#dana-farber

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For the Cutter family, which includes patients Lois and her 15-year-old son Blake, laughter is the best medicine. Blake was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer, back in February. It wasn’t the Cutters’ first encounter with cancer. That had come in April, 2011, when Lois learned she had breast cancer. After recovering from reconstructive surgery, she returned to work on January 31. Two weeks later, Blake was diagnosed. Lois knew what to do: make a party out of cancer. She organized a Chemofeast for Blake every Sunday before driving him to Dana-Farber for treatment the next day. Chemofeast isn’t about the food. From the beginning, the Cutters decided to “celebrate life” and surround themselves with positive energy from others. The Sunday festivities guide them through the rough spots of cancer treatment, allowing them to laugh and appreciate family and friends who love and support them. “I’m glad I got cancer so I could help Blake navigate his way through this,” says Lois. Cancer doesn’t scare her. In fact, her journey through cancer and that of many family members led her to fundraising. Every year, she raises money for the Jimmy Fund and other causes through her beauty salon and other events. Energy, optimism, and spirit are her trademarks. Once, when Lois was at Dana-Farber with a friend, they were laughing about how when doctors said something is “rare or unusual,” it seemed to happen to Lois. Another woman turned to her and remarked: “You remind me that I don’t smile and laugh enough. Thank you for showing me that today.” “Laughing is my number one hobby,” says Lois. “My treatment could have failed me. Instead, I’m standing here today with the ability to help other people, and see them happy.” That includes her son. Blake also had the help of an unlikely new friend, a 3-year-old boy undergoing treatment at the Jimmy Fund Clinic for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The two met at a Red Sox game, and they’ve been best friends ever since. Despite the challenges she has faced, Lois is content. “I wake up every day, place my feet on the floor, and thank God,” Lois says, “You have to believe that things happen for a reason, even if you don’t understand why.” After Chemofeast last Sunday, Lois drove Blake to his final treatment on Monday. She admits that she will miss the Jimmy Fund Clinic. “Of course, I wish Blake was never diagnosed with cancer,” says Lois. “But our experience here at Dana-Farber is something I would never trade.”

On a cold October evening, Michelle Maloney braced herself against the night chill. As she hugged herself in bed, she felt a lump in her right breast. The next morning, Maloney scheduled an appointment with her primary care physician, who asked if she could be pregnant. “Anything is possible,” said Maloney.Follow-up blood work revealed that the 39-year-old was, in fact, five weeks pregnant with her first child. Unconvinced that the lump was caused by blocked milked ducts – common in pregnant women – her doctor scheduled her for breast imaging. The tests – performed on October 19, Maloney’s wedding anniversary – revealed breast cancer. Michelle Maloney 7 Michelle Maloney with her son, Matthew Maloney quickly “assembled a team of doctors,” she says. At the helm of her care team was Erica Mayer, MD, MPH, of the Breast Oncology Center at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC), who worked closely with maternal-fetal medicine specialist Katherine Economy, MD, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), over the course of Maloney’s treatment. “It never occurred to me to go anywhere else,” says Maloney. Once past the first trimester of pregnancy, Maloney underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and then began chemotherapy. “Chemotherapy was scary for me,” she recalls. “To know that these chemicals can kill cancer but won’t hurt your baby – you have to have faith and belief that it’s going to be OK. I had to be calm more than anything else. That is what propelled me through the process.” “Pregnancy-associated breast cancer is a rare diagnosis, but it is increasing in frequency,” says Mayer. “Over past years of experience and study, treatment plans have been developed that are effective against the cancer and safe for a developing baby. We bring together a multidisciplinary team to care for a woman with pregnancy-associated breast cancer; that team may include medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, reconstructive surgeons, nurses, and social workers. Our entire team meets with every patient to create a personalized treatment plan, and works together to guide that patient through her treatment and delivery.” Managing the joy of pregnancy and the challenges of a cancer diagnosis was a “rollercoaster,” says Maloney. While undergoing her first round of chemotherapy, Maloney visited the high-risk pregnancy center at BWH, where she received weekly nonstress tests and ultrasounds to monitor her baby’s health. After 12 weeks of initial chemotherapy treatment, her team chose to delay the second portion of her chemo until after she had her baby. “This was their gut feeling,” says Maloney. “This made me feel like I was a person, not just a patient in a tumor board review. They considered everything. It wasn’t the same treatment for every person. I felt valued as a patient and as a person. I can’t say enough about the partnership between Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. They made a plan for me and truly worked together. They were all in sync with the decisions made both for my cancer treatment and my pregnancy. It was fantastic.” On May 26, 2011, Matthew Maloney was born at 6 pounds 6 ounces. Less than two weeks later, and two days after her first post-pregnancy chemotherapy, Maloney, her husband, and her healthy new baby boy attended Relay for Life. “I was in pain, but I was so excited to be participating, not only as a team member and committee member, but as a survivor for the first time,” she says. “I had a lot to celebrate.”

