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Stories

Grateful patient becomes a Beebe team cheerleader

Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Nan Strange at her husband Michael’s Celebration of Excellent Care. Nan shared with me that she has had wonderful experiences with Beebe Healthcare’s Tunnell Cancer Center. I asked Nan if she, too, would like to Celebrate Excellent Care. Nan smiled at me and said yes. This is Nan’s story of her journey and the caring professionals who helped her.
“I had been going for annual mammograms for decades, but this was the first time I wasn’t nervous. Then the tech came into the room and said they needed a closer look. The sonogram showed ‘it’ more clearly. In a few days, they followed up with a needle biopsy, and the diagnosis was made. When I was told I had cancer, I didn’t actually hear the words. I went numb. I panicked. But as soon as I went to Beebe Healthcare’s Tunnell Cancer Center in Rehoboth Beach, I realized I had a strong army of caring professionals to help me and my family through the fight.
“Dr. James Spellman is the excellent surgeon who began my care and continues to follow up with me yearly. I am grateful for his expertise, his constant striving for even better patient care, and his offbeat humor. My care has continued and is guided by Dr. Srihari Peri. His oncology expertise is matched only by his compassion and his humility. Dr. Peri is a shining light and the calm in the storm that is cancer. My Beebe doctors got me through almost a whole year of treatment, helped by the nurses in Infusion and the techs in Radiation. After that year of treatments, I was cancer free.

Learn more about Beebe Oncology.

“Then, just shy of my five-year survivorship, my cancer markers were rising and a PED scan showed the cancer had returned and was in my right hip. Now, I go to Tunnell every 28 days for intramuscular injections. After a year of this treatment, the latest PED scan showed no cancer in my hip. I continue receiving these shots to keep it at bay.
“Vital parts of the Beebe Healthcare team at the Tunnell Cancer Center are the nurse navigator, the nurses in Triage, and the techs in Blood Draw. Kathy Cook, MSN, RN, as nurse navigator, is the bridge between me, my family and the Tunnell team. Her clinical expertise guides us through sometimes intense feelings to informed decisions, and she coordinates with the entire multidisciplinary team.
“Gina Knapp, CCA, locates what every other tech over the years has called my hard-to-find veins. She gets in on the first try, every time, as we giggle about life’s absurdities. The nurses in Triage, Debbie Crowell, RN, Leks Howard, RN, and Nancy Burd, RN, are supportive and careful as they administer my medication in a delicate spot and are always available to answer questions and to help me deal with any problems.
“Going to Beebe Healthcare’s Tunnell Cancer Center is like going home. It is not a scary medical facility. Everyone greets you, most know you, and they all do their jobs with compassionate expertise. They are the army you need to help you fight cancer. No matter how long or short your cancer journey is, the Beebe Healthcare Tunnell Cancer Center is the team you need in your corner. Go, Tunnell team! I am so grateful to you all!”
Beebe Healthcare's Oncology Services aim to provide both hope and cure. From diagnosis through treatment and beyond, our patients are never alone. Physicians, nurses, and staff are there to listen, support, and encourage. The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has granted three-year accreditation to the cancer program at the Robert & Eolyne Tunnell Cancer Center at Beebe Healthcare. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care.
Nan Strange is a Beebe Believer and has supported Beebe Healthcare for more than 12 years. The Beebe Medical Foundation is extremely grateful for Nan and Michael Strange’s loyal support. As a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare system, Beebe Healthcare depends on the generous support of individuals, corporations, businesses, and private foundations.
All gifts to Beebe Healthcare, large or small, are tax-deductible and are channeled through Beebe Medical Foundation. Please consider making a gift today and sharing your story with our community. To make your proud personal donation or to learn more about Celebrate Excellent Care, go to www.beebemedicalfoundation.org/cec, or contact Beebe Medical Foundation at (302) 644-2900 or [email protected].
Caption: Nan Strange celebrates her excellent care with the Tunnell Cancer Center Team. Shown are (l-r) Debbie Crowell, RN; Nancy Burd, RN; Nan Strange; Gina Knapp, CCA; Leks Howard, RN; and Kathy Cook, MSN, RN.