Caring Through Shared Experience

Olsen standing next to a window that says “Hope” and a gold ribbon balloon that symbolizes childhood cancer awareness.

For Katey Olsen ’20, nursing is a way to give back after beating childhood cancer

By Maddy Sharrer

Katey Olsen ’20, a pediatric cancer nurse for the MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Wisconsin, recalls a teenage patient going through chemotherapy who was struggling with losing their hair and missing out on middle school experiences. Any nurse could have comforted the patient with words of encouragement, but Olsen had a unique understanding of the experience that helped her empathize on a deeper level. When Olsen first stepped foot into the MACC Fund Center 20 years ago, she wasn’t the one providing care; she was a patient.

At just five years old, Olsen was diagnosed with kidney cancer. She knows what it’s like to lose her hair from treatment, and she knows a thing or two about finding ways to look on the bright side. So, when the teenage patient began to struggle with losing their hair, Olsen showed them photos from when she had lost her own hair during treatment and gave the patient ideas on how to rock the style with hats. She also shared some anecdotes about running up to kids and playfully pulling out chunks of her hair. “She thought it was the funniest thing ever, and it made her feel a little bit better about being bald,” Olsen said.

Olsen and two coworkers in a decorated MACC Fund hallway sporting shirts that read, “We wear gold for childhood cancer awareness.”
Olsen (center) and two coworkers sporting shirts that read, “We wear gold for childhood cancer awareness.”

Olsen understands from her own experience that no kid should ever have to go through a battle with cancer. When doctors discovered a Wilms tumor in one of her kidneys, she underwent surgery to remove it, followed by months of chemotherapy. Experiencing all of this at such a young age was scary, and she didn’t understand what was going on or what to expect.

“I had a lot of my childhood taken away from me… I remember having a lot of tubes connected to me right after I got my kidney removed from my surgery, and I just really wanted to go to the playroom. With the tubes everywhere, I wasn’t able to walk, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t move the way I wanted to and play the way that I wanted to,” Olsen said.

Having childhood cancer was no easy experience, but Olsen’s caregivers did everything they could to give her a new normal. “I was lucky enough to have amazing nurses and a child life specialist that facilitated me to get to the playground,” Olsen recalled. These care providers helped Olsen understand the changes she was going through, all while emphasizing trying to make her feel like a kid as best as they could.

The staff were successful in their mission, and Olsen remembers a lot of the good parts of her time at the MACC Fund Center during her battle. Nurses, Olsen’s family, and a friend she made while she was there provided Olsen with a lot of joy during those difficult hospital stays. She and a fellow child receiving treatment played hide and seek around the halls, rode their IV poles, and had a photoshoot. The MACC Fund Center’s environment allowed Olsen to have a version of a childhood experience unique to her situation.

Katey Olsen smiles in front of a decorated window at the MACC Fund.
Olsen at work.

These positive memories stuck with Olsen and shone a light on the path that led her back to the MACC Fund Center as a nurse. However, the path was not well lit at first and her journey was not always so clear. Olsen realized after volunteering at Camp One Step, a camp for kids with cancer, that she had a passion for helping children who were fighting the same childhood cancer battle she fought, but she wasn’t sure how to apply that to her future career.

“It was an interesting journey back. Originally, I knew that I loved helping people, and I knew that my treatment at the MACC Fund Center and all of my journey was really impactful to me. I loved working with cancer kids… and I knew that was always one of my passions, but medically it didn’t make sense in my head yet,” Olsen said.

After a year of college, Olsen finally began to connect her goals with her passions. She thought, “I really want to be able to give back to the kiddos that are going through the same exact experiences I did. I know that I have a lot of different skills and experiences that will be able to not only help them, but also help their families through these difficult times.” This understanding led her to the UW–Madison School of Nursing.

There was no question of where she’d want to practice upon graduation from the School of Nursing. When she returned to the MACC Fund Center as a nurse, Olsen was greeted by many of the nurses and health care providers that helped her through her patient journey years before. Having been only five years old when she was treated by them, Olsen would recognize faces, but often needed a reminder of names. One of her nurses, Melissa, approached Olsen and reintroduced herself. She could never forget the impact her nurses had, and once she started connecting the dots, it was a full-circle moment.

Olsen with campers and a fellow volunteer at Camp One Step, a camp for children with cancer.
Olsen with campers and a fellow volunteer at Camp One Step, a camp for children with cancer.

“Once I figured it out and remembered her it was the best moment ever. We hugged for such a long time and just could remember all the things that she helped me through,” Olsen said.

The same nurses who motivated Olsen during her treatment continue to inspire her today, but in new ways. Deb, a nurse practitioner who cared for her as a child, still works at the MACC Fund Center and inspired Olsen to begin pursuing her own nurse practitioner license. These nurses-turned-coworkers have provided lifelong encouragement and taught Olsen what it means to care for patients whole-heartedly.

As a result, Olsen has developed a special compassion that can only come from firsthand experience. Not only does telling her story help her patients, but it also provides ease for patients’ families.

“I don’t share my story with everyone, it’s kind of seeing if they’d benefit from it…for the younger kids, it’s a lot more for their parents to hear,” Olsen said.

These moments with the families can be just as impactful as directly connecting with the patient. One story sticks with Olsen, reminding her just how much childhood cancer affects more than just the patient. She remembers a man whose toddler had just been diagnosed and how closed-off he was after the news. Knowing it can be difficult for parents to see past the diagnosis, Olsen decided to open up to him about her story. The father broke down into tears in her arms.

Olsen and a coworker standing next to a window that says “Brave and strong.”
Olsen and a coworker.

“You just proved to me that there is survivorship and that there’s life beyond cancer,” he said to her. “So having you here with me, it just inspires me to continue to motivate my daughter to keep pushing, to keep fighting through all of this, and that there is a brighter light beyond this.”

Olsen deeply understands the impact of being able to empathize with what patients and families are going through. Sometimes all someone needs is another perspective on the situation. This, partnered with understanding the importance of giving patients the best experience possible, makes Olsen uniquely suited for her role.

“They made me feel like I was a kid. Even though I was going through chemotherapy and was bald, they made me feel normal, which is what I try to do for all the kiddos now. Make it feel like more of a home environment and give them all the fun times and all the good things to look back on,” Olsen said.

Olsen may not have fully understood the scope of what it meant to become cancer-free when she was six. But now, she can look back on her battle and all her life experiences since then and see how they have shaped her into the strong person and impactful nurse she is today.

“I love to celebrate my cancer free anniversary, even now when I’m 20 years out,” Olsen laughed. “But it’s still a celebration to remember everything I went through and all the little wins I’ve have in my life, and to remember that I went through something extremely difficult that no kid should have to go through, and to just kind of cherish all those moments.”