Pat Maney was shocked when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She was age 62, ate a healthy diet, exercised daily and had no genetic predisposition for cancer. How could I have cancer? she thought. Her husband had just retired, their first grandchild was on the way and they were settling into the next chapter of life when she found out the news.
“My first reaction was fear,” Maney says. She didn’t know anything about ovarian cancer or its treatment yet understood that she did not have much time to make critical decisions to save her life.
Drawing on her background as a competitive athlete, coach and finance professional, she took ownership of her diagnosis and acted quickly. She reached out to family and friends to identify the best cancer centers and develop a network of cancer survivors in order to learn from their experiences. She then created a structured checklist of to-dos to help her move through each day of this emotional and exhausting experience.
Maney says City of Hope Orange County stood out as the clear choice for her care based on its highly specialized expertise and singular focus on cancer. She met with Joshua G. Cohen, M.D., the medical director of gynecological oncology for City of Hope Orange County, and learned her cancer was aggressive and had spread. But she felt reassured as Dr. Cohen explained her diagnosis and the individualized treatment plan he had developed and would implement for her. “Dr. Cohen told me that as my gynecologic oncologist he would do both the surgery and the systemic treatments like chemotherapy. It meant a lot to me that he would be my treating physician on multiple levels.”
Dr. Cohen led an integrated team including surgeons, anesthesiologists, pathologists, and nurses to perform a complex surgery within two weeks. Dr. Cohen started the surgery late one afternoon and around midnight came out to meet with the family to discuss the successful procedure and next steps.
Two weeks after returning to her Newport Beach home from a lengthy post-surgical hospital stay, Maney began chemotherapy at City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, the most advanced comprehensive cancer center in Orange County. Maney was impressed with the state-of-the-art infusion center there. “The nurses, assistants and other staff members were always positive and caring and took a vested interest in my care,” she says. The infusion center provides individual treatment bays which Maney felt made her day-long chemotherapy sessions much more comfortable. Maney’s supportive husband was able to stay with her throughout the day, placing ice on her hands and feet to ward off neuropathy, while the staff brought warm blankets.
Dr. Cohen closely monitored Maney over many months. Her City of Hope care team included nurses, nutritionists, a cancer rehabilitation physician, a physical therapist, a gastroenterologist, specialty pharmacists and supportive care experts, all specializing in the treatment of patients with cancer and working together to address her needs at all times.
As Maney looks back over the last year, she realizes how important it is to share her story and make others aware of all City of Hope Orange County has to offer. “Having a multidisciplinary team of caring experts whose sole focus is cancer can make all the difference in a person’s recovery,” she says. “By the grace of God, the help from family and friends, and a positive and structured approach, I’m moving forward and continuing maintenance therapy.”
For patients navigating a cancer diagnosis, Maney says City of Hope offers a level of care that is difficult to find elsewhere. “I encourage the Orange County community to learn more about —and support — this amazing cancer campus and the breakthrough cancer research and treatment that’s happening here,” she says. “I know if my cancer should return, City of Hope Orange County will be there for me, and I wish that peace of mind for every person experiencing cancer.”
Pursuing cancer cures at the speed of life. CityofHope.org/OC | 888-333-HOPE (4673)
Also read:
City of Hope Orange County Celebrates Survivors, Receives Key to New Cancer Hospital
Talking Hope: What every woman should know about gynecologic cancers
Talking Hope: Hope for pelvic health disorders related to gynecologic cancer