Breast cancer patient Linda Sowa, 58, of Joliet, Illinois, is a big fan of the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears. And she has no problem showing her loyalty during her infusion or daily radiation treatments at Ascension St. Michael's Cancer Center in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. But her loyalty not only belongs to her sports teams; it's also with the staff members of the hospital's Breast Care Center and Cancer Center.
A few years ago, Linda moved to Rosholt, Wisconsin, to care for her mother, Lois, who was diagnosed with cancer. While caring for her mom, Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer at the Breast Care Center.
She returned to her hometown of Joliet to process the news. Her doctors in Illinois urged her to seek treatment in Stevens Point because they did not believe she would be treated as quickly in Joliet. Linda traveled back to Wisconsin and her mom, who told her to check with the recently opened Breast Care Center to see if she could get in for treatment.
Linda said she was treated by the Cancer Center team as if she were a family member.
"I told Kim, the supervisor, 'You have good people here.' My nurse, Rebecca, knew what I was going to say before I said it," Linda said. "One time, she noticed blisters on my feet and rashes due to chemo side effects even before I did. Here, I'm on a first-name basis with everyone. I'm not just a number."
Linda also credits her strong support system at home for helping her. Her brothers have been taking turns assisting her and her mom for two or three weeks at a time during their treatments.
"I've been told I have a 98 to 99 percent chance of beating it," Linda said. "I've completed 17 radiation treatments and have 16 to go. Every one of the staff members has been great. It's a family thing, a comfort level."
Linda typically appears for her chemotherapy treatments wearing Cubs apparel and good-naturedly teases the oncology team members, many of whom are Milwaukee Brewers fans. The oncology team picked up on one of Linda's visits that she was nervous prior to her surgery and decided to brighten her day by surprising her the day after her surgery. They gave her a small gift of Milwaukee Brewers accessories and a water mug signed by the entire oncology staff.
Photo: From left, Ascension St. Michael's Oncology team members Rebecca Schmid and Ashleigh Halverson; patient Linda Sowa holding her Milwaukee Brewers mug gift; and team members Michelle Whitehouse, Brooke Doescher, M.J. Szalewski and Sara Stroik.
