Keith Cox is a highly qualified nurse who has dedicated 50 years of his life to patient care, mentoring cancer nurses, writing research papers and addressing medical conferences around the world. In 2006, he was also the third-ever Australian to become a cancer nurse practitioner and in 2007 was awarded an OAM for his services to nursing and community volunteer work. Keith remains involved with various fundraising committees and charitable organisations, and he volunteers in several capacities.
Today, to celebrate International Nurses Day, Keith Cox is on the blog to answer a few questions about his new memoir, A Caring Life. Read on!
Keith Cox OAM (Photo by John Fotiadis).
Please tell us about your book, A Caring Life!
KC: I’ve spent the past 50 years dedicating my professional life to the treatment of patients, the past 40 of that to cancer patients. And while I have a great memory for detail and I can tell a story or two the problem is I never wrote them down and it would take too long and I am still busy – even in retirement. But my friend Grant Jones, an experienced journalist and feature writer, stepped in to help bring my story to life on the pages of our book.
After years in a pandemic, it seems we’re more aware of the immense work done by nurses and healthcare workers than ever before. What do you think would surprise people the most about life as a nurse?
KC: Many of our nursing professionals are not only dedicated but are highly qualified. Their skills and knowledge often have a greater impact on patient care than we realise. For me, it was about changing the way cancer patients were treated. Today, I’m glad to say 90 per cent can be treated as outpatients at home, compared to the 10 per cent when I first started caring for cancer patients as a young Ward Sister – when I was dubbed Mister Sister. One of the reasons why is that I didn’t accept the status quo and wanted to change their treatment for the better.
What do you love the most about being a nurse? And what’s the most challenging thing about it?
KC: For me, it’s all about the patient. I’ve spent more than half my life treating cancer patients, probably 30,000-40,000 and while I have treated many high-profile people, including singer Marc Hunter from Dragon, soccer great Johnny Warren, cricketer Tony Grieg, eye surgeon Fred Hollows and my late boss, Chris O’Brien and my friend opera star Anthony Warlow who is still with us, there are many thousands more who have made an equally important impact on my life. The most challenging thing is helping them through the final stages of their life. It’s a huge honour and a privilege to walk that path with them and their families.
This International Nurses Day, what would you love to see Australian nurses recognised and celebrated for?
KC: These are professionals who dedicate their lives to the care of others. People, including the families of patients, often don’t realise how much they do. They have been put at risk over these past two years, working in masks and goggles and with the prospect of catching COVID.
‘Life should be celebrated and if we all tried to do something positive for our fellow man or woman, the world would be a lovely place to live.’
What advice do you have for anybody seeking out a career in nursing today?
KC: Go for it! A career in nursing opens up so many professional opportunities as today there are so many varieties of nursing. You can be a research nurse, a clinical nurse, an educator or an administrator. Then there are the specialties, such as cancer nursing which I dedicated my life to. And it also offers an opportunity to travel the world to share your skills and knowledge, which I have been lucky enough to do.
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey towards writing this book?
KC: I first met writer Grant Jones through our local church, St Mark’s, Drummoyne. His son went to the school next door and he volunteered in the community kitchen at St Canice in Elizabeth Bay which I had been organising for almost a quarter of a century. I told him a few stories over the years and shared some of the my experiences including the stories of some of the lovely people I had treated. He was the food editor for a newspaper at the time, but later, after he had a few health issues, I was there for him, to help with his recovery. In 2020, at the beginning of COVID, he had to have an operation at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, so I was there for him again – plus I told him a few more stories. One morning, after I came in to change his dressings, he sat me down, put a cup of coffee in front of me and said “Keith, I want to write your book”.
Who did you write this book for? Who do you wish would read it?
KC: All the patients that I have walked the path with, plus the doctors, the nurses and all my fellow medical professionals. I also wanted to share with family, friends and my community, all of those wonderful experiences I have had in a very full life.
What is the last book you read and loved?
KC: Eddie Jaku’s The Happiest Man on Earth, which just happens to be by our publisher, Pan Macmillan.
What do you hope readers will discover in A Caring Life?
KC: That life should be celebrated and if we all tried to do something positive for our fellow man or woman, the world would be a lovely place to live. A little kindness, compassion and caring goes a long way.
And finally, what’s up next for you?
KC: I remain involved with various fundraising and cancer committees including Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, The Cancer Institute Board, the Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation and the Biaggio Signorelli Mesothelioma Foundation. When I retired in 2017, I was approached by Chris O’Brien’s wife Gail to see if I would accept a scholarship under my name. The Keith Cox Scholarship now helps fund and further educate nurses and allied health workers. I have also just helped start the Daniel Ferguson Foundation which is dedicated to improving the quality of life for those with Muscular Dystrophy Limb Girdle Type R1. And Grant and I go to the gym three times a week, then have a coffee.
Thanks Keith!
—A Caring Life by Keith Cox and Grant Jones (Pan Macmillan Australia) is out now.
A Caring Life
hat fifty years in nursing has taught me about humanity, compassion and community
As a nurse for nearly fifty years, Keith Cox provided expert care and comfort to countless people facing the unimaginable.
With insight and sensitivity, A Caring Life takes us behind the scenes of his remarkable nursing career and the moving stories of hope, determination and loss that underpinned it. Along the way, he shares lessons gained from a career spent confronting mortality, from finding joy in difficult circumstances to understanding that true strength comes in thinking of others and being part of a community...
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