Maurice: My name is Maurice. My wife Nicole had breast cancer and has been cancer-free for an entire year.
Breast cancer was something that was not on our radar. She has a mother who is 90-years-old. Her grandmother had lived to be 103, a great grandmother lived to be 118. She had six sisters – no one had any incident of breast cancer. So when it happened it was like a thunderbolt that hit us, and as a consequence we needed to find some answer.
We had a friend who had told us that she had had breast cancer and that she had treated herself through using alternative means. We have another friend who was in nutrition and we saw her out and she recommended CTCA. We knew nothing about an establishment that dealt with both standardized medicine and an alternative approach. We knew no other organization that dealt integrative oncology.
So when we heard about it that peaked our interest and you know, it was with a lot of forboding, a lot of fear, a lot of concern that we sought out CTCA. When we arrived it was like so relieving – we were taken under the wing of Fran Boston, the case manager, and I mean she was so helpful. She was so giving of herself and all of the questions that we had were answered; no problem.
Dr. Willis, Dr. Rudolph Willis, and the other medical oncologist gave us all of their time. They showed us that we were at a first class facility, that we had nothing to be doubtful about, that we were going to get, she was going to get the best of care. I think Nicole and I both have come out healthier than when before she got sick. I mean we are healthier now. We are more involved with what we are doing nutritionally. We are more aware of the body-mind connection.
At this point Nicole has gone through what can only be termed a very trying experience, but she has done it like a champion. She was a real trooper. As a matter of fact, between sessions were seeing the oncologist, Dr. Willis, at CTCA. We would go to another oncologist, and he was so impressed with how well she did that he called his nurses in and he said, “Would you believe that she has just gone through eight sessions of chemotherapy? She is the poster child of poster children”.
So again, my hats off to CTCA for what they have been able to accomplish with her and how they treated me played an important role in all of that. There was never a problem with my being at her side. As a matter of fact it was encouraged. Any questions that I had, they were willing to answer. Whenever we saw one of the team I was there.
It almost seems as though CTCA was not only concerned about the patient but understood how important it was to deal with the caregiver as well. Whatever happens to Nicole impacts me. We are a team. It’s like we are one. If she is sick; I am sick. If she is nervous; I am nervous. If she pains; I am in pain, and I knew how much it meant not only to me but to her to have me there.
Nicole is my life. Nicole is my love. She happens to be my wife but she is also a great, great person. She is a friend. She is a companion. She is everything that really a mate could ask for.