Sydney Wilson, a childhood cancer survivor, works as a patient care associate at Norton Children’s while going to nursing school.

Published: February 16, 2026

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

“I always remember running through the hallways. My mom would say she would always stand behind me with an IV pole because I was on 10 all the time.”

– Sydney Wilson, patient care associate, Norton Children’s Hospital, and previous Norton Children’s patient treated for childhood cancer

Some of Sydney Wilson’s earliest memories take place inside Norton Children’s Hospital. At just 17 months old, she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that primarily affects young children.

“It was in my spine and behind my left eye. So, I had chemo, radiation, stem cell transplants and blood transfusions. I had all that done [at Norton Children’s Hospital]. And my mom was also actively working there, so she would go from her unit to my unit. I spent Christmases and Thanksgivings there, all that kind of stuff,” Sydney said. “I was done with all that when I was in preschool or kindergarten, but I’ve been dealing with long-term issues ever since.”

Sydney’s mom, Tracy Wilson, R.N., a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Norton Children’s Hospital, would at times be caring for children and their families while her daughter also was a patient at the same time.

“They accommodated my mom so much because she was basically at the hospital 24/7 working and also being there for me,” Sydney said.

‘Always something they did to bring home into the hospital’

The nurses who cared for Sydney and her family left a lasting impression that she carries with her. She remembers them going out of their way to lift the spirits of all their patients: from having movies available to rent to making holidays as magical as possible.

There was, Sydney said, “always something they did to bring home into the hospital.”

Sydney celebrated her high school graduation in 2024. Inspired by the care she received and her mom’s career as a NICU nurse, she chose to pursue nursing school.

“Caring for people has always been an interest for me, because I had so many people care for me — and my mom has been caring for little NICU babies for as long as I can remember,” she said.

Sydney began nursing school at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany in the fall of 2025. Before starting her classes, Sydney wanted to take her nursing preparation a step further.

“I feel like I really need good experience while I’m in nursing school to not be so behind or lost when it comes to clinicals when I actually start,” Sydney said. “So I thought, ‘I’m going to see if I can find something at Norton [Children’s], because I’m super comfortable there.’”

With that decision, Sydney went from patient to patient care associate, right back where it all began, Norton Children’s Hospital.
Now the role’s reversed: A caregiver not a patient
“I’m having so much fun working there. I was on 7 West [the hospital unit that houses the Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center] a couple weeks ago, and there were so many people there who remembered me, and that was really fun,” Sydney said.

Working at Norton Children’s Hospital has been a homecoming experience for Sydney.

“I just had a sense of family there, because so many people knew me,” she said. “I’ll walk the halls, and there’s a doctor who knows who I am, or my mom’s friend, or somebody who took care of me. I really don’t feel alone, or anxious or pressured when I go to work every day. It’s really fun, and I’m always learning something new.”

Stepping in to the patient care associate role helped Sydney feel more prepared to tackle nursing school. The nurses on her unit have proven to be a wealth of knowledge, always open to answering questions and showing Sydney and her peers new things.

“I’m learning so much already, and I feel like I’m going into nursing school not as nervous because I already have so much knowledge.” From patient to patient care associate and beyond, Sydney has a bright future in nursing, all thanks to the care she received when she and her family needed it most.