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“A breast cancer diagnosis begins much like a jigsaw puzzle to be worked through. It’s an overwhelming mess of scattered pieces that make no clear sense, poured out of the box into a crumbling pile of confusion. But slowly with persistence, focus, determination, a positive attitude and working through the challenges day by day and piece by piece, they in time both become whole and beautiful again.” – Thonet LaBadie On Feb. 13, 2015, Thonet’s life as she knew it took a drastic turn. In just one moment, everything shifted. The happy and healthy wife, mother of 17-year-old twins, former teacher and immunization specialist was about to face the fight for her life. That fateful day nearly a decade ago was when she received the unsettling news: she had breast cancer, and it had metastasized to her lymph nodes.   Though she was faced with a daunting diagnosis, Thonet’s positive spirit and zest for life never wavered. Never did she think, “why me?” Nor did she think, “I’m not strong enough.” Her thought process was quite the opposite – “I am going to ride this rollercoaster until it stops, and I walk away cancer free.”  With her loving family and friends rallying behind her, as well as her expert Cancer Care teams at Renown Health and Cancer Care Specialists (formerly known as Reno Oncology Consultants), Thonet knew that her journey would not be traveled alone, and she was determined to defeat cancer once and for all. She promised her daughter Jourdyn she would stay strong and not give up the fight. The Unexpected Discovery Thonet did everything she believed was right in her preventative healthcare journey. She lived an active lifestyle, she filled her life with love and happiness, she did not have any genetic markers for breast cancer and never missed a preventive check-up. Someone like her shouldn’t develop such a debilitating disease, right?  As it turns out, she was told by professionals that with this disease, it’s become more often not about who develops breast cancer – but when.   Breast cancer makes up for about 30% of cancer diagnoses in women across the U.S. So, when Thonet felt a lump in her breast in Nov. 2014, she knew she had better play it safe than sorry. She took her concerns to her doctors, who ran all the necessary tests.  The unfortunate result: invasive ductal carcinoma (stage 2B), the most common form of breast cancer.  Though Thonet was terrified, she was also tenacious. She was ready to Fight the Good Fight right then and there.  Thonet chose to undergo a bilateral mastectomy. So that’s precisely what she did in April 2015 at Renown Regional Medical Center.  Thonet was ready to put breast cancer behind her, but unfortunately, the trek was just beginning. During her mastectomy, her care team tested her lymph nodes. Four were removed.  What came next was her most valiant fight of all: chemotherapy coupled with radiation, as well as more reconstructive breast surgeries along the way. Courageous Connections With 36 radiation treatments, 8 rounds of chemotherapy, 6 surgeries and 1 brave spirit, Thonet's healthcare journey has been nothing short of vigorous. Fortunately, she had an expert oncology team on her side every step of the way.  And it goes even further – Thonet’s college acquaintance Dr. Jennifer Sutton, an oncology physician at the William N. Pennington Cancer Institute (formerly the Renown Institute for Cancer), was her radiation oncologist. She felt comfort knowing that a significant aspect of her care was in the hands of a trusted physician and a team of loving nurses, cancer care navigators and radiation therapists, whom she calls the “Renown Radiation Rockstars.”  Thonet felt an immense connection not only to her warm and welcoming care team but also the other oncology patients she met along the journey. Patients facing cancer often receive radiation treatments several times a week, so Thonet had a chance to make close relationships with the other patients who were on a similar path as she was.  Throughout her treatment process, Thonet participated in cancer support groups, which she believes are vital for anyone diagnosed with the disease.  “Had it not been for my diagnosis, I would have never met all the amazing people I did at Renown and beyond,” she recalls. “At the end of my treatments, I knew I was going to miss them.”  The love and support of Thonet’s care team, fellow patients, family, friends and community helped her remain positive throughout the entire process, always focusing on the positive – even during the most physically and emotionally tolling parts of treatment. Crossing the Finish Line Every day brought a new obstacle to overcome, whether it was a treatment, a side effect or an emotional response to the intense journey. Thonet’s motto throughout it all was “day by day, one foot in front of the other, from start to finish.”  In Dec. 2016, Thonet finally made it to that finish line. With the completion of chemotherapy and radiation behind her, she walked out the front doors of the Pennington Cancer Institute, threw her fist in the air in excitement and finally got to revel in the fact that she had her health back. She had survived.  Inspired by her journey and her breast cancer “sisters” she met while in treatment, Thonet wanted to give the same level of care and attention she received back to her fellow community members battling cancer. She proudly serves as a breast cancer “angel,” offering comfort and support to those who need it most. Thonet is also looking forward to the completion of the Pennington Cancer Institute’s Conrad Breast Center, currently under construction at Renown South Meadows Medical Center, noting how important it is for breast cancer patients to have expanded access to crucial cancer care in south Reno.  Today, at nine years cancer-free, Thonet is thoroughly enjoying her life. She loves traveling, spending time with family and seeing her now-adult son and daughter thrive in their own lives. She also recently underwent hip replacement surgery and is proud to be back on her tandem bike with her loving husband of 33 years, Mike, who she credits for his never-ending support in sickness and in health.  “No looking back – only forward to healthy living. Onward!” Thonet exclaims.  And for anyone out there going through cancer treatments, Thonet has some words of wisdom to take to heart:  “Cancer chose the wrong person when it tried to tackle us. Stay strong and fight on, day by day. On even the most difficult, darkest day, remember that you are stronger than you know.”

