Annual Report 2004
United in Our Vision

When I Was Diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in 1998, Backus Hospital was there for me.

- Laureen Anthony Of Griswold Mother, Wife And Breast Cancer Survivor

The staff at Backus provided compassionate, reassuring, personal care to help me overcome cancer.

I spent a lot of time in the oncology unit on A-2, and the staff was wonderful. I was sick and I was scared. I was just taking it day by day, sometimes hour by hour. The staff at Backus understands this, and they work hard to help you get better.

Caregivers don’t look at you with pity saying “Oh, you poor thing,” because you don’t need that. You need: “This is the way it is, and you’re going to get through this.” But on the other hand, they aren’t cold and impersonal. One of the nurses was a breast cancer survivor, and I thought if she could do it, so could I.

The entire staff played a role in my recovery. Dr. Tom Bell and Dr. Dennis Slater would come in to my room and check with me every day, but it didn’t stop there. Even the housekeeper … I would see her and she would take a moment to chat with me. They didn’t care that I was hooked up to an IV and I was bald. I was just as important as anyone else.

I knew I was receiving the best care I could get — not just medically, but emotionally.

Backus is a true community hospital. I commend the staff for not only treating me, but for listening to an idea I had to help children whose parents have been diagnosed with cancer. I thought it would be great to hand out “care packages” to young children of cancer patients to help them cope, so that they might understand why mom can’t cook for them or is too tired to attend their soccer games. Not only was the staff receptive, they were excited about it. They are so motivated to help their patients that when they heard of my idea, they got right behind it and made it happen.

Cancer doesn’t just affect the person, it affects the whole family. I was able to receive the best care close to home, so that my children, my husband and my parents were able to visit me. I firmly believe spending time with my family played a role in my recovery. Backus made that possible.