The ABBCI marks the season of gratitude with special thanks for our patients, for the meaningful work we do, for belonging to a group who shares our dedication to the highest-quality cancer care, and for the ample resources and support provided to us by Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health and by our generous community of donors and leaders! Thank you! We share our deep appreciation with all of you!
Each year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the ABBCI team pauses to remember and honor the patients and families we’ve cared for who have passed away during the preceding year. To honor those who have died and their families and community, the ABBCI team gathers to share music, silence, prayer and reflection as we consider the gravity and beauty of our work. At the same time, we pause to remember and honor our beloved staff who make this work possible every day, and who care so much.
This year on Wednesday, Nov. 23, the ABBCI ceremony of remembrance and thanks was led by Chaplain Elizabeth Haralam Shuba and Palliative Care Medical Director Dr. Bethann Scarborough. Live music, the Kummer Cello Duet variations, was beautifully played by classical cellists James Yan and Maya Sauder. The entire event was deeply touching, inspiring and renewing. Box lunches were provided to all by James and Sally Saxton and The Saxton Chaplaincy Fund through the LG Health Foundation.
Our greatest thanks, and our greatest admiration, go to our patients, their caregivers and families.
Palliative Care Medical Director Dr. Beth Scarborough (left) and Chaplain Elizabeth Haralam Shuba led the ABBCI Annual Service of Remembrance and Gratitude. Dr. Scarborough reflected on the importance of the ABBCI team’s work, and Chaplain Haralam Shuba shared thoughts and reading from “Desiderata.”
Comforting and inspiring cello music, “Krummer’s Cello Duet- Variations,” was beautifully played by classical cellists Maya Sauder (left) and James Yan.
ABBCI staff members gathered to share reflections and remember patients who have died in the past year. Pictured above are Julie, Sarah, Bonnie, Nicole, Nicole, Angela, Alice and Steve.
Left image: The service of remembrance, including box lunches for staff, was funded by the Saxton Chaplaincy Fund. Pictured above are Freida, Natilda, Victorsha and Donna.
Right image: Team members and staff luncheon of thanks: Linette (from left), Carl, Ashley and Samara
Messages of gratitude to our team
In this season of giving and gratitude, I am most thankful for the incredible staff here at ABBCI.
Although we see it dozens of times every single day, for our friends and neighbors, a cancer diagnosis is a frightening and life-altering event.
The past few years have been difficult for all of us, and it’s hard to comprehend how much worse everything could be when a cancer diagnosis gets added on top of it all.
I have had the (mis)fortune of seeing several close friends and colleagues receive care at ABBCI this past year, and the single recurring theme in their feedback is the gratitude they express for all of the great people they met who cared for them. Although we routinely hear that patients think about this as the “happiest place they never want to be” and a something scary that “they actually look forward to each day,” this feedback isn’t about the building or the technology. It’s about the special group of people here, and it’s not something that you see at other cancer centers.
A few years ago, we hosted distinguished guests from both the National Cancer Institute and Medicare, and they all remarked that they have been to hundreds of cancer centers, but they could instantly tell from the moment they walked in the door that this place was different and special because of the people. We hear from our colleagues at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia that they warn each other before coming out to Lancaster: You won’t believe how amazing that team is.
Thank you for providing top-notch care that we are proud to recommend to friends and family. Thank you for the care you provide each other. Thank you for the ideas you send my way on how we can do a better job of meeting the needs of patients and staff. Thank you for adding your own special touch to our daily work. Thank you for believing in the mission of why we are here.
—Nikolas Buescher, Executive Director of Cancer Services
To the infusion team
I would like to send thanks to our amazing infusion team. Our oncology and medical infusion teams collectively serve between 100-130 patients each day while providing life-sustaining treatments. The nurses and patient care assistants consistently go above and beyond, in the face of increasing volumes and complexities of therapies. They deserve the biggest shout-out for the wonderful job that they do every day! I am so grateful for this incredible group of people!!
—Julie Bolton, RN, Manager, Infusion Services
“Gratitude opens the door, the power, the wisdom, the creative spark of the universe. You open the door through gratitude.”—Chopra
To the Image Recovery & Oncology Support Services Teams:
I am grateful for so much here at ABBCI that it is hard to know where to begin.
As always though, I am most grateful for the people at ABBCI. I am continually astounded by how passionately everyone is focused on helping our patients and on helping each other.
As the manager of two phenomenal teams, the Image Recovery Center team and the Oncology Clinical Support Services team, I am grateful for the many important ways in which these multidisciplinary team members contribute to excellent patient care, work to break down barriers, and provide emotional support to help ease human suffering. I am grateful for their consistent kindness, patience, resilience and expertise. I appreciate the personalized connective bridges that they offer to our patients, our providers and our colleagues in all departments here at the Cancer Institute and beyond.
