Submitted by Elaine O'Connor, Senior Communications Consultant, Fraser Health

“In the Intensive Care Unit we take the most critically ill patients in the hospital. I assist patients’ families in their time of crisis, helping them to gain understanding about their loved ones’ illness and empowering them to make decisions.”

"I grew up in Delta and always wanted to be a nurse like my Mom. When I was 16, my younger sister was seriously injured in a baseball game; I wanted to help and this confirmed my desire to become a nurse. I enrolled in the Kwantlen University Nursing Program, graduated in 2006, and was hired by Fraser Health.

I enjoy working in the ICU. We take the most critically ill patients in the hospital, caring for them using various forms of life support – ventilator and blood pressure supports, medically induced comas, continuous dialysis, and post cardiac arrest care, among other treatments. I assist patients’ families in their time of crisis, helping them to gain understanding about their loved ones’ illness and empowering them to make decisions, with the hope they will be a little more at peace.

My interests include hiking, biking, cooking with herbs from my garden, reading, and playing flute at my church. I love to volunteer and have travelled internationally to Nepal, Philippines, Cambodia, Togo, Madagascar and most recently, Congo, where I’ve assisted with surgeries and taught in rural hospitals. Congo was unique: I served in an Ebola treatment center. My experiences have deepened my love for people and their cultures, enriching my nursing practice."

– Christa Mallie, Registered Nurse, Intensive Care Unit, Surrey Memorial Hospital

Read more Humans of Fraser Health stories: fraserhealth.ca/HumansofFraserHealth


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