Serve Magazine from Concordia Plan Services Winter 2017 | Page 7

someone who doesn’t have insurance.
We were very lucky to have such great
financial support.”
Cautiously Optimistic
After all the side effects and all the
trips to hospitals for treatments, Boyce
was relieved to hear her chemother-
apy worked. After her sixth round,
the tumor was gone, and all that was
left was the residual footprint, which
needed to be surgically removed.
Boyce still has a long road to recov-
ery ahead of her. She will now need
to undergo approximately 36 rounds
of radiation, a year of treatments/
blockers and countless appointments
with doctors. She’ll also need to have
scans periodically to see if any of the
cancer has returned. “That’s the hardest
part, the scans and the waiting. You
just worry that they’re going to look at
it (the scan) and you’ll light up like a
Christmas tree.” This form of cancer has
a high risk of returning and can reoccur
anywhere in the body. “I’m not cancer
free — I’m in remission. I’ll never be
declared cancer free.”
With all that Boyce has gone through,
she’d like to support others undergoing
cancer treatments. “I definitely want to
do something for other cancer patients,
but I don’t know what yet. I think about
how incredibly fortunate I was, but I
know there are a lot of other cancer
patients who don’t have much family or
don’t have the benefits and insurance
that I had, and I want to be able to help
them. Maybe donating scarves, volun-
teering at Siteman or doing one of the
walks. I don’t know how yet, but I want
to give back.”
Boyce is also participating in a clin-
ical study for her treatments. She
understands how important cancer
research is, as the drug that ultimately
saved her life was just approved in 2014.
For now, Boyce is thankful to be back
at work and the sense of normalcy that
it provides. She missed her co-workers,
the work itself and the sense of
community. “Everything we do at
Concordia Plans Services is for the
workers and the employers,” which
helps Boyce feel rewarded in her work.
“It’s all about less stress on them, so
that they can serve and continue their
mission. I work on the back end of
things, the programming, so if there is
an exception that has to be made or
a problem, it’s not about how long it
takes to fix it — it’s about doing what’s
best for the worker or employer. It’s
about what’s best for them. Everything
we (CPS) do is based on faith.”
Our Promise to
Each Other
We all make a promise — to care for the
pastors, teachers and church workers
who serve, as well as our families and
ourselves, so that the W ord of God
continues to spread. Your Concordia
Plan Services Community assists you
in keeping that promise.
ConcordiaPlans.org
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