Ever have that work friend that turns into a real friend? Rhonda Hoffman was that real friend. We met not long after I moved here from Cincinnati for a career change. After several years, we both went our separate ways, but still stayed connected. Ultimately, we both landed at Norton Healthcare — Rhonda as system…
Thomas M. Woodcock, M.D., came to Louisville in 1981 and was one of four founders of what is now Norton Cancer Institute. After almost 40 years as a medical oncologist, Dr. Woodcock plans to retire this fall. Advances in treatments available to his patients over the years have been an inspiration for Dr. Woodcock. “Over…
March 2016 was a life-changing time for the Davis family. On March 23, Matt Davis and his wife, Hailey, celebrated the birth of their son, Finley. The next day, Matt learned he had a rare brain tumor – ependymoma. Prior to his son’s birth, Matt had undergone testing to find the reason for his troubling…
There’s a lot of information floating around about food and nutrition and how these contribute to your risk for disease, including cancer. Sorting through the news and research, some of it conflicting, can be confusing and overwhelming. So, I turned to experts who work in the field every day. Registered dietitians Jaclyn Moore, Ali Sells…
Jeanne Pierce is working through stage 4 lung cancer and enjoys having some fun with Michael F. Driscoll, M.D., her oncologist with Norton Cancer Institute. A few days before the Kentucky Derby, Jeanne dared Dr. Driscoll to bet $100 on her pick — Country House. The horse would leave the gate with the second-highest odds…
A diagnosis of breast cancer often comes as a shock, and adjusting to the news and coming to terms with treatment decisions are very difficult. One may go through a range of emotions, including disbelief, anger, anxiety and fear. While these are all natural responses, for some, the fear can be so extreme that it poses…
Seth Thomas, financial counselor, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, has been riding in Bike to Beat Cancer since 2009. Back then, the event was a 150-mile ride from Louisville to Lexington — a big feat for someone who hadn’t been on a bike since childhood. He was doing it for friends and family members who’d battled cancer,…
Karen Allen, R.N., oncology patient navigator for Norton Cancer Institute, sees the patient navigator role as a “bridge across the canyon of uncertainty” for patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer. “I imagine my family or myself hearing the words, ‘You have cancer,’ and the feelings that would overflow,” Karen said. “Sometimes we simply sit…
An unfortunate reality is that everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. Mary Cambron, pharmacy director for Norton Audubon Hospital and Norton Hospital, first faced cancer when the disease took the life of her cousin at age 15. Mary’s aunts, as well as a dear friend and co-worker, also have endured the disease….
Why does a blood cancer start in the skin? Lymphomas are cancers of the immune system, which generally arise in lymph nodes and other lymphatic tissue. The immune system consists of white blood cells, the spleen, lymph nodes and other areas throughout the body. “In many ways, our skin can be considered our largest immune…
Dense breast tissue can make it hard to find cancers on mammograms because dense tissue and cancers both look white on a mammogram. By comparison, fatty tissue looks dark. In Kentucky, physicians are required to tell women if they have dense breast tissue. Whether a woman needs to consider additional screening options depends on her…
When Beth Hubbard was diagnosed with breast cancer, she forced herself to attend a support group to be around people who had been through what she was going through. “I kept making myself go because I knew it was good for me,” Beth said. “I could laugh and cry and everyone understood.” Five years later,…