Helen M.

On Friday, July 9, 2021, Helen, a retired Perry Township and Polly Panda school teacher, received the news that she had stage IV colon cancer. 

That following Monday, her husband Ervin decided to retire from Bose McKinney Evans, where he had worked for five years. He made that decision to support his wife of 28 years and be by her side for every appointment and every treatment she faced in the years to come.

Helen started chemotherapy in August of 2021, always arriving with a smile, a positive attitude, and sometimes gifts. Her caregivers soon accepted that every visit would include a generous hug, something Helen offers to anyone who talks with her. Once months of chemotherapy had concluded, Helen received a microwave liver ablation in December 2021 and was hospitalized at Community Hospital East for 11 days.

“The ladies on the fourth floor took care of me when I had surgery; they are my angels,” Helen says. 

Good news arrived in May of 2023 – imaging showed no evidence of recurrence or progression of disease. However, Helen continues to be followed by Anuj Agarwala, MD, a medical oncologist at Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center. Every six weeks, Helen receives a port flush at Community MD Anderson Cancer Center – East, and she has a clinical visit that also includes imaging every four months.

During this three-year journey, Helen’s circle of support included nurse practitioners, social workers and nurse navigators who learned Helen and Ervin could benefit from resources made possible through Community Health Network Foundation’s Oncology Patient Assistance Fund. That fund is supported by philanthropy and connects cancer patients in need to food, medicine, transportation, and housing and utilities assistance. 

Helen has received nine $250 gift cards she and Ervin used to purchase food and items they could not afford during her treatment and recovery.

“We needed the help, because we just get our Social Security income and every little bit helps,” Helen said. “We got help at food pantries, too, but sometimes we ran out of food, and the gift cards were a blessing.”

When asked who he is grateful for, Ervin wants to celebrate the entire team of caregivers at Community MD Anderson Cancer Center – East. “The staff of East third floor, they are angels,” Ervin said. “Everyone, and I mean everyone, is excellent, and I say that emphatically.”

Helen, who has a very special relationship with Angela Bills, RN, a nurse navigator at the cancer center, continues to be grateful for the comprehensive and compassionate care her entire team offers. “They care for me,” Helen says. “They make sure I have everything I need every day. And the hugs!”