Kay
The following story is from an interview with Kay Leslie, a patient at PSCC.
"I'm a nurse so I knew how to search for the best cancer care. And I found it right here in Edmonds."
"Like every patient, it hit me pretty hard when I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer," said Kay, a patient at Puget Sound Cancer Centers. "I knew the looks the hospital staff had - it meant that it was serious. But right away my training as a nurse kicked in."
Kay was still in the hospital recovering from her surgery when she first heard of PSCC. "My surgeon gave a lot of thought to recommend the oncologist who would be a good match for me," Kay shared. "She suggested Dr. Rick McGee. I was immediately impressed. Rick and his nurse visited me every day while I was still in the hospital to bring me literature and to just get to know me. I knew this was a different kind of cancer center."
Kay continued, "I've known a lot of people with cancer and I don't know of any who got to see their cancer doctor before they were out of the hospital. Rick instilled such confidence, after talking with me he said, "I have great optimism for you, and we're going to become very good friends."
Kay had been a nurse and worked in many hospitals, but a career change made her an even more involved patient. "Not only am I a nurse, but at the time I was diagnosed, I was a clinical coordinator for Genentech, a company that makes cancer drugs such as Avastin." Ironically, this was the drug that Kay would be prescribed to fight her cancer. "Even though I was an expert in my field, now that I was a patient you can bet that I had a list of questions every time I visited with Rick and his staff. I quickly learned that PSCC had access to the latest treatments and clinical trials. I was reassured to discover that they were part of a national network of cancer centers."
"I had a lot of faith in PSCC, but I still remember that first day of my chemo - I was terrified," explained Kay. "The whole staff was so understanding. Rick told me, 'I'm going to give you lots of drugs to help balance the side effects, so if they're not working - I need to know it. I can make every side effect, better.' This was all very comforting to hear."
When asked if she had ever considered going to one of the downtown hospitals for treatment, Kay had an interesting anecdote. It seems that she had secondary insurance through a company that had asked her to go downtown for her treatment. Kay's response, "I said no way. The care here is excellent. I'm in my community. It's low stress. Everything is right here - my doctor, the hospital, lab, and treatments - even the parking is easy. I told them I wasn't moving."
"Of course having access to the latest treatments is important, but being able to get that treatment in such a convenient and warm environment was special. I've never felt like a number at PSCC," Kay declared. "From my first visit I knew I was in the right place."
Kay is now in complete remission.