Tori Sabean, photo by Ryan Wilson IWK
It’s been less than a year since Tori Sabean started working at IWK Health as a registered nurse, but she’s certainly no stranger to the health centre.
Just a few days after her eighth birthday, Tori was diagnosed with leukemia.
In the weeks leading up to her diagnosis, her parents noticed she was bruising easily and had a fever that wouldn’t go away. She had become so weak she couldn’t walk from one room to the next without taking a break to catch her breath, and the lymph nodes in her neck were swollen to the size of tennis balls.
“We first went to the Kentville hospital for some tests, but things quickly became more serious,” Tori recalls. “I was life-flighted to the IWK, where doctors discovered that I had a collapsed lung caused by fluid and a mass of cells that had built up. I was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for about a week, where I had a chest tube to drain the fluid, and underwent a series of tests to figure out what was going on.”
A CT scan, multiple blood tests, and further investigations found Tori had T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
“I was then admitted to 6Link Oncology, where my cancer journey began.”
A scary and confusing time
Tori remembers feeling scared and confused after her diagnosis, with so many sudden changes she didn’t fully understand.
But even in those moments, she says the nurses and doctors made her feel seen and cared for, not just as a patient, but as a person.
“One of my clearest memories is from my time in the PICU. I had a nurse who took time out of her busy day to brush a large, matted knot out of my hair, something I wouldn’t let my mom do,” says Tori. “She sat with me, gently untangling my hair while chatting with me like everything was normal. It may have seemed like a small act, but to me, it meant everything. She made me feel human and comforted during a time when so much felt out of my control. That moment has always stayed with me.”
Over her three years spent at the IWK as both an inpatient and outpatient—undergoing chemotherapy, surgeries and treatment for infections and other complications—those moments of care and kindness would add up, inspiring future career plans for young Tori.
Nursing aspirations
“I knew I wanted to be a nurse when I was about nine years old while I was receiving cancer treatments at the IWK,” Tori recalls. “When I was 10, I even made my own homemade RN badge for Halloween and went as a nurse. Looking back, it’s such a special memory because it shows how inspired I was by the people who cared for me.”
Tori made that childhood dream come true when she started working as an RN on the IWK’s Pediatric Medical Unit (PMU) in September 2025. She’s since made the move to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in a full-time permanent position.
As a student, Tori had the chance to complete a one-month placement in the Oncology Unit and work alongside some of the doctors and nurses who cared for her as a child.
“I saw so many familiar faces from when I was a patient here. It was really special,” she says. “It felt surreal at first, but also really meaningful to reconnect with them as a nurse. I had no idea then that I’d actually grow up to be a nurse at the same hospital that helped me through my own journey. It really feels like everything has come full circle.”
Providing compassion and care
Tori’s experience as a patient continues to shape how she shows up on the job each day.
“I know firsthand how scary and overwhelming it can be to go through serious illness as a child,” Tori explains. “I can connect with them in a way that comes from experience, not just training, and that makes even small moments, like a comforting conversation or helping them feel more at ease, really rewarding. It’s emotional, but in the best way, knowing I can make a positive difference during such a challenging time.”
Reflecting on her journey, Tori says what stands out most is the enduring role the IWK has played in her life.
“It’s where I went through some of my hardest days, but it’s also where I met some of the most compassionate people I’ve ever known,” she says. “The care I received here shaped who I am, not just as a nurse, but as a person.
Now 10 years cancer-free, Tori is grateful for her health and the opportunity to provide compassion and care to other young patients.
“It’s really special to be able to give back to the place that gave me so much hope when I needed it most.”