Leukemia nurse fulfills promise to her late mother

For Clinical Nurse Mikela Pettigrew, MD Anderson is more than a workplace – it’s a place of healing, hope and a promise fulfilled.

“MD Anderson is the reason my father is a cancer survivor, and it gave my mother five extra years,” she says. “It’s also the reason I became a nurse.”

While she was a teenager, both her parents were diagnosed with cancer. Her mother, Christine, faced terminal kidney cancer, while her father, Mike, was treated for colorectal cancer. Thanks to MD Anderson, Pettigrew’s mother got to see her graduate from high school.

Sitting at her mother’s bedside, Pettigrew found her purpose and made a promise: she would become a nurse at MD Anderson.

Caring with heart and purpose

Pettigrew has been a leukemia nurse on MD Anderson’s G16 unit for over five years, caring for patients with the same skill and compassion she experienced firsthand.

“I treat all my patients like they are my parents,” she says. “I want them to feel accepted, loved and at home here.”

Pettigrew’s purpose now extends beyond the bedside. As chair of MD Anderson’s Nursing Practice Congress, she is passionate about elevating the oncology nursing profession by collaborating with nurses and colleagues to improve patient care and advance nursing practice. Pettigrew splits her time between patient care on the leukemia unit and leading initiatives to amplify nurses’ voices in decision-making. Her enthusiasm has only grown with the establishment of the Meyers Institute for Oncology Nursing in November 2023.

Shaping the future of oncology nursing

Through a generous donation from Howard Meyers and additional philanthropic gifts, MD Anderson has invested $50 million toward the Meyers Institute, which is dedicated to building strong educational, professional, scientific, innovative and wellness-based programs to advance oncology nursing throughout the institution.

“The Meyers Institute is a game-changer,” says Pettigrew. “It’s an investment in our future as nurses and in the patients who depend on us.” 

Pettigrew sees firsthand how oncology nursing contributes to remarkable advancements in leukemia treatments, with patients now living longer and benefiting from groundbreaking therapies.

For her, every step forward is a fulfillment of the promise she made to her mother, a source of hope for her patients and an example of why her purpose matters.

“There are many more wins than losses,” she says. “Every day, we’re getting closer to ending cancer.”

Learn about nursing careers at MD Anderson.