From the March-April 2008 issue of UCHC e-link and the winter 2008 issue of UConn Momentum
The diagnosis of cancer brings strong emotions to the forefront, often in overwhelming and unforeseen ways. Carolyn Deal, president and COO of William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance knows the feeling firsthand from her own ten-year fight with the disease.
“When you’re first diagnosed, you only halfway hear the things people are telling you. You don’t even know what questions to ask,” she says. “And you quickly find that the more you ask other people, or the more you look online, the more overwhelmed you get, because everyone’s cancer is different.”
That experience, and Raveis’s strong support of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center over the past four years, has led to a groundbreaking $750,000 pledge from the William Raveis Charitable Fund, Inc. to expand the center’s existing Navigator Care Program.
The program, which pairs newly diagnosed patients with trained volunteers who assist them through the treatment process, is currently focused on breast cancer. Among other things, Raveis’s support, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, will allow for full-time Navigator staff on site and expand the focus to other cancers as well.
“We’ve seen how cancer affects our company,” says Lorraine Megenis, vice president of operations at Raveis. “A very high percentage of our 1,900 sales associates are female. If they haven’t gone through cancer themselves, their sisters, mothers or friends have. We feel the support given to patients through the Navigator program is a necessity.”
“We’ve always supported research and education, but this is something that is helping people right here and now,” adds William Raveis, chairman and CEO. “The big picture is vital, but so is making sure that we assist individual patients and their families through our philanthropy. The collective dedication of our sales associates, employees, vendors and clients has been nothing short of outstanding as we witness such positive outcomes to our fundraising efforts. Knowing this is only the beginning, we’re excited to see where the Navigator program will go in the years to come as it continues to expand and grow.”
Nancy Baccaro, A.P.R.N., coordinates the existing Navigator program and says the service can make all the difference for patients at any stage of their journey through diagnosis, treatment and care.
“When patients enter the health care system with a complicated condition like cancer, it’s overwhelming. But through the Navigator program, we have an opportunity to decrease that anxiety, guide and direct a patient, and, most importantly, give the patient knowledge,” Baccaro says. “With knowledge comes power and control, in a situation where patients often feel powerless. The Navigator acts as an adjunct to the professional provider and serves as the eyes and the ears of the patient throughout the process.”
“Raveis’s support is so important because it allows us to expand the scope of our program and help more of our patients,” says Carolyn D. Runowicz, M.D., director of the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We’ve seen how useful it has been for patients with breast cancer and recognize the need to provide this service for all of our patients. This program is a real resource for our patients and helps to empower them to become more active partners in their treatment and recovery.”
That support is something that Carolyn Deal believes would have been helpful in her own case, and she sees great possibilities for the future.
“When I learned about the Navigator program, I remember thinking how useful this would have been for me,” she says. “To have someone take you through the process, represent you, educate you, help prepare you, and offer that support, well, that just adds so much for the patient. Cancer is a long process, with so much that goes along with it. Supporting the Navigator program lets us make a difference to thousands of cancer patients today.”
To support the Navigator program, please contact the Office of Development & Almuni Relations at 860.679.1122.
