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Nurse of the Month: Jessica Wisecarver still caring for patients while battling cancer

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Jessica Wisecarver has always prioritized her patients. As an oncology nurse at Tennessee Cancer Specialists in Greeneville, she is a caregiver, a bringer of light and a cheerleader for those going through cancer treatment.

Wisecarver stays busy taking care of oncology patients, which she says is more than a job.

“(It’s) the passion I have for the job, for the patients,” she said. “I’ve always said this is not a job; it’s a calling.”

Operations Manager Brenda Nunley has seen that passion first-hand.

“I’ve seen her pray with [them], I’ve seen her love on them,” Nunley said.

And then, Wisecarver received a diagnosis of her own. She told News Channel 11 that her outlook and perspective changed when she became a patient.

“I really got a firsthand perspective of what patients experience, the unknown and the not knowing,” she said. “In the beginning, when I first had found out I had a tumor on my kidney, I was told that it was more likely benign and not cancer. So that kind of stuck in my head, when I had the surgery and had it removed, and got the pathology back, it confirmed that it was cancer.”

Now, Wisecarver takes her turn in the treatment chair, both relating to and inspiring her patients.

“I’ve just been able to really relate to them and talk to them about it and how I feel and my concerns, too,” she said. “Like, yeah, I’m worried. Yeah, I’m taking treatment. Yeah, I have a port. I’m doing all the things too, so I can definitely feel a little bit of what they’re going through.”

Her journey gives her a rare understanding as she walks the same path, battling a cancer diagnosis beside her patients.

“What an inspiration that is for the patients, knowing that they can have a normal life. And not only that, but what an inspiration that is for the other staff to see her strength,” Nunley said about Wisecarver.

But, as Wisecarver will tell you, her strength comes from the very people in her care.

“I am just amazed by the strength that these patients have, and their strength gives me strength, and I wouldn’t want to do anything else,” she said.