Stories and updates for patients, family members, friends and colleagues.
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Saturday, March 24
8:30 to 11 a.m.
First Presbyterian Church
310 5th St. SE, Cedar Rapids
(Enter through parking lot entrance on back side of the building)
Pile on the pancakes and pass the syrup to help patients get needed prescriptions. Your free will donation gets you a seat at the table and a breakfast buffet of pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice and coffee.
The event is hosted by the
Anna Purna Ghosh (APG) Foundation
, a non-profit organization that helps local cancer and blood disease patients cover the cost of treatment-related prescriptions. The APG Foundation was founded by Dr. Ghosh in honor of his mother, Anna Purna Ghosh, a woman who embodied the values of selfless giving. The foundation is run entirely by volunteers, who serve with the same spirit.
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Volunteer Brings Sunshine and Smiles
If you’re at The Ghosh Center on Wednesday mornings, you can count on a smile from Bobbie Hagen, volunteer extraordinaire. She’s a steady presence, who brightens our lives as she welcomes patients and helps them settle in. If you look closely at the photo, you can see a double rainbow behind the beaming image of Bobbie and her late husband, Buzz.
We recently chatted with Bobbie about her role.
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Communicate Your Wishes with Advance Care Planning
What type of medical care would you want if you were too ill or injured to speak for yourself? Advance care planning helps you convey your choices to your doctors and the people closest to you.
Learn how to make your voice heard and get links to living will and medical power of attorney forms.
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How to Donate in Someone's Memory
M
emorial donations are a meaningful way to honor someone’s life and and extend a hand to others facing serious illness. If you’d like to make a donation in honor or memory of a patient, we can point you to two worthy causes.
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Pancakes with a Twist
We’ll be digging into pancakes with plenty of syrup this Saturday. But since we’re also committed to good nutrition, our health coach
Leesa Morrison
, is always on the lookout for healthful recipes. Here’s one way to have your pancakes and eat them, too.
Low-Carb Protein Pancakes
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup oatmeal
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- Cinnamon to taste
- Nutmeg to taste
Blend together with a touch of milk, if needed. Preheat a skillet or frying pan on a low-medium setting. Grease pan with a bit of oil or butter. Pour ¼ cup of batter in pan and cook for 1-1 ½ minutes or until browned. Serve with blueberry/raspberry sauce for a refreshing taste.
Blueberry/Raspberry Sauce
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. cold water
- 1 tsp. pure maple syrup or honey
In a small saucepan on low heat, blend starch and water until smooth. Add frozen raspberries and blueberries, stirring frequently until berries are melted and sauce is thoroughly warmed, about 5-10 minutes.
Remove the berry sauce from the heat and pour into a small container through a fine mesh strainer to remove the skins and seeds. Use the back of a heavy spoon to push the sauce through the strainer. Add 1 tsp of maple syrup or honey to finished sauce and stir until well blended. Serve warm or set aside to cool. Makes about ½ cup.
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Everybody Has a Story
Sometimes, members of our team do a little role reversal, moving from caregiver to patient. For Laurie Plante, this is one of those times.
Laurie’s at home recovering from major surgery to remove a chordoma, a very rare form of bone cancer located at the base of her skull and extending into her spine. She was initially diagnosed with a chordoma in 2009 and says that both of her experiences with cancer have helped her appreciate what our patients and their families go through and how they benefit from our Patients First approach.
Laurie’s family has a great sense of humor. When she was first diagnosed, her kids named her tumor “Wilson” after the inanimate character in the Tom Hanks’ movie
Cast Away
. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that Wilson was the name Hanks gave a volleyball that served as his only companion during the four years he was stranded on a deserted island. If you haven’t seen it, check it out!
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During both of her surgeries, Laurie and her family have shared her progress on CaringBridge. Her current CaringBridge page is called Wilson – Take 2.
In her first post this year, Laurie shared a quote that means a great deal to her:
“Everyone has a story. This just happens to be mine. And I won’t ask ‘why me?’ I’ll just ask ‘What am I supposed to do with this?’”
Laurie’s faith gives her strength and helps her see the lessons in this experience. Her family, friends and coworkers serve as a wonderful network of support.
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Husband Rich; their children, Austin, Lauren and Jordan; her “adopted” exchange student son Christian, his wife, Michelle, and their little girl, Zoey; and her mother, Shirley, take great care of her. Rich’s family from Texas are always in her corner cheering her on.
Daughter Lauren is a newly-minted nurse who just passed her boards with flying colors. As you can imagine, her skills are extra helpful in caring for her mom.
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Rich keeps everyone updated through regular CaringBridge posts, which are always informative and often amusing. A few examples:
- March 5 (Rich covers his bases): “I forgot what Laurie wanted for nausea, so I got a bottle of 7Up, Squirt, Sprite and ginger ale.”
- March 2 (Rich is outta there): “Well, I left for the day because of the way the cat was staring at me.”
- February 27 (Laurie comes home): “I think Laurie can't believe how clean the house is and thinks she’s in a different place.”
When it comes to following doctor’s orders, Laurie’s a pretty good patient. She’s spending a lot of time in OT and PT and doing exercises at home to help regain her strength and mobility. When she had surgery in 2009, her doctor told her the best thing she could do was take care of herself, and she took it to heart. Laurie says:
“I have done things in the last 8- ½ years that I probably wouldn't have tried if not given the challenge! I've run 5K's, adventure races, warrior dashes; have kayaked, biked, hiked, snowshoed; taken up kickboxing, yoga, HOT yoga, Pilates, and even set a record for heaviest squat for my age group! And I feel great. And better yet, I got my family involved in taking care of themselves too!”
That’s our girl. We can’t wait to have her back. Until then, if you’d like to keep up with Laurie’s story (and Rich’s humor), click on this link and set up an account to follow along.
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The Ghosh Center for Oncology & Hematology
1951 51st St. NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
319-294-1899
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