Lori: My name is Lori and I am an ovarian cancer survivor and I have been cancer-free now for nine years as of this month.
The first oncologist that I met with was pretty cold and pretty business-like, and he presented a lot of statistics. He did go through my pathology report. He spent probably about 20 minutes with me and then sent me to the nurse to talk about the side effects or chemotherapy and it wasn’t until I came to CTCA that I fully understood my disease and the type of ovarian cancer that I had.
I found out about Cancer Treatment Centers of America through a brochure that was given to me by a coworker. On the pamphlet they had a lot of information and some of the things that I wanted to take advantage of. They talked about an integrative approach; they talked about using nutrition and diet and having innovative technology and I thought well, it sounds good.
I thought it seems like it’s almost too good to be true. I talked to an oncology information specialist who was absolutely wonderful and patient and reassuring with me on the phone. They had walked me through what I needed to do; they had checked out to ensure that my insurance was going to cover. They arranged for hotel and transportation and all of those details they took care of.
And when I was meeting with Dr. Williams I knew that this is where I wanted to be. I had complete faith in her and the other staff that I met that day, that they were going to truly take care of my needs and I didn’t have to worry about piecing things together or worry if everybody was on the same page.
Dr. Williams has been just a wonderful person let alone just an excellent clinician, being attentive not only to my needs in regards to my cancer but also in regards to my needs in a holistic sense.
At CTCA they had provided chemotherapy in a manner that’s called fractionated dosage and the same medication was given to me over a longer period of time, over the course of three days, as compared to receiving that same amount of medication over the course of three hours. I had far fewer side effects I received in my chemotherapy at CTCA versus where I was receiving treatment earlier.
When I started my care here I was fortunate enough to be able to work with a number of dietitians and nutritionists and Carolyn had certainly stood out. She keeps up-to-date and current in regards to the latest information, in regards to nutrition and diet and how that pertains to cancer survivors or cancer care. There’s just been a number of people who have been so significant during various points in time during my treatment, one of which is Percy who is the minister within the hospital.
I think everybody who is diagnosed with a disease, particularly as serious as cancer, you certainly go through a spiritual crisis. I would think back to my interactions with Percy and I always kind of then perceived him as and felt him as my guardian angel. He probably doesn’t even know that he has that type of impact or presence on people but he does.
What I loved about being at CTCA is that I knew that all the care providers were working together. I would meet with Dr. Williams and then I would meet with Carolyn or I would meet with a naturopath – they all were on the same page.
I think that there are a lot of facilities and hospitals that will talk about having integrated and collaborative care but there’s not a lot that pull it off. You may not believe on advertisement but when you listen to other patients and their family members – that’s where you really know that you can trust.
I always tell people that I was always skeptical and I thought it was too good to be true but once I came to CTCA it really turned out to be very good and very true. They have been true to their word for nine years.