Read More About The Pieces of the Puzzle: Thonet LaBadie’s Breast Cancer Journey

Help us celebrate the holiday season by sharing joy with our Children’s Infusion Services team!  Thinking about blood can make any of us squeamish, and seeing it can be even more intimidating to the children in our lives. Being treated for a condition that requires blood transfusions or chemotherapy infusions is no easy feat, especially during the holiday season. This time of year, we are proud that we can offer our pediatric patients the power of proximity and excellence by having access to high level care close to home.  The Children’s Infusion Services (CIS) department at Renown Children’s Hospital is committed to bringing the gift of quality care to our community’s youngest patients. Whether they are caring for a child with a blood disorder or giving expert infusion care for a child battling cancer, no team does what they do better than these expert nurses, medical assistants, intake coordinators and physicians.  ‘Tis the Season to Bring Hope As the only pediatric oncology and hematology program in the region, the CIS department has a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. From inpatient chemotherapy to outpatient infusion services, this team treats a long list of pediatric blood conditions including:  Pediatric cancers Anemias Immune-mediated blood disorders Sickle-cell disease Bone marrow failure syndromes Bleeding disorders  “Our team provides a large variety of services from labs draws, sedations for procedures, infusions for diagnoses such as Crohn's disease, blood transfusions, as well as chemotherapy,” said Jen Torres, RN.  “Our team works extremely well together. We try to go above and beyond for our patients every day. It may be something as simple as a hug to comfort a parent or a special birthday gift for a patient.”  “My job allows me to work with several departments and providers when coordinating care for our littlest of patients,” added Jane Strawn, Intake Coordinator. “I assure proper authorizations are in place for the care that is needed, I communicate with our families when scheduling appointments, I organize End of Treatment Celebrations, as well as birthday shout outs and work closely with our Child Life team to help make the challenging appointment little easier.”  To best serve their patients, the team thrives on being expert multitaskers. Central line care, chemotherapy administration, blood transfusions, medication management, preventative injections, lab draws, lumbar punctures, biopsies, imaging – you name it, they do it. And they do it all with the utmost focus on safety and support.  “Our days have a lot of variation, as we perform a number of different services,” said Meagan Bertotti, RN. “We provide infusions for patients with chronic or acute medical conditions and chemotherapy/biotherapy treatment to patients undergoing cancer treatments. Overall, though, we work as a team to make these difficult procedures and treatments as easy as possible for the patients and families by providing engagement and support.”  “While we handle a lot of chemotherapy treatments for pediatric patients, we also do other infusions and transfusions as well such as blood and platelet transfusions, enzyme replacement therapies, different types of injections such as Rabies vaccine or Synagis for high-risk babies who need that extra protection during the RSV season, and lab draws,” said Chelsea Angues, RN. “We care for patients that get their therapies from outside hospitals, but the patient lives within the Reno area. We receive orders from those outside hospitals to care for those patients, so they can still be with their families and not have to travel.”  As members of the Children’s Oncology Group, a highly-regarded clinical trials group where over 90% of pediatric cancer patients across the U.S. receive treatment, teams like CIS in Renown Children’s Hospital deliver the highest standard of care. This partnership is a true testament to the devoted collaboration and relationship-building this team commits to on behalf of their patients every day.  "One of the biggest accomplishments of our team is the fact that we became a member of the Children’s Oncology Group, and the Children's Infusion Center and Pediatric Oncology became one unit,” said Shelby Nolte. "Instead of being a clinic on one side and an infusion center on the other, we really came together to make it a whole unit that collaborates on almost everything.”  “We've put much time into trying to understand other departments, their flow, their rationales and their processes so we can come to a solution that benefits our patients the greatest,” added Tiffany Macie, RN. “We've taken the last few years to really build our relationships with our pharmacy staff, our lab staff and our central supply resources. Our relationship building extends beyond the walls of the Renown building as well and out to the community providers too. In the past few years, we've been able to build relationships with the providers in the community where they trust they can send us their patients for treatment and lab draws. Finally, we've spent much time working on the relationships as a team. It's emotional work we do on our unit, and these families become our family. It's important to us that we take the time to be together outside of our shifts to enjoy one another and laugh!”  In the compassionate realm of pediatric healthcare, CIS knows that the complexities of a cancer or blood disorder diagnosis can take an emotional toll on their patients and families. The team firmly believes that emotional support can be as important as the physical and medical support throughout each patient’s unique care journey, striving to be a comforting presence during daunting times.  “The most important part of my day is collaborating with the Children's Infusion team to make life manageable for the families that are going through this experience,” added Shelby Nolte, Senior Medical Assistant. “We work as a team to make life easier for the blow of a cancer diagnosis.  We are there for our families in every way.  If they need a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen or just someone to play cards with or tell a funny story too, we are there.”  “One of the things our team does extremely well to help our patients and their families with new diagnoses is to simply meet them where they are,” said Tiffany Macie. “That looks different for every family and every patient. We work in an environment where can build relationships with our patients and their families. This allows us the unique opportunity to really get to know them. We learn their fears, their joys, their worries, what their family lives are like, and we learn how to best meet them where they are.”  Transcending the conventional boundaries of care, the CIS department closely supports each patient, offering them solace tailored to the unique fabric of each family's life.

