Lisa Smith (center) sports her “Fight With Oskar” shirt at the Flyers game.
When Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom was being treated for Ewing’s sarcoma at PAH in 2020, Lisa Smith, MSN, RN, OCN, an Infusion Services nurse, promised that when he completed his treatment, she would go to one of his games. And Smith kept her promise.
In February, Smith coordinated a trip for the Infusion Services team to attend a Flyers game at the Wells Fargo Center. Donning their orange and black spirit wear, the team cheered on their former patient.
“It was my first hockey game ever, and Oskar even scored the winning goal,” said Smith. “It was a lot of fun and an extension of what we do at work. We’re a tight-knit and cheery team.”
Two years prior, the Infusion Services team celebrated another victory for Lindblom – the day he was declared cancer-free. After a year of battling the rare form of cancer, Lindblom was able to ring the bell in the unit, signifying the end of his chemotherapy. Surrounded by his supportive team of nurses wearing “Oskar Strong” and “Fight With Oskar” t-shirts, Lindblom was told he could rejoin his team on the ice.
“He just lived hockey,” said Smith. “When we told him he could go back and play, it was like a weight was off his shoulders.”
For all patients in Infusion Services, the team strives to keep spirits bright and maintain a lighthearted atmosphere as people undergo infusion therapy for severe or chronic conditions.
“Oskar and I had a running joke at his appointments,” said Smith. “I know nothing about hockey, but I’m a big basketball fan. His number is 23 on the Flyers, which is also LeBron James’ and Michael Jordan’s number. I asked if he picked it because of them, but because he was born in Sweden, he didn’t know much about basketball. We laughed and both agreed to teach each other about our favorite sports every time he came here.”
While the team eases their patients’ worries through humor and positivity, they also find opportunities to bond together and relieve their own stress. Along with the Flyers game, Smith described how her team has participated in activities like karaoke and ice skating, and they often sing songs while working in their unit.
“We just try to keep our morale up and keep our patients happy,” said Smith. “People are fighting battles every single day here and sometimes you just have to break the seriousness up with laughter.”