Everyone who meets Averie Lazzara falls in love with her.
The adorable 6-year-old has already been through a lot in her short life, but you’d never know it from her sunny disposition and easy smile. Eighteen months ago, Averie was pronounced cancer-free after a years-long battle that started when she was just 2 years old.
Averie had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She was a regular visitor to Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois, where she met a very special nurse named Jamie Rogers. After getting to know one another for a few weeks, they hit it off like two peas in a pod!
“She is the cutest, most fun little girl you’ll ever meet,” said Jamie. “The first couple weeks she was still getting used to us, but once she did, her personality came through, and she just wanted to play.”
Over time, Averie and Jamie became great friends. Averie even decided that she wants to be a nurse when she grows up, just like her best hospital friend. She started wearing tiny scrubs to her appointments and role playing as either a doctor or a nurse, depending on her mood that day.
Now that she’s in remission, Averie still visits the hospital every two months. Recently, her mom shared a school paper that Averie had made. When asked what she wants to be when she’s older, Averie wrote, “mommy and Nurse Jamie.” How cute is that?
“It was honestly the biggest compliment ever,” said Jamie. “It just made my whole day.”
Mom Stacy Lazzara says that Jamie has been the perfect friend for her daughter throughout her cancer journey.
“Having a child go through cancer treatment can be so overwhelming, but Jamie has been a rock for our family through it all,” Stacy said. “She’s answered every question of mine and held my hand through every challenge without once making me feel inadequate.”
Jamie truly made what could have been a miserable experience fun for the little girl. She went through chemotherapy and multiple other unpleasant tests and procedures, yet when you ask her about those two years, Averie only recalls spending time with the nurse.
“I think what’s especially powerful is that it was not one big thing Jamie did to make a monumental impact, but rather a million little things,” Stacy said. “She took what could have been a really traumatizing experience for Averie and found a way to infuse joy into her days. That’s a gift I could never put a value on.”
It takes a truly special person to be a pediatric nurse, and Jamie definitely fits that description!
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