This year, La Trobe University celebrates 50 years of nursing education. To mark this milestone, we are talking to former staff and students about their time at La Trobe.
Alumna, Mary McGowan, has dedicated her life to supporting children with cancer and their families.
“I always wanted to work in oncology. From the day I started nursing back in Ireland in the 1970s, I fell in love with oncology nursing,” she says.
After moving to Australia in 1980, Mary took up a role with the Royal Children's Hospital Cancer Centre – where she spent the next 44 years in childhood cancer care and treatment.
In 1992, she completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing at La Trobe, specialising in cancer and palliative care.
Reflecting on her study journey, Mary says the course gave her the “confidence to ask questions” and “move forward in her career”.
“I was so pleased to be studying with La Trobe. At the time, I was the first and only person enrolled in the course with a special interest in paediatric nursing. It was good to share experiences with the other students who mainly worked with adult cancer patients. I think it really helped open my eyes to adult oncology and it helped open their eyes to paediatric oncology.”
“It really was an invaluable experience.”
In 2020, Mary was enrolled into the Order of Australia in recognition of her outstanding contribution to paediatric oncology.
Looking back on her distinguished career, Mary’s passion and dedication to improving the quality of life for sick children is clear.
“I love the kids and I feel privileged to support their families,” she says.
“It is bittersweet, because you see both the best and the worst of life. It is heartwarming to see so many families, whose children have recovered from cancer, come back in to visit. Sometimes I even get to meet the children of patients I cared for many years ago. It does my heart good.”
“And then, of course, you see the heartbreaking side to it too. But there is hope. Since I first started, the survival rates for many childhood cancers have increased, with some cancers like leukemia having a 90% survival rate.”
“With so much research happening through organisations like the Children’s Cancer Institute, I hope to see these survival rates improve even more.”