Read More About Department Spotlight: Children’s Infusion Services

Although students are heading back to school, that doesn’t mean the summer fun has to be over. Weekends and after-school hours still call for engaging activities for the kids, even if the extreme heat and thunderstorms don’t beckon you and your kids outside. There are several creative ways you can keep your children active indoors during those coveted out-of-school hours.   Below are 10 activities sure to spark fun for the kids from the comfort of your own home.  1. Dance It Out  Children are bundles of energy. Turn on your child's favorite music station, roll up the carpet and dance it out.  2. Paint Pictures  Above all, kids love to use their imagination. Why not gather up some paintbrushes and some colorful paints to let your child create a masterpiece?  3. Scavenger Hunt  Whenever children go on a scavenger hunt, it's a mini adventure. Collect some of your child's favorite items, and hide them around the house, giving them clues to help them find them.   4. Balloon Toss  Many kids love balloons. Tossing balloons into the air and having your child keep them up in the air without having them touch the floor is an active energy burner.  5. Science Experiments  In case you have a budding scientist at home, choose a science experiment to spark their imaginative spirit. Making water bottle lava lamps or frozen slime are terrific indoor STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities.  6. Arts and Crafts  From scrapbooks with their favorite photos to crafts from household items, arts and crafts are a great way for your kids to work their innovation muscles.  7. Indoor Bowling  Bowling in your own home – unexpected? Sure. Loads of fun? Absolutely! You can purchase an indoor bowling set for less than twenty dollars or create your own with household items.  8. Board Games  Because of the limitless options, board games are another favorite indoor activity for the whole family. Your child can learn vital social skills like learning to wait their turn, as well as memory formation and problem-solving skills.  9. Stage a Puppet Show  Making sock puppets (or even just using “hand puppets”) can really spark a day of spectacular imagination. Draft a script and perform a puppet play for the whole family!  10. Karaoke Concert  Singing certainly gets you in the groove of having a great time with your family and building memories – and you don’t even need a karaoke machine to do it! There are many digital karaoke options available for your family’s delight.  It’s no surprise that after-school hours and weekend days are premium play time for kids, especially during the summer months. As shown above, indoor summer activities when the weather isn’t conducive to spending time outdoors can still be fun and engaging for everyone.

Read More About A Guide to Summer Weekend Fun During the School Year