I work for Beebe Medical Foundation. I donate to Beebe through payroll deductions, and that makes me a member of Beebe’s Giving Hands Society. I am also member of Beebe’s 1916 Club, and I manage the hospital’s Celebrate Excellent Care program. I am responsible for these stories that are published in the Cape Gazette every Tuesday.
Today, however, I am writing as a recipient of excellent care that I receive on a consistent basis at Beebe.
My partner and I moved to Dewey Beach from Washington, D.C., as permanent residents in November 2017. We were elated to finally be living here at the beach that we had visited for decades. I accepted a job at Beebe Medical Foundation and for my first two years, I ran the public phase of the I Believe In Beebe campaign. After the campaign, I began developing and managing the foundation’s stewardship programs. My partner and I were elated – we were truly living our dream.
In March 2020, however, my partner was diagnosed with a stage 4 cancer. We began her treatment with Beebe Oncology Services and were thrilled that Dr. Nisarg Desai immediately engaged doctors we were in touch with at Johns Hopkins, Yale University and the National Institutes of Health in D.C.
My partner received a diagnosis of a second stage 4 cancer in February 2021 and, despite the challenges, is doing OK. I am pleased to say that she has had and continues to receive wonderful care at Tunnell Cancer Center, but this article is not about her care. This article is about the support Beebe offers me as a caregiver. Although we don’t often publish stories about these services, they are a big part of Beebe that I am grateful for.
I am grateful for those in Beebe’s Oncology Services like navigators, clinical trial specialists, nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants who work with my partner and myself every 21 days at treatment time.
I am grateful for Beebe’s wellness and integrative health coaches who promote integrative modalities like movement, food as medicine, meditation and mindfulness, yoga, breathing techniques, guided imagery, massage therapy, acupuncture, music therapy and aromatherapy, which have helped decrease my anxiety and stress, and have improved the overall quality of life and well-being that both my partner and I have now.
I am also grateful that Rita Williams connected me to caregiver support services. I have been an active member of a caregiver support group for a year now. The group moderator and those who participate in my group have been invaluable in helping me cope with my role in my partner’s diagnosis. I am also grateful for Tom Protack, president of Beebe Medical Foundation, who continues to support my weekly participation in this group, which happens to occur weekly during regular work hours.
Clearly, I am a Beebe Believer. I work for Beebe and support Beebe, but I never knew that I would need Beebe in the ways that I have. I am thankful that Beebe has provided unique and excellent care for me in ways that are so very important and special. Thank you, Beebe.
As a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare system, Beebe Healthcare depends on the generous support of the community it serves. To make a gift to celebrate the excellent care you or a loved one has received, visit Beebe Medical Foundation at beebemedicalfoundation.org or call 302-644-2900.