SOG_1452_14-3Today, with the Yawkey Center long since completed, some of the names commemorated by the iron workers remain visible to all who enter the center – a reminder to the researchers, clinicians, and support staff working there about the mission of Dana-Farber.

Alyssa’s nurses decorated her room on the day she was supposed to graduate from college. How were you first diagnosed with leukemia? On October 1, 2011, my best friend and I were watching her nieces. I picked up the 1-year-old and I suddenly felt my heart literally beating out of my chest. I quickly put her down and sat for a minute. Being a senior in Northeastern University’s nursing program, I knew immediately to check my pulse. My normal pulse was around 60 beats per minute, but that day, my pulse was 120. My best friend drove me to the emergency room. I had a fever and my heart rate was 196. The nurses and doctors performed tests on me then transferred me to another hospital – thinking I had a heart problem. Once at the other hospital, the doctor came in (we were just expecting him to introduce himself) and he starts talking about oncology and said there’s a good chance I had leukemia. My family and I were blown away. The next day I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Because I had been healthy my entire life, this was a shock to everyone. How have you managed the last year of diagnosis and treatment? The past 12 months have been challenging, but I have learned so much about myself and the type of nurse I want to become. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that I was diagnosed with leukemia for a reason as well. Before my diagnosis, I felt that I was invincible; nothing bad could ever happen to me. Now, I don’t take a single day for granted. I know how very precious life is and how important all of my family and friends are. Dana-Farber means so much to me. I owe my life to them, literally. I feel so lucky to live close to the most amazing hospitals in Boston. I am currently participating in a study along with my treatment, and I hope that all of the research that the doctors are doing will help future patients. What are three words that you would use to describe being a patient at Dana-Farber? Appreciative, inspired, and positive. Being diagnosed with cancer is something that everyone hopes never happens to them; however, the experience I have had with Dana Farber has been nothing but positive. The staff puts in extra effort to explain everything to me so I know exactly what to expect during different procedures and stages of my treatment. What advice would you give to a newly diagnosed cancer patient? Treasure every day. Enjoy the good days and know that the bad days won’t last too long; you will get through them. Don’t be afraid and ashamed to wear gloves and a mask out in public – especially during the beginning parts of treatment. Your health comes before any of the stares and comments that other people might have. Dana Farber is the absolute best place to be treated for cancer; you are in the right place. One of the things that helped me the most was to keep my sense of humor during my treatment. Cancer is a serious disease, but I believe that you still have to be yourself during the treatment. Continuing my education during treatment gave me something else to focus on other than being sick. What inspired you to become an oncology nurse? Since I was young, I wanted to be a nurse, but all through nursing school I kept going back and forth between which type of nurse I wanted to be. I can now say that without a doubt I want to become an oncology nurse. I used to picture cancer patients as depressed and sad all the time. I now know that they aren’t different and are so appreciative for their treatment and their lives. The nurses, doctors and staff at both Brigham and Women’s Hospital and at Dana-Farber – and especially the staff on Yawkey 8 — have been beyond caring and compassionate to me. I aspire to be just like each and every one of them. This spring I took three required classes and I was even able to walk with my class at graduation this past May (even though I received a blank diploma). My “graduation day” for Northeastern University was on a morning of a chemo appointment. When I came to Dana Farber for my appointment, one of the nurse’s aides directed me to “my” room. The room was decorated with graduation window decals, balloons, a cake, and a graduation stuffed animal dog with signatures and notes on it from all the staff. I couldn’t believe all that my nurse and the staff had done for me. I will finish my final class (my senior practicum) in the spring and will be able to get my official diploma in May.

July, just happens to be Sarcoma Awareness Month. I am learning a lot

“My husband and I feel very privileged, and we are extremely grateful to be able to access personalized cancer care through Dr. Lorch and Dana-Farber,” Panke said. “We appreciate that Dr. Lorch and Dana-Farber are leading the way in the battle against cancer, and have a worldwide reputation for setting the standards of cancer research and care that is unmatched anywhere. We are excited to be associated with Dr. Lorch and with a research institution making such great progress in effective, personalized thyroid cancer treatment.”