.”

Like other sectors of health care, Prost’s oncology unit has been severely impacted by COVID-19. But cancer does not wait on pandemics to end before it strikes. During the height of the global crisis, Prost says her department did its best to provide safe care for their patients and maintain some sense of normalcy in their treatments despite the sky seemingly falling around them.

Prost’s interactions with patients extend beyond the hospital, as she’s made herself available after hours to answer questions and provide support. She and co-workers also raise funds for patients in financial need, and they complete an annual Christmas project to buy gifts and dinner for several families in the unit.

“With so many young patients with families, we try to take the stress off of them so they can just enjoy their holiday,” Prost says. “My patients mean the world to me, and I want to make sure that they and their families know that and feel that.”

For Prost, the biggest moments are the smallest ones.

“Each day, myself and my co-workers give so much of ourselves to others, to encourage them to continue their fight, to just get to that special day or event, to enable them to grasp the diagnosis they have been given with dignity and courage,” she says. “It is the little things that matter the most. I truly try to treat my patients as if they were a family member. Patient advocacy is a large part of my job. I speak up for them when I may be their only voice.”