In honor of Kelly Kivette
Kelly Kivette didn’t know exactly where she wanted to work as a recreational therapist until she completed an internship with UNC’s bone marrow transplantation unit during her schooling at East Carolina University. After graduation and two years spent working elsewhere, she jumped at the chance to work with the transplant unit when a position opened.
“It’s an honor to meet people at this point of their treatment,” Kelly says. “I feel like I’m doing something to help them get through such a challenging period.”
Her main goal is to make sure patients remain in proper physical and emotional condition throughout treatment to help prevent complications that could arise due to inactivity. But it’s not only physical activity. She helps patients learn deep breathing exercises, biofeedback, and guided imagery, all of which help patients relax—a key factor during bone marrow transplants, an incredibly challenging experience for patients.
After treatment, Kelly helps motivate patients who have been in isolation for weeks, helping them walk again and regain their strength.
In 2007, her skills and dedication, her kindness, encouragement and empathy, earned her an Oncology Excellence Award.
“I’ve been here nine and a half years,” she says. “And I see myself staying right here a lot longer.”