Ronda Nakoa - Pediatric Nurse Practioner

I have been a pediatric healthcare provider for 24 years in Alaska. I started my career as a pediatric/PICU nurse at Providence in Anchorage. While working as an RN, I was trained as a pediatric oncology nurse and helped get the program off the ground in Alaska. I went back to college, to obtain my MSN degree, and became a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I knew that Pediatric Oncology was my passion and that I wanted to become a provider caring for children with cancer. I am still doing that today.

I met Katie and Darlis toward the end of Kati’s cancer journey, when she came back to Alaska. One thing that struck me right away was the love between mother and child. They were so in tune with each other, and you could just feel the love emanating from them. The other thing that struck me was Katie’s strength in the face of such adversity. She was a young woman, but she was so wise and so willing to continue her fight with a smile on her face most of the time. That smile, she had the best smile! Katie’s Handprint is her legacy and I know that she would be so happy to know how many children and families have been helped in her memory.

I joined the board of Katie’s Handprint a little over four years ago. I care for these children and their families every day and have a window into how hard they struggle – financially and emotionally. The grants that we can give to these families have an immeasurable impact on how they are able to navigate the hardest things they have ever gone through. I am so grateful that Darlis and the original board got together and made this happen, and I am so glad to be a part of it.