Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62120
H extended family. "We have a special connection," she says, describing how they've been supportive about nutritional changes, including eliminating meat from their diets and making fruit-and-veggie smoothies together. "It was scary having to be off work for a while," as much as seven weeks at a time, says Logan. Her clients remained loyal, however. To help make ends meet and pay her bills, a friend got her involved with an Internet mall in 2008, now called www.empowermanyimall.com, which allowed Logan to work from home. Having a parent with cancer has been a tough road for her 21-year-old son, Laurence Logan, also an only child. The distance of his college's North Carolina campus was a blessing in disguise. "Being away at school made it easier for him," says his mother, but the summer of 2009 was especially emotional as the reality of her illness set in for both of them. Logan's last chemo treatment was in November 2010. Home for Christmas, Laurence asked his mom if her "hair was going to come out." They joked about it, and "I told him, 'I'm going to be OK.' You find strength for your children," she says. Laurence may not know it, but "he kept me going," says his mother, as did her strong faith and spirituality. And then there is Diane Collias, a licensed social worker and Logan's patient advocate, who works with the American Cancer Society and University of Illinois Cancer Center (see sidebar). "I didn't have one negative experience—not with a surgeon, a nurse or a staff member— which makes it a lot more bearable," Logan says. "Personally, I don't think there's a better place than UIC." Among those the Cancer Center leadership welcomed to campus for the Navigation Center dedication were: (top row, left to right) Diane Collias, center navigator; Katherine Griem, MD, president, American Cancer Society, Illinois division; LaWonda Stubbs, health initiatives associate; the late Gary Kruh, MD, who served as the Cancer Center director; Steve Derks, CEO, the American Cancer Society, Illinois division; John DeNardo, CEO, University of Illinois Medical Center; Howard Ozer, MD, section chief, hematology/ oncology; Adrienne White, vice president, health initiatives and advocacy; and Cathy Galligan, director of patient navigation services; (bottom row, left to right) Phil Zielke, founder and president, Phil's Friends; Kelley C. Schueler, executive director of the Christopher Family Foundation; Doris Christopher; Julie Christopher; Debra Cohen, immediate past chair, American Cancer Society, Illinois division; and Mary Pierce, chairman of the board, American Cancer Society, Illinois division. Doris Christopher '67, founder of the Christopher Family Foundation, speaks about her commitment to the Patient Navigation Program at University of Illinois Medical Center, which assists patients, their families and caregivers in overcoming obstacles to care. Navigating the System AVING CANCER is stressful enough. So imagine Stephanie Logan's shock when her medical insurer said she might have to discontinue her cancer treatment at the University of Illinois Medical Center. But in stepped Diane Collias, a compassionate patient navigator appointed by the American Cancer Society. A collaborative program between the ACS and partners such as hospitals, the Patient Navigation Program reaches out to those most in need, helping patients, families and caregivers get past obstacles encountered during their cancer journeys. "Diane helped me and straightened out the [insurance] situation," Logan says. In addition to financial guidance, trained navigators like Collias can facilitate trans- portation to doctor's appointments. "Diane let me know of the various resources available to me," she says. The Christopher Family Foundation has generously given $250,000 to the ACS to move the Illinois Medicine program beyond a pilot, establishing a Patient Navigator Center on the lower level of the UIC Oncology Care Center. At the dedication ceremony this past December, University of Illinois alumna Doris Christopher '67, the family matriarch and founder of internationally known The Pampered Chef, related how she could have used a patient navigator during her own father's five-year battle with cancer. Patient navigators also can help patients by providing literature, referring patients to programs for information and support, and helping to identify resources for medication needs, home health care and other concerns. I L L INOIS MEDICINE | 33 PHOTO: KATIE MARCHETTI PHOTO: KATIE MARCHETTI