» FUNDING PRIORITY
our efforts, we have arranged our
clinics into multidisciplinary groups
focused on specific types of cancers.
That allows us to provide all the types
of care a cancer patient would need in
one location.”
The entire team at the Vasicek
Cancer Treatment Center views each
patient as an individual and works
together to choose the best treatment
option. “We have multiple cancerspecific tumor conferences in which
we discuss the proper treatment for
our patients,” says Dr. Holguin.
“These conferences allow for review
of the cases with multiple viewpoints
and comparison of planned treatments
with national guidelines and the
latest literature.”
“We’re all very focused on doing
the right thing for the patient,” says
Dr. Monticciolo. “So patients get total
care, with a focus on the whole person,
not just for an isolated finding.”
Getting over the shock
Even with all the advances in the field
in recent years, getting that initial
cancer diagnosis is still devastating.
Lesa Egeston, age 54, of Killeen, can
attest to that. “When the doctor told
me that I had ovarian cancer, I looked
around the room and said, ‘Who is
he talking to?’” she says. “I said, ‘I’m
healthy, I can’t have cancer.’ It was a
real shock.”
She left the hospital in a bit of
a daze, not sure what to do next. “I
have to admit that, if it weren’t for
Nurse Navigator Program Expansion
A nurse navigator is someone with whom patients can connect after a
life-transforming cancer diagnosis. Studies have shown that patients with
nurse navigators feel more involved in their care, more informed about
how cancer affects their lives, and better prepared for the future.
Baylor Scott & White taking the ball
and running with it, I might not have
made the best decisions,” she says.
“Within an hour, they were on the
phone, calling me to arrange my first
appointment with an oncologist.”
Indeed, no time was wasted. After
receiving her diagnosis right before
Memorial Day, she had her first
meeting with Charles Capen, MD,
chief of the Section of Gynecologic
Oncology, on a Friday and was in
surgery the following Tuesday.
Throughout the months that
followed, the Baylor Scott & White
team guided Mrs. Egeston through
her care and treatment. “I always felt
like I had a team on my side,” she says.
“Dr. Capen’s staff was always checking
up on me. And, when I was in the
hospital, there were so many heads in
there to help, it was comforting to me.
Whenever I wasn’t sure what to do
next, they always went out of their way
to help. I was never left not knowing.”
One physician’s story
It’s important to be on the patients’
side, especially when you can relate to
what they’re going through. Cancer
survivor Dr. Holguin finds that his
own experience informs the way he
communicates with patients to help
alleviate their concerns. “I am now
well aware of the side effects of
chemotherapy and the advances in
cancer care that have made those side
effects much less likely,” he says.
“I have experienced radiation
treatments and those side effects as
well,” he says. “I can also share the
emotional journey from the shock of
diagnosis to the struggles of facing
your own mortality and the elation
of ringing the bell at completion of
chemotherapy. All of these experiences
have made me more empathetic and
have helped me discuss the risks and
benefits of treatment.”
For Lesa Egeston, the caring
attitude of her Baylor Scott & White
team inspired confidence. “And that’s
the most important thing. You must
have confidence in the people you’re
working with,” she says. “When it
comes to Dr. Capen, I feel I’m number
one with him and his team. When
you’re with them, they make you
feel like you’re their only patient at
that moment.” n
sw.org | December 15 THE CATALYST
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