Relationships Matter

When Kingsley Jack and her former husband arrived in Palo Alto from their hometown of New Orleans in 1973, they had just one local contact. That “friend of a friend” happened to be the late Dr. Robert Jamplis, who led the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) from 1966 through 1999. “From the first day we met, Bob Jamplis and his wife, Bobby, were like part of our family,” said Kingsley, who has since raised two daughters – now in their 30s – and in December 2007 became the proud grandmother of a baby girl.

Kingsley and her family have relied on PAMF for their health care for 35 years, and Kingsley has made gifts to the Foundation annually since 1973. An experienced event planner and etiquette consultant, Kingsley also hosted four successful fundraisers for PAMF – one of which resulted in a $30,000 donation that helped 40-year PAMF employee Rosemary Maresca, R.N. (now retired), establish the Breast Cancer Education Program in 1990.

What Kingsley could not have known after that fundraiser was that she herself would turn to the Breast Cancer Education Program more than 13 years later. In April 2005, Kingsley was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive ductal breast cancer and subsequently underwent six months of treatments. “When you get a diagnosis like mine, you go into warrior mode,” said Kingsley. “I had no family history of breast cancer, and it was shocking to realize I had no control over its recurrence.”

Kingsley appreciated the care and attention provided by her medical team at PAMF. “They treated me as a whole person and were my best cheerleaders,” she said. “Most importantly, they listened to me throughout my entire experience.” Kingsley is looking forward to October 2010, when she hopes to celebrate the crucial milestone of being cancer-free for five years.

Thanks to earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments, more than 85 percent of breast cancer patients will survive their disease, so the need for ongoing care is enormous. In November 2005, a month after Kingsley’s treatments ended, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in Washington, D.C., released a report entitled “From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition,” which cited widespread shortfalls in follow-up care for cancer patients. Noting that many patients felt abandoned after treatment, the report recommended creating a “survivorship care plan” to provide patients with ongoing medical care and psychosocial support services. Kingsley’s experience echoed the report’s findings.

“The emotional journey following treatment was a lot tougher than I had expected,” she said. “While friends and family were celebrating the end of treatment, a sense of vulnerability replaced my warrior mode and a fear of recurrence haunted me.”

In early 2006, Kingsley was invited to participate in a panel discussion with four other PAMF breast cancer patients to discuss their experiences, and all agreed that they felt “abandoned” at the end of their treatment plans. In response, Rosemary Maresca, R.N., and Theresa Manley, R.N., director of clinical operations at PAMF, established the Survivorship Treatment Plan Committee, recruiting additional PAMF patients who had survived either prostate cancer or breast cancer– including Kingsley – to explore strategies for creating an ongoing wellness plan.

After Rosemary retired in June 2006, her successor, Jana Waldorph, R.N., who is now PAMF’s breast health educator, continued to work closely with Theresa and other members of PAMF’s cancer care community to develop guidelines for a new survivorship program, which was officially launched in April 2008.

PAMF patients who have survived breast cancer or prostate cancer now receive a written summary detailing their diagnosis and treatment, and outlining recommendations for follow-up care and services. “We now have a dedicated nutritionist and licensed social worker available free of charge for our cancer patients,” said Jana, “and we will be expanding the survivorship program in the coming months.”

Looking back, Kingsley still finds many reasons to be thankful. “I am most grateful for the reconnection of my family,” she said. “My diagnosis frightened all of us, and my daughters and ex-husband all came together to support me. Everyone had a role to play, and the experience solidified the foundation of our family. There are many silver linings in my experience with breast cancer, and they are all about relationships.”

When Kingsley made her annual contribution to PAMF in 2007, she dedicated her gift to Theresa Manley, R.N., and the Survivorship Treatment Plan Committee. “It’s amazing how the course of your life can change in a moment’s notice,” she said. “People in our community need to realize that based on statistics alone, it’s very likely that the life of someone you love will be affected by cancer. At PAMF, I felt supported, confident and heard, so why wouldn’t I want to give?”

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