A flood of emotions washes over her whenever she hears the gong of the bell at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said pediatric nurse practitioner Lindsay Flanagan. A child rings the bell to signal that they have made it through their cancer treatment and can go home.

“Everyone comes to celebrate — the whole medical team, the family, friends,” said Flanagan, a 2014 alum. “It’s a victory lap, total joy. I cry every time. It absolutely wrecks me.”

For the past seven years, Flanagan has specialized in pediatric oncology nursing, working at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for the past four years. Many of her patients have leukemia, a type of blood cancer. Their hospital stays typically range from two to six weeks, she said, giving her time to bond with them and their families.

“I love building longitudinal relationships with my patients,” she said. “The medical team works together on our patients' treatment, and then we watch them grow.”

Her job offers plenty of variety. “There are very few jobs where you can merge tea parties and science,” the nurse practitioner said with a laugh. “I help the physicians implement chemotherapy plans, walk my patients’ families through the treatments, color with the kids, and talk to the older ones about where they are applying to college.”

Flanagan said she discovered her interest in pediatric nursing while completing her Jepson School of Leadership Studies internship at a hospital in Arusha, Tanzania. She spent most of her time on the hospital’s pediatric ward, describing it as a life-changing experience.

“The children were so sick but still acted like kids,” she said. “They wanted to play, snuggle, and laugh. I realized pediatric nursing was a profession where I could have a direct impact by tapping into my love of science and learning about emerging therapies.”

Her leadership studies major, particularly the concept of servant leadership, has played a significant role in how she practices nursing. Leadership lessons about medical ethics, group dynamics, and statistical analysis have also proved helpful.

After graduating from Richmond, Flanagan earned a bachelor’s in nursing and a master’s in pediatric nursing at Duke University School of Nursing. She said she originally planned to work in general pediatrics, but after spending her last semester at Duke in the pediatric oncology ward, she knew she had found her calling.

“A normal workday for me in pediatric oncology is a family’s worst possible day,” she said. “If I can do something to make that day a little better for my patients and their families, that is enough purpose for me.”  

Many patients have made profound impressions on her, she said. One was a girl with acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and blood that advances rapidly without treatment. When the girl spiked a fever and had trouble breathing on Christmas Eve, Flanagan rushed her to the pediatric intensive care unit, where she was intubated.

“We weren’t sure she would survive,” Flanagan said, “but she pulled through. When it was time for her to go home, her family asked if I could walk her out of the hospital. I will never forget walking with her.”

During University of Richmond’s Reunion Weekend this year, the Jepson School gave Flanagan its 10th-Year Reunion Recognition Award for her work in pediatric oncology.

The nurse acknowledged both the lows and the highs in her profession.

“The losses feel so big. But those wins — knowing a kid gets to grow up, go to the beach with their family, play sports, get their driver’s license, go to the prom — that’s what motivates me. Every child deserves to grow up.”