MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — The staff at M Health Fairview St. Johns Hospital relies on volunteers to keep patients company through chemotherapy.
They greet patients, grab them things to eat, and ensure they are warm during treatment. Nurses say that Jane Nystrom, in particular, stands out.
"Jane is a real, true representative of someone from Minnesota," said Jennifer Bois. "She's all heart."
Nystrom has been greeting patients for the past few years. She knew she would be in trusted hands when she got the diagnosis of Stage 3 breast cancer.
"I kind of sunk a little bit," Nystrom said. "But at least I knew I was in good care."
"We've been here together with her from the start," said Bois. "Which was over a year ago. We know how hard it is and grueling going through these treatments are."
She says the worst part was that she had to stop volunteering.
But Thursday was her final radiation treatment.
With her, she brought a picture of her mother, who also had breast cancer.
"She survived it," she said. "She lived to be 96 or so."
Jane, who was an LPN before becoming a St John's volunteer, has given years of her time making sure her patients never felt alone.
So after giving her time to cheer on others, naturally, a group of staff members was there when she stepped behind the curtain of her last radiation treatment.
"I'm going to remember for a long time, and to have the wonderful people that supported me along the way is special," she said.