Richard K.

A registered nurse for 34 years, Richard K. says he feels blessed to be a part of the Community Health Network family for the past three and a half years after moving to the area from Fort Wayne. 

“I have worked for a few other networks and by far this has been the best one I have been a part of,” he says. 

In September of 2021, Richard noticed he began feeling more tired than usual. He visited his primary care physician, Stephanie Foster, MD, who ordered extensive lab work, but nothing was found. Shortly thereafter, he began to lose a lot of weight with no effort and still felt fatigued, making his twelve-hour shifts more difficult to work. 

In early 2022, he again visited Dr. Foster who, in partnership with Ernest Asamoah, MD, an endocrinologist, continued to investigate Richard’s weight loss and rising A1C levels. Results of a CT scan came back with the results – stage IV pancreatic cancer. At this time, he had lost 85 pounds.

The next day, Richard was scheduled with Radhika Walling, MD, an oncologist with Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center. They met and developed a plan. Within two weeks, he had a stent placed in his biliary duct under the care of Donato Ciaccia, MD, a gastroenterologist, and he had a chemotherapy port placed under the care of Jon Silvio Cardinal, MD, a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon with Community MD Anderson.

“There was no delay,” Richard says. “Everything was placed and done in a timely manner.”

Richard’s treatments are every 14 days and include seven hours of infusion, followed by returning home and wearing a CADD pump for an additional 46 hours.

“The treatments are aggressive and grueling, but the doctors and nurses are incredible,” he says. “I wish I could state all their names, but each and every one of them make sure that the infusions go well and make sure all of my needs are met.”

This includes connecting Richard and his wife, Shirley, to programs and services available to Community Health Network caregivers and those offered by external organizations. One such program available to patients is Community’s Oncology Patient Assistance Fund, which connects cancer patients in need to food, medicine, transportation, and housing and utilities assistance. Richard and Shirley were pleased when this aid was offered during a difficult time. And they were extremely grateful when another source of financial aid became available.

Community’s Lisa Borinstein Caregiver Assistance Fund helped to cover the cost of two mortgage payments for Richard and his wife in 2022. A third mortgage payment was covered by the Fund in February of 2023. This fund offers help to Community’s caregivers facing sudden or severe hardship. It is named in honor of Lisa Borinstein, a Community nurse who tragically died along with two of her children in a plane crash in 2016.

“This has been a blessing,” he says of the Fund, as he has been unable to work since February 17, 2022.

Richard sings the praises of Naima Fields, lead patient access representative, Kelly Sandefur, case manager and Samantha Bavender, MSW, social worker, who have gone above and beyond in supporting him and his wife during this journey.

“I’m on long-term disability and make forty percent of my wages, so the money we saved from those generous gifts and gestures went toward out-of-pocket medical expenses,” he explains. “This support took so much pressure off of the family finances and were able to keep us focused on the cancer treatments.”

Despite all that he has endured in the last year, Richard keeps gratitude at the forefront. 

“I want to thank Community Health Network Foundation and the donors of this very thoughtful and needed employee service they provide,” he says. “The outpouring of support through these programs has been a true blessing, and I can’t be more grateful for what they have done for me and hope to continue to do for me during my journey with cancer.”