My daily regimen on my commute to work is; to make
my day as rewarding as possible, to make a difference
in our community. I'm the Patient Financial Counselor
at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center (TCCC); I work with
cancer patients facing financial situations. I am also part
of the Patient Navigation team and lead our Spanish
speaking support group.
As I try to figure out what words to express what I feel on
a daily basis working here, the amount of support that we
offer to our community, the awesome team of staff and
volunteers, I am left speechless. Many do not know what
we offer and what we do here. I do not want to sound
bias however, I feel the Tri-Cities Cancer Center is the
epitome of any cancer center in the Northwest, let me
share with you why.
In 2011, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Stage
III Ovarian Cancer, she fought till the very end and
she lost her battle to cancer on March 16, 2013. It's a
very different experience working with patients who
have cancer and actually having a family member who
has cancer. Even though I work here, I felt I needed to
keep this very separate from my work, anything family
related should be after work hours. Well, it does not
work that way. When we found she needed surgery
we pondered on where to go and who to see... I went
directly to our Patient Navigation team and with the
assistance of the Director and the Nurse Navigators
everything fell into place and I was actually told, you
need to be a part of the family and let us handle this
for you. Do you know what that felt like? It was a huge
weight lifted off my shoulders, a personal relief! The
understanding and support I had from TCCC staff
was amazing and I want to give a special thank you to
Karen Dubois/Nurse Navigator with our Palliative Care
program, she stepped in and was such a blessing and
coordinated with the Columbia Basin Hematology and
Oncology nurses in getting home health and Hospice
involved in a timely manner, Thank you!!
I look back and think why would this be any different
for me than the patients I help serve. I guess I had the
mind-set of what a typical employer would be like in a
circumstance such as this. I questioned, would they be
understanding in the beginning but then after awhile
would it be a burden? After all, in today's society the
importance of daily productivity and budget conscious
minds and let's not forget competitiveness. Although
these pieces are of importance in having a successful
business, I can say that the number one priority with the
Tri-Cities Cancer Center is the patient and giving the
best care. If you've ever read or heard that "we treat you
like family", it's the very truth. When we say we care and
we are here for you, we definitely mean it. When we say
we will take care of you that is exactly what we will do. I
can say this because not only did I personally experience
this but my family as well and if it had not been for the
TCCC and our team of professionals we would not have
had the superb care we had.
We can never determine the outcome of cancer but we
can sure stand next to you and help you through the
fight. I believe that in each and every one of us we give
to one another, I know that my mother-in-law gave it
her best and that she made her last dreams come true.
She had never been baptized nor had a real wedding
ceremony and in the end she found the strength and
courage to make it happen just as we at the Cancer
Center find the strength, courage and determination
through our patients and one another.
I am definitely proud and honored to be a part of the Tri-
Cities Cancer Center, thank you! My family would have
struggled greatly during this trying time if it wasn't for the
help and support of the people I get to work with daily.
Tri-Cities Cancer Center
Here for me when I needed them most
Veronica Vogt
Patient Financial Counselor
To learn more about our Patient Navigation Team visit: www.tccancer.org/patient_care