Tevi Helland-Nergaard puts her innate sense of caring to work supporting cancer clinical trial patients.
By Elizabeth Chorney-Booth
Photographs by Jared Sych
Many advancements have been made in cancer treatment over the decades. While academic researchers are justifiably cheered on for breakthroughs in new drugs and therapies, credit should also go to the clinicians, nurses and patients who are at the frontline making cancer clinical trials possible. Enrolling in a clinical drug trial can be both exciting and anxiety-inducing for a patient who is already in the midst of cancer treatment. Tevi Helland-Nergaard, an oncology nurse at the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Arthur Child), has been a positive force in guiding patients through the process of testing the potential of new and emerging treatments and drugs.
Helland-Nergaard is the lead clinical trial nurse with the genitourinary (GU) tumour group at the Arthur Child. She’s held that position since 2007 (beginning at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre), making her the longest-serving nurse in the group and an invaluable expert on the patient side of trial research. Helland-Nergaard educates, supports and administers medication to patients with GU cancers — including kidney, bladder, prostate, testicular and other cancers pertaining to the urinary tract — who are approved for clinical trial participation. It’s an important job requiring a passion for enabling research as well as the ability to keep patients informed and well cared for. These patients volunteer to help advance research while also undergoing the physical and mental challenges of standard cancer care.
The nature of trials requires consistent care involving nurses who are well-versed on the potential effects of new drugs and drug combinations being tested as well as each patient’s unique set of health concerns. This gives Helland-Nergaard the opportunity to serve as each of her patient’s long-term point person, a unique situation in oncology, where patients rarely see the same nurse from appointment to appointment. As a result, she gets to know her patients well over the course of several months, or even years, with post-trial follow-up visits, and can provide an extra level of comfort thanks to that familiarity.
“It’s such a privilege to be able to walk through the cancer journey with patients and families facing this life-threatening disease,” she says. “I’ll do anything I can to make their trip to the Arthur Child better. It’s a relationship that continues even after they’re no longer under your care.”
A passion for nursing.
As a young girl, Helland-Nergaard always knew she wanted to be a nurse. Her maternal grandmother was a matron nurse in southern Saskatchewan, and Helland-Nergaard remembers watching in awe as she left for work dressed in her starched white cap and cape. That inspiration, coupled with her own innate aptitude for caregiving and her warm demeanor, led Helland-Nergaard to what seemed like her natural vocation.
Helland-Nergaard initially gravitated towards ICU care, where she embraced the immediate impact of her work and the gratification of helping a patient in need of acute care. Eventually, though, while working at a hospital in Penticton, B.C., she shifted towards systemic oncology care — the administration of chemotherapy and similar treatments. The daytime schedule was more convenient for an experienced nurse who was also busy raising a family, and Helland-Nergaard also got a taste of the odd bit of research work at the relatively small hospital. She continued in systemic care after a move to Calgary in 2004. Three years later, she seized the opportunity to pursue her growing interest in research when she transferred to the Clinical Research Unit for the position she still holds today.
“I really loved the adrenaline rush of critical care,” she says. “But even though I didn’t know much about research, I saw these new drugs coming in with names I couldn’t even pronounce, and I wanted to be part of it.”
“Tevi is more than a nurse to me. She has stood by my side during both my good days and the incredibly tough ones, providing support that goes beyond her job and medical care. Tevi’s warm smile and genuine interest in my well-being makes a profound difference. I can confidently say that without Tevi being Tevi, I am not sure I would still be here today.”
—MICHAEL PICHNEJ
At the forefront of change.
In addition to the relationships she forms with patients, witnessing the development of new drugs and therapies keeps Helland-Nergaard passionate about her role with the GU Clinical Research Unit. Being in the same position for almost two decades means she has seen significant advancements in cancer care that have extended or greatly improved the lives of patients and have even become standard of care across the province.
As an example, starting in 2012, Helland-Nergaard worked in trials involving immunotherapy treatments and saw how that research not only improved outcomes, but also allowed patients to avoid some of the infamously harsh side-effects of chemotherapy (which she notes have improved greatly over the course of her tenure thanks to the work of cancer researchers). The trials she and her patients have been involved in have brought about revolutionary treatments that are now becoming part of standard cancer care. Helland-Nergaard finds that immensely rewarding.
“Being part of immunotherapy — a [treatment] that helps the patient’s own immune system attack the cancer — and to witness that response in patients’ cancer has been pretty exciting,” she says. “Even though I don’t have any part in actually creating these therapies, just being part of seeing the change over time has been incredible.”
Prioritizing care.
The research aspect of her job certainly inspires Helland-Nergaard and has led her to get involved in the larger world of oncology nursing, holding positions in various professional groups and committees, not to mention winning the Award of Excellence in Kidney Cancer Nursing at last year’s Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology conference. But as rewarding as her professional accolades may be, Helland-Nergaard’s purpose remains rooted in caring for others.
The one-on-one time spent with patients and the focus on continuity of care keep Helland-Nergaard enthusiastic about getting up every day. She continually checks on her patients and makes sure they feel cared for.
And that they do. “Tevi treats each patient with exceptional care and empathy,” says Michael Pichnej, one of her patients. “Her presence has been a source of comfort, and it’s hard to express how grateful I am for her support. Tevi has not only helped me navigate the complexities of my treatment, but has also become an extended member of my family. I am thankful for her unwavering dedication and compassion. These relationships truly make a difference in the lives of patients.”
Helland-Nergaard knows her patients leave an enduring legacy even if their own outcomes aren’t ultimately positive, and feels honoured to have cared for so many people willing to volunteer to make a difference.
“I have a flood of memories of faces and names of people I have cared for over the many years of my career,” she says. “I have built lasting relationships with patients and families. Years after patients have succumbed to their disease, I have run into family members, and we reminisce about their loved one. That leaves a lasting impact on me.”
“Tevi goes beyond what is expected of her; she has the ability to make me feel that I am important to her. She takes my concerns seriously and truly wants me to have the best outcome. My journey has been a long one but the one constant bolstering me up has been Tevi with her quiet compassion and positivity.”
—VAL MARR
Tevi Helland-Nergaard’s career highlights.
1984
Started her nursing career at Moose Jaw Union Hospital in Sask.
1988 to 2003
Worked as an ICU nurse at Penticton Regional Hospital in B.C.
2004
Moved to Calgary and began working in the systemic day care unit at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre
2007
Joined the genitourinary (GU) tumour group at the Clinical Research Group at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre
2024
Received the Award of Excellence in Kidney Cancer Nursing at Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology conference 2024 Continues as lead clinical trial nurse with the GU tumour group after moving to the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre
