Credit
Myeloma Canada
Two nurses from Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) are being recognized on the national stage for their extraordinary care and compassion supporting patients living with multiple myeloma.
Angie Bauder and Julie Williams, nurses on the Kidd 9 oncology unit, have been named the 2025 recipients of Myeloma Canada’s Marion State Memorial Myeloma Canada Nursing Award. The honour, presented to just one nursing team or individual in Canada each year, celebrates excellence in nursing care for people living with myeloma, a rare and incurable form of blood cancer.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells—a type of white blood cell found in bone marrow. While it is not curable, it is treatable through a combination of therapies that may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and stem cell transplants, treatments which are all available through the oncology program at KHSC.
Created in 2012, the award commemorates the life and advocacy of Marion State, a nurse and patient who, following her diagnosis in 1996, went on to found Canada’s first myeloma patient support group. Her work laid the foundation for Myeloma Canada’s national network of over 40 local groups, including one right here in Kingston.
“We are literally passing along the message to staff that the care they provide is outstanding,” said KHSC patient Claudia Trost, who alongside her partner Jeff Heyman started the local support group and helped select the winners.
“Everyone we’ve spoken to in the patient community says the same thing: the staff on Kidd 9 are amazing—personable, compassionate and deeply dedicated. That’s why Angie and Julie were nominated.”
Living with myeloma is a long and often difficult journey. While treatments have advanced, the disease remains incurable and requires continuous, lifelong management.
“I’ve had good days and bad days,” Trost shared. “After my stem cell transplant in 2018, I had a few years of remission, but I relapsed and I’m now back on ongoing treatment. Even so, I consider myself lucky. And one of the reasons is because I get to be treated here, at KHSC.”
Heyman added that the patient experience at KHSC stands out even among Canada’s top cancer centres. “You hear stories from bigger cities where people feel like just a number,” he said. “But here, people feel genuinely cared for. The staff go above and beyond, and patients notice.”
That sentiment is echoed by others in the Kingston support group, including out-of-town patients who come to KHSC for specialized care says Trost.
“They tell me it was such a good experience. Even while going through something as hard as cancer, they felt supported and cared for. That’s a testament to the whole team.”
The award from Myeloma Canada not only honours Bauder and Williams, but also highlights the growing role that KHSC plays in treating complex cancers. With advancements like CAR-T cell therapy on the horizon for myeloma patients at KHSC, there’s growing optimism for the future—and continued pride in the compassionate care that’s already changing lives.
