• Support Every Step of the Way
• Living Without Complications
• Reassurance Was Key

Support Every Step of the Way

As a visiting nurse for Merrimack Valley Home Health and Hospice in Lawrence, Sybil Brown of Pelham had treated many patients with cancer. But she never suspected that one day she would be the one needing treatment.

Sybil’s journey began when her primary care physician Dr. Robert Zinnes of Primary Care of Hudson convinced her not to put off her mammogram. Sybil scheduled her digital mammogram at the deNicola Center and she’s glad she did. The test results showed a suspicious area that needed to be biopsied.

deNicola Breast Health Coordinator Sue Holmes, RN, supported Sybil and her husband and helped them navigate the cancer treatment options. Sue was there immediately after Sybil’s first suspicious mammogram; she was there during the stereotactic biopsy, and she was there right after surgery. "It’s almost like she’s walking with you, supporting you every step of the way," says Sybil, adding that she was never made to feel like a bother, even when she made numerous phone calls to the deNicola Breast Health Center.

Sybil’s surgeon, Dr. Helen Corbett of Foundation Surgery, took all the time Sybil and her husband needed to explain her diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan. "Dr. Corbett was reassuring and comforting at the same time," says Sybil, who had surgery followed by radiation.

"I had competent, caring people with me every step of the way. Whenever I was with them in person or on the phone, I felt like I was the most important person at that moment."

The team at the deNicola Breast Health Center "moves fast" to assure that each patient receives the best treatment and most compassionate care possible, says Sybil. “You couldn’t ask for a better support team."

Living Without Complications

Scott Trudo of Amherst, now 51, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 16. He was fortunate as a teenager to receive his early care at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. Later he saw physicians at Yale University and was one of the earliest patients to use an insulin pump.

When Scott and his family moved back to New Hampshire in the early 1990s, he had trouble finding an area doctor who could help him manage his diabetes. "The insulin pump still wasn’t very common at the time."

When the Joslin Diabetes Center affiliate at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center opened in 2005, Scott was thrilled. "Dr. [Robert] Silver is so approachable and a straight talking guy," he says, referring to the board certified endocrinologist who serves as the Center’s Medical Director. "The insulin pump has worked great for me. My diabetes is well controlled with the pump and with the care of the Joslin team," says Scott, who previously worked in the computer software industry and is now in human services.

The entire team at the Joslin Diabetes Center affiliate has been key in helping Scott manage his diabetes through a series of unrelated medical challenges. "The team at Joslin and all my doctors at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center have a holistic approach. They don’t just treat my diabetes, they treat me as a whole person."

From nurses and nutritionists who are certified diabetes educators to board certified endocrinologists, Scott says "All of them are fantastic."

Reassurance was Key

"We learned that our second baby Addison would be born prematurely," says Steve McCarthy of Merrimack, "but we didn’t expect that she would be in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for five weeks." Luckily Steve and his wife Kristen had chosen The Medical Center with the only NICU in the area at which to deliver their baby. Their first child Nicholas had been born at The Medical Center two and a half years earlier. The McCarthy’s first birth experience was so positive that there was no question that they would return to have their second child at The Medical Center, too.

Nicholas had been born full-term. When they learned that Addison’s delivery would be different, the McCarthy’s faced all the fears that parents of preemies share. Plus there was an added twist. Mom Kristen was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with HELLP Syndrome soon after giving birth. "My wife was in intensive care; our newborn baby was in the NICU; and I had a toddler at home. I don’t know what I would have done if Kristen had given birth at a hospital without a NICU," Steve remembers.

It was Steve who first sat down with doctors and nurses in the NICU to discuss Addison’s care. "Right away, I got a comfort level that our baby was in good hands. I could then reassure Kristen and focus on helping her to get better."

Like all NICU parents, Steve and Kristen felt overwhelmed. “When we first saw Addison in an incubator, we were concerned," says Steve. "The same for her feeding tube and oxygen. It was all new to us." But at each step in Addison’s care, Steve and Kristen were quickly put at ease by the NICU nurses. "They reassured us that Addison was going to be okay."

Today, Mom and baby Addison along with Dad and big brother Nicholas are doing just fine. "I would tell anyone with a baby in the NICU to ask lots of questions. No question is a stupid question and the staff is there to put you at ease," says Steve. "Every single doctor and every single nurse we met in the NICU was amazing."