Miranda Moskie

Since 2017, I have worked as a research nurse in the Department of Surgery at Erasmus MC, supporting research funded by Support Casper. I guide patients receiving experimental treatments as part of clinical studies, both in the day-treatment unit and at the outpatient clinic, and help collect the data needed for those studies.

I also take blood samples and arrange appointments for studies of the immune system and biomarkers. Biomarkers may help us predict how the disease will progress and tailor treatment to the individual patient. We hope this research will improve both survival and quality of life for people with pancreatic cancer. Patients always come first; that is what motivates me.

A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is devastating. Patients and their loved ones face grief, uncertainty and an immense struggle. I work in the outpatient clinic on Tuesdays and meet everyone taking part in our studies. They are grateful for the opportunity, both for themselves and because their participation may offer a better outlook to people diagnosed in future. They hope that contributing to research will bring us closer to treating this terrible disease effectively.

I want to be a steady point of contact for patients amid the uncertainty of their illness: someone they can call with any question, concern or problem. Above all, I want to help them retain hope.