Like all of you, I am very grateful for (and passionate about) CAR-T, proton therapy, genetics and clinical research trials. I am humbled by being able to make small contributions to these building blocks for the eventual cure of cancer. Although as exciting as these new advanced medicine modalities are, I am most especially grateful for the routine work that everyone here does each and every day. Even more than these dramatic new therapies, it is in fact the day-to-day work, done well, that has the greatest impact on our patients’ lives. We all work here in order to make a difference in people’s lives, and it is our commitment to our everyday work that matters most of all.
—Rebecca McCarron, RN, Manager, Image Recovery & Oncology Clinical Support Services
Radiation Oncology Team:
I would like to take a moment to send a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for all you do every day for our patients, our department and each other. I sincerely appreciate the dedication all of you consistently demonstrate to make sure our patients are treated with the utmost care, grace and with safety and quality at the forefront of our mission. I was especially impressed with how our team came together over the Thanksgiving week, when a machine unexpectedly went down, and quickly replanned cases, then came in on a day off to treat patients who missed treatments.
This has been a busy few months for us in Radiation Oncology, and we are about to embark on multiple exciting new projects. Despite this busy time, I have the utmost faith that our patients will continue to have the same wonderful treatment experience that is our standard. This year I am most grateful to work with all of you, who I am lucky to count not just as colleagues but as friends. I hope you all had some time over the holiday to refresh and enjoy time with your family and friends away from work and wish you all a happy holiday season!
With gratitude,
—Pam Boimel, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Radiation Oncology
Thanks to the Surgical Oncology Clinic Team!
I would like to take this opportunity to express all my appreciation and honest thanks for the tremendous time and energy that the surgical nurses, customer service representatives, surgical schedulers, advanced practitioners and providers spend on providing the best possible cancer care. I, as well as the rest of the leadership team, am very proud of the results you deliver consistently! Our shared success is due to the dedication and creativity you all provide in implementing strategy and finding creative solutions to whatever comes our way!
You are loyal and honest servant leaders for our patients. This is exactly the reason why our patients come to ABBCI and trust us in their care, and this is the very reason why I am grateful for having each of you as a member of my team.
Thank you for giving your best every minute of every day!
With great admiration and gratitude,
—Sheri Brunelli, Manager, Surgical Clinics
Many thanks to the Medical Oncology Clinics and ABBCI Lab:
I am so very thankful every day for my entire team: Pods 1, 2, 3 and the Lab. My team is always jumping in to help their fellow team members to support all staffing needs.
They have taken on other department responsibilities to help when needed! They are all so compassionate and are always willing to take on more to help the greater good. They do it with ease and confidence, and it is why I love working with them every day. I am so very proud of their accomplishments all year long. They are amazing!
Thank you to each and every one of you for your professionalism and wonderful care that you give to all of our patients and each other every day.
—Susie Leese, RN, Manager, Medical Oncology Clinics and Lab
Gratitude for our community
Dr. Rita Bonchek is pictured on Oct. 28, at the dedication of the Rita Bonchek Hair Salon in the ABBCI. LG Health Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Groff thanked Rita for 16 years of continuous annual giving to the Rita Bonchek Wig Fund, established and funded by Rita herself since 2005.
The Image Recovery Staff, Lindy Loercher (from left), Lila Neininger and Diane Bortner, pictured with Rita Bonchek and Randall Oyer, gathered to thank Dr. Rita Bonchek for her extraordinary philanthropy that has helped over 500 patients since 2005.
As the staff gathered to thank Rita for all that she has given to help so many people, in her typical kind and understated way, Rita thanked the staff by invoking the words of famed athlete Althea Gibson, “No matter what accomplishments you make, someone helped you!”
That’s our Rita, and that’s one of the many reasons we love her.
An extraordinary, unexpected and unplanned event happened in the ABBCI lobby the very day Rita arrived to be honored. Unbeknownst to any of us, a longtime ABBCI patient overheard that Rita Bonchek was going to be in the building. That individual stayed in the lobby on the lookout for a chance to meet Rita and thank her for the wig she had provided to her more than five years earlier! When you help someone else, and touch a heart, it stays forever. Well done, Rita! You’ve touched thousands of hearts, including ours.
The Rita Bonchek Fund is a living and lasting legacy!
The Furman family, Chris (from left), Earl and Cameron, visited the Proton Center with Drs. Oyer and Boimel. Thank you, Furmans, for your visit and for your generosity!
