Brian Highhouse took a job right out of college as a registered nurse on an oncology unit. His plan was to get a few years’ experience and then move on. Fifteen years later, he’s still there. “These very special patients teach me on a daily basis what is really important in life,” he says.

Over the years, his oncology experience has helped him care for two people who were not his patients, but beloved members of his family.

Brian’s grandmother was also a nurse, and an inspiration to him. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Brian provided her with the latest information about the disease and treatments, and reassured her that the treatment she received was based on the latest cancer research. His grandmother, who has since passed away, did well with her treatment and was cancer-free. “That experience taught me the importance of a research-based clinical practice, which I have tried to incorporate into my work,” Brian says.

As a nurse in the inpatient oncology unit at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Brian cares for patients enrolled in a variety of clinical trials. He administers chemotherapy and helps prevent and treat any side effects the patient may experience.

The need for more treatment options through clinical trials hit very close to home last year when Brian’s wife, Paulette, was diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ, generally considered to be a pre-cancerous condition of the breast. After meeting with her oncologist, Brian says he and Paulette discovered how little research had been done on her condition. The doctor told them about a very small study that showed a significant decrease in the risk of developing breast cancer, so that’s what Paulette and Brian chose to do.

The decision to pursue this potentially life-saving treatment was far from easy. It meant giving up any last hopes of having a child, and facing troublesome side effects. Yet Brian and Paulette continue to enjoy life and cycling together near their home in New Hampshire. Both are looking forward to Brian’s participation in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™.

“I feel a critical need to increase the awareness of clinical research trials,” Brian says. “Especially for the development of improved treatment options with fewer side effects and increased quality of life.”

Through his participation in the Tour of Hope, Brian wants to encourage all cancer patients to consider a clinical trial and eventually put him out of a job. “I’d love to see a cure in my lifetime,” he says.