Nurse leaves legacy

Kimberly Henry McKay’s smile left an impression on nearly everyone she knew, from patients and co-workers to friends and family.

McKay’s colleagues at Kansas City Cancer Center said when they think about McKay, they remember her smile most. McKay, 56, Independence, Mo., died Dec. 3 after a three-car accident on Interstate 470.

McKay spent more than 30 years as a nurse. She graduated from Graceland University in 1976.

“It really was, in a real sense, a real focus of her life,” said Jim McKay, Kimberly’s husband.

The couple had been married just 47 days before Kimberly’s death.

“I’ve known Kimberly for 37 years and Kimberly hasn’t changed one bit since I met her,” Jim said. “She’s probably the most giving human being I’ve ever known.”

Jim and Kimberly met at Graceland and reconnected in 2002 after Jim’s first wife was diagnosed with cancer. As an oncology nurse, Kimberly served as a care giver.

A couple of years ago, Jim and Kimberly’s paths crossed again and they began a courtship.

“Kimberly was full of life and she had a passion for life. She had a passion for everything that she did,” Jim said. “It was exciting to be around Kimberly. She had an infectious personality and a beautiful smile that just lit the room up.”

Kimberly demonstrated her passion for life as an oncology nurse at Kansas City Cancer Center, where she worked for the past 10 years. Kimberly served as a nurse supervisor at the cancer center’s Lee’s Summit location.

“Kim’s focus was always on the patients,” infusion nurse Teresa Bryson, RN, BSN, OCN, said. “It was not just about treatment. It was about the whole person.”

Fellow infusion nurse Kristin Balsman, RN, BSN, shared similar memories of Kimberly.

“She was here to serve the patients. She was selfless in her career,” Balsman said.

Kimberly did not just care for her patients, she also related to them on a personal level. Three years ago, doctors diagnosed Kimberly with breast cancer. Kimberly transitioned from nurse to patient.

Bryson said Kimberly used her experience as a patient to connect with the patients she served.

“She seemed to know a lot of our patients and related well to them,” infusion nurse Valerie Fortel, RN, BSN, OCN, said.

Kimberly went through the support program called the Seven Levels of Healing after her cancer treatment. Impressed with the holistic approach the Seven Levels of Healing promoted, Kimberly brought the program to Kansas City Cancer Center.

“It became such a passion for her,” Fortel said. “She had been a facilitator and leader of that program.”

Kimberly was on her way home from a Seven Levels of Healing session when the car accident occurred.

Those who knew Kimberly said she lived a life of compassion and generosity up to the end.

“Her legacy is to make us stop and think about why we are here,” Balsman said.

Along with Jim, Kimberly’s survivors include three stepchildren, her mother, three sisters and a brother.

Nurses at Kansas City Cancer Center created three scrapbooks in honor of Kimberly. One went to Jim, one went to Kimberly’s family and one will stay at the center. The center also plans to create a memorial fountain outside the facility to honor Kimberly.

“Support from (Kansas City Cancer Center) has been so wonderful,” Jim said. “Kimberly was really respected and very highly thought of in the nursing community here in Kansas City.”

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