Valerie Yurchuk - Breast Cancer Survivor
After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Valerie's doctor said her only option was a mastectomy. That wasn't good enough for Valerie. She wanted a cancer treatment hospital that would present her with treatment options and provide compassion during her journey. In the middle of her despair, Valerie saw a commercial for Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) and called the phone number. That day, Valerie's healing process began. She says, "By the second day I was there, everybody knew my husband's and my name."
Reflecting on her CTCA experience, Valerie explains, "I've never had the compassion, the caring, the going the extra mile that they did at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Never once did I feel like I was by myself, never once. And that you just can't get from any hospital."
Related Links:
Valerie Yurchuk: My name is Valerie Yurchuck and I am a cancer survivor. They did the mammogram two or three times before they called the radiologist. It was taking too long so I just knew something had to be wrong. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. He said, “You are in stage-3 already and we are going to have to remove the breast”.
I am a strong-willed person and this is my body and I wanted to be in control of my body even if what he was saying was true, I wanted to know all my options and I wanted to make the decisions. Lo and behold, I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and the television was on and there was a commercial on for Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
I proceeded to call. It was about 10:30 – 11 o’clock on a Saturday morning and the oncology information specialist stayed on the phone with me for two hours. He took my insurance information. He took the doctor that diagnosed me. Every little bit of information I could give him, he took.
I was waiting for the oncology information specialist to call me back and he called Monday morning and gave me the itinerary, had made the airline reservations, the limo picked us up at the airport. They took my husband and I to the hospital. We are sitting in, just sitting there when you first walk in waiting to register, and one of the cleaning people came by and said, “How are you guys doing? Can I get you a cup of coffee?” I mean, this is how this hospital is.
By the second day everybody knew my husband’s and my name. I have never had the compassion, the caring, the going the extra mile, that they did at the Cancer Treatment Center of America. My radiologist had had breast cancer; she shared that with me. My breast doctor shared with me that he had cancer, showed me his scar on his leg. Never once did I feel like I was by myself – never once, and that you just can’t get from any hospital.
I am cancer free and I am living my life and I am glad that these people are there, were there for me and they are there for anybody else that needs them. It’s just the best place to be.