Pictured from left: Bill Weik (Orthopedic Associates of Lancaster), Kathy Frost, Rebecca McCarron, Elizabeth Gardner, Nik Buescher, Sylvia McLaughlin, Cathy Bitterman, Randall Oyer MD, Gina McDonough and Mary Lou Culp
Thank you to members of the third annual Golf for a Cure planning committee. Net proceeds from the Sept. 20 fundraising event held at Crossgates Golf Club will benefit the Impact Fund at ABBCI, which supports the advancement of cancer treatment at the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute. Over $40,000 has been raised over the last three years, including this year’s donation of $16,000.
Thank you to Kitt and Bill Gamber for providing funding for the ABBCI Cyberknife!
On Oct. 12, Medical Physicist Hong Xiang (left) joined the Gambers to provide a tour and description of how cyberknife works to treat specific cancers in specific body locations.
We are so grateful for the interest, time and support of our friends Gina (second from left) and Tom (second from right) Russo, who visited the Proton Center with Drs. Boimel and Oyer.
We are grateful to Lancaster community-based Help the Fight, an important philanthropic organization founded by Lynda Charles (immediate left of Dr. Boimel at photo center). Help The Fight raises money to support cancer screening tests for those who do not have insurance and cannot afford to access care. Help the Fight is saving lives, and we are grateful! Pictured here in the ABBCI Proton Center on Nov. 10 are Help the Fight board members and supporters, along with Dr. Boimel (center) and Dr. Tanna (right).
Gratitude for our team
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health is grateful for the leadership of Dr. Shanthi Sivendran, and Drew Mace, Pharm D, who spoke about our work at the ASCO Quality Symposium in Chicago on Oct. 1!
Grateful for the teamwork: Drs. Pamela Boimel (from left), Bethany Bustamante and Katherine Hicks-Courant
Drs. Shanthi Sivendran (from left), Abigail Copella, Sam Kerr and Dayo Abdulkareem
Please watch this amazing testimonial from Jeff, a Penn Medicine patient in both Lancaster and Philadelphia. This story will inspire you as it inspires us!
We are grateful to our late chef, Ed Long, who personally oversaw every catering event ever done at the ABBCI. We have benefitted from Ed’s creativity, grace and kindness. We join our catering colleagues and the Long family in remembering and appreciating Chef Ed Long.
Grateful for the small things in life: Radiation Oncology Manager Mel Mc Curdy shares a passion flower from her home garden.
As we enter this season of gratitude, I want to share my gratitude for my granddog, Penny. In this time of financial difficulties for so many, Penny is willing to forego her naptime, window-watching time, and growling at leaves time to help make ends meet for my son, Jimmy, and daughter-in-law, Hannah…ha ha, just kidding, Penny is still a power napper, but I really just wanted to share this super-cute picture of her in her Halloween costume.
—Marianne Gault, GI Oncology Nurse Navigator
Team news and photos, including ABBCI Halloween fun
Star- Bucks- Gift Card (Elizabeth, Jenn and Becky)
Royal Flush: Danielle and Mylva. Photographer’s apologies to Melinda and Lisa, also part of the Royal Flush! All of our card-playing newsletter readers know there are two more cards in a Royal Flush!
Has anyone seen Susan’s broom?
Our Mother of Operations, Sister Patti Roda
Abby (from left), Star, Princess Daisy, Luigi, Princess Rosalina, Toad, Nonna Mario and Goomba. AKA Abby, Judy, Patti, Deb, Crissy, Pat, Lisa and Niki. Super people!
The “sole” of our clinic: Susie Leese
Another side of Susie!
At home in this costume: That is OUR Carol!
Autumn is here. So is Kristy!
Dia de los muertos with Mel! Ola!
Image Recovery with our family feline, Diane! Meow!
We do have nurses working here too.
Thank you for reminding us, Darla!
Happy Halloween from Mary!
Always a great sport and a great team member: Courtney
Infusion Center fun with Erin and Freida!
Wario (from left), Mario and Waluigi, otherwise known as Brandy, John and Zelia. What a team!
Congratulations to the lovely staff of the ABBCI, who celebrated and were celebrated for Penn Medicine Experience Week! Thank you, John Herman and Michael Ripchinski! We had a lot of fun!
Patti Roda hosted York Country Day School on Nov. 7, for a day of learning about health care careers in the ABBCI. Many thanks to program presenters Drew Mace, Nina Morvin, Erin Checchia, Arielle Gallagher, Lynn Ludewig, Emily Gehron, Julie Bolton, Marianne Gault and Patti Roda.
Congratulations on your promotion, Ben Stancavage, Security Training and Compliance Coordinator!
Beloved ABBCI Security Officer Benjamin Stancavage has been promoted to Security Training and Compliance Coordinator, an important new health system position leading safety training. We are all lucky to have Ben’s extraordinary skill, attention and hard work. Ben’s work will be a safety benefit to all of us across the system.
The ABBCI is grateful to Ben for all that you’ve done to take care of us and our patients. You’ve really become a friend to all of us, and we will miss you, Ben!