Alexandria Boucher, a pediatric nurse on our Children’s Health Unit, helps make hospital stays less scary for children like Briar. Donor-funded equipment plays a vital role in supporting this care.
Joining the Niagara Health team as a pediatric nurse was a dream come true for Alexandria Boucher.
"I always knew I wanted to work in pediatrics,” she says, noting she has seen first-hand the immense difference nurses make in the lives of patients and their families.
“Dealing with personal health issues over the past few years, I have been grateful to experience such great care from the many teams at Niagara Health.”
Alexandria knew early in life that she wanted to have that same positive impact on patients one day.
“In my last year of high-school, I witnessed my grandfather – the first person close to me – go through many tough stages in his cancer journey until the day he passed.”
She was touched by how supportive the nurses were of him and her family. “I saw their kindness and just knew – this is what I want to be in my future career,” she says.
Alexandria made her dream come true by becoming a nurse and she’s never looked back.
“I love every minute of it. I have always enjoyed working with children, and as a pediatric nurse, I have the opportunity to care for a diverse range of kids,” she explains.
“I see them at different ages and stages, and I just try to do my part to make the hospital experience less scary for them."
One of those patients is three-year-old Briar, who was admitted to the Children’s Health Unit with a terrifying diagnosis earlier this year.
“It was such an uncertain time for Briar and her family,” Alexandria remembers. “She was so sweet and curious and tough. She took this really big experience very well.”
To Briar’s family, Alexandria made an impossible situation bearable.
“She truly felt like the captain of our ship during our stay,” Roxanne, Briar’s mother, says.
“She was assertive, informative and endlessly kind. Alexandria took charge when needed, made sure we understood every step of Briar’s care plan, and offered reassurance in moments of uncertainty.
Her leadership and compassion made us feel safe, cared for and informed — something we will never forget.”
Briar is one of more than 1,500 children who were treated at Niagara Health’s Children’s Health Unit this past year. Please consider supporting that work by making a donation today.
While the unit's operations are covered by government funding, any equipment needed for care is funded through community donations.
“Having up-to-date equipment is so important to care,” says Alexandria, who is grateful for the support of Niagara Health Foundation donors. “Anything from beds to IV poles are funded by donors, and it makes a huge difference for our little patients.”
Around the holidays, Alexandria and the team at the Children’s Health Unit try to ensure those in their care have a magical time, even under difficult circumstances.
“I love the holidays and I love making them special for the children, who have to spend them at the hospital. Spreading joy to the kids is my favourite thing to do,” she says with a smile. “I want to ensure every child knows that being sick doesn’t mean they’re forgotten.”
Each year, more than 1,500 children come to our Children’s Health Unit and we are privileged to have a fantastic team here in Niagara who looks after our young patients with kindness and competence.
While government funding supports the operation of this unit, the equipment needed for care — from beds to monitors to IV poles — depends entirely on donations.
