For Lynnfield Resident, Cancer Care is a Family Affair in Many Ways

Lynnfield resident Lisa Gatti Whelan knows all too well the impacts cancer has on the community. For more than two decades, Whelan has worked at the North Shore Medical Center’s oncology unit in Salem and North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers. Over the years, her co-workers have become like family and she’s proud to call her workplace her second home.

“We truly need everyone that’s here,” Whelan says of the Cancer Center. “We have such an impressive team of doctors and nurses, along with amazing support from receptionists, radiation therapists, physicists, dietitians, social workers and many more that are integral to our patient care.  No one comes to work dragging their feet. The work is very hard, but it is so very rewarding.”

On Sunday, June 23, the North Shore Cancer WALK will take place for the 23^rd time, and Whelan will once again be involved, as she has almost every year since the WALK began raising funds for the oncology unit at North Shore Medical Center and North Shore Cancer Center. “We’ve given out water, which has always been a favorite of my kids, my oldest daughter has been one of the cheerleaders at the finish line, and we’ve also walked the course. We had a team to honor my husband’s dad, who was a patient at the Cancer Center.  I love looking at the photos of my children at the WALK over the years. I can really see how they’ve grown up as part of the Cancer Center family.”

Whelan now works in the radiation oncology department at the Cancer Center in Danvers and sees firsthand how valuable the funds raised through the Cancer WALK are. “Many of the advances in technology that we’ve brought into the Cancer Center have been made possible because of the Cancer WALK,” she says. “We are able to provide comprehensive and compassionate care with state of the art equipment that makes it possible for patients to be able to stay close to home for their treatments.  We have a strong Patient Centered Model of Care which incorporates a multidisciplinary team approach to cancer care. I’m very proud to be a part of this team at the Cancer Center.”

On WALK day, Whelan looks forward to seeing many of the people who have had treatments with her over the years. “I feel so lucky to be able to see how they’re doing, long after we’ve stopped seeing them regularly at the Cancer Center,” she says. “The Cancer WALK is so much more than just us. We are so grateful to have the support of so many people in the community. It really makes the day very special.”

The North Shore Cancer WALK will take place on Sunday, June 23^rd at Salem Willows Park in Salem. All proceeds raised from the WALK will help further the renovation of the inpatient oncology unit at NSMC Salem Hospital as well as augment wellness programs and services at the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center. The facilities, services and staff together provide outstanding cancer care to the North Shore community.

Since 1991, the WALK has raised more than $17 million. To register or donate, please visit www.northshorecancerwalk.org.