Nurse finds her own childhood artwork at Dell Children’s

Heather Thomas was no stranger to hospitals. At age 4, she was diagnosed with childhood leukemia and spent a fair amount of time at what was then the Children's Hospital of Austin at Brackenridge. She successfully finished her leukemia treatment at age 6 1/2 and has been in remission for more than 26 years.

She started her career in 2008 as a clinical assistant in the mother/baby unit of Ascension Seton Medical Center and in 2013, was hired as a Labor and Delivery nurse there. Later, she accepted a position as the Specialized Delivery Unit supervisor at Dell Children’s. “The NICU nurses have known me since I was little,” she said.

During her hospitalization as a child, Heather was asked to paint a ceiling tile both as a creative project to keep her busy and as a way to decorate the space with bright colors. When Dell Children's opened in 2007, many of those same ceiling tiles were brought over from the old hospital to provide artwork throughout the new building’s many hallways. Until Heather transferred to Dell Children's, she hadn't remembered the ceiling tile. This July, she noticed it on the wall on the second floor of the hospital.

A Passion for Nursing
When asked what it's like working in the Specialized Delivery Unit, Heather said, “It’s a tough job but being a nurse is really rewarding. The Specialized Delivery Unit offers cutting edge maternal/fetal procedures such as fetal transfusion, twin-to-twin laser surgeries – very complex cases a normal L&D nurse wouldn’t normally deal with. Patients identified with complex issues can deliver at Dell Children’s where high-risk babies can be helped immediately,” she said.

“I found my passion in nursing. There are lots of opportunities within our organization, but I found mine in labor and delivery in particular,” Heather said. “We are bringing life into the world, but at Dell Children’s we are seeing 100% of the 1% who have complications. This can take an emotional toll on you, as a nurse.”

“Ascension supports us emotionally,” she added. “My boss does a really good job with checking in to make sure we are doing ok personally and knowing when the team needs to talk. The teamwork within the Specialized Delivery Unit is amazing and we really support each other,” Heather said. “Our team debriefs every case to ensure that we have what we all need emotionally, as the cases can really take a toll on us. Ascension has done a great job with the Resiliency program to support all members of the teams and give them the help they need during hard times.”

Heather now has two beautiful children of her own – an 8-year-old daughter named Emma and a 6-year-old son named Ethan. They were both born at Ascension Seton Medical Center of Austin.