he’s comfortable with all that’s happening, too. I can’t imagine how others go through the cancer experience without a navigator like Donna.” Carol wants to move as quickly as possible through her treatments, so sometimes schedules many appointments on the same day. She appreciates the responsiveness of all her providers and the scheduling staff. She’s had a port implanted, and began infusion. Her infusion “recipe” was a bit strong for someone of her age, but she chose to do all treatments in a row. “Dr. (Kelvin) Raybon, my oncologist, has also been wonderful,” Carol adds. “He explains everything and has answered all my questions, even those I didn’t know to ask. He teased me about doing a ‘young lady’s dose’ of chemo, but said I would see great results. And I did. When I had my lumpectomy, they found nothing—the breast tumor was gone and all lymph nodes back to normal size. That’s important. Just a few years ago, my type of cancer would have been really dismal news, but Herceptin and Monoclonal Antibodies have changed everything about survival rate.” So has her positive attitude. Carol explains, “Two weeks before I started treatment, I went to the Breast Cancer Support Group meeting at Augusta Health. As I sat in that meeting and looked around the room at all those beautiful ladies, all doing well, I realized, “I can do this. If they can do this, I can do this.” The Support Group members, especially those who have finished treatment, have become her ‘mentors’. They are another source of information and encouragement, especially with tips about dealing with symptoms and side effects such as fatigue. The Support Group has also become an active social network. Their activities include planning a fund-raising Tea to support breast cancer in a way voted on by the group, field trips to places like the lab to see how pathologists diagnose cancer and even longer “fun” trips. Next up, they’re headed to Williamsburg. Carol is still in active treatment. She finished six infusions, and was quite excited to ‘ring the bell’ as she passed the milestone. Her friends and family attended, and the nurses and staff staged a special parade complete with gold pompoms. Next, she begins six weeks of radiation treatments. As she faces the next phase of treatment, she remains positive. “I can do this,” Carol says. “I know I can do this.” Megan Howell, RN, BSN, is Teresa Layne’s nurse navigator. “I love my role as an oncology nurse navigator,” say Megan. “I get to work with patients during a difficult time in their lives. Hearing the words you have cancer is extremely scary and I am present to be their support and advocate. Cancer does not discriminate; I get to meet patients from all walks of life with different backgrounds. My goal is to get to know each of my patients so I can help make their diagnosis and treatment transitions as smooth as possible.” “I have worked with Teresa over the last few years. She is such a wonderful inspiration to me and to everyone who has the pleasure of being in her presence,” adds Megan. “Teresa has taken a diagnosis of stage IV lung cancer in stride and continues to smile and maintain a positive attitude. I enjoy conversations with Teresa about vacations, Halloween costumes, and her wild cat. She is more to me than just a patient. Teresa knows the importance of lung cancer screening and awareness and promotes this to help others. I feel blessed to be Teresa’s nurse navigator and feel that we learn so much from one another.” 5 AUGUSTA HEALTH • CANCER PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Megan Howell, Teresa Layne and Amanda Layne TERESA’S JOURNEY In a way, Teresa’s journey began on another path. After a series of urinary tract infections, her physician decided to have a CT scan of the bladder to see if he could determine a cause. The CT of the bladder incidentally included part of her lung. In her lung, there was a mass. “I was in a bit of a daze,” Teresa says. “My mother had continued on page 6
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