Comprehensive care close to home

In January 2022, IU Health patient Stacey Goffinet met IU Health Foundation donors Jefferson and Mary Shreve at the new IU Health Bloomington at the Indiana University Academic Regional Health Center.

Six months before their reunion, the Shreves made the largest-ever private gift to IU Health Bloomington. Their donation is helping to integrate cancer care services in one location to ensure the most advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment options are conveniently accessible. This generous gift enabled Goffinet to receive life-saving comprehensive cancer care close to home, a fact that Goffinet credits with helping her persevere mentally through her treatment.

“I have cancer, it doesn’t have me.”

Goffinet’s bubbly demeanor during their meeting almost hides the fact that she’d just endured the hardest year of her life.

Goffinet had just returned from a trip to Disney World in March 2021 when she felt a lump in her left breast. Five days later she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“My first day of chemo, I was terrified,” Goffinet told the Shreves. “But I decided early on, ‘I have cancer, it doesn’t have me.’”

Goffinet documented her cancer journey at IU Health on Facebook, even when the news kept getting worse. After finishing chemotherapy in August, she had surgery to remove both her breasts. Infections and excess fluid delayed her radiation treatments until right before Christmas. Then she caught COVID.

Mickey ears for all

But nothing could stop Goffinet’s spirit. She wore her Mickey Mouse ears to every chemo treatment, often bringing extra sets so her care providers could pose with her for selfies.

She attributes her positive mindset to the support she received from her IU Health care team and Stephanie Grubb, her nurse navigator. Nurse navigators are oncology-certified specialists who help patients and their loved ones understand and manage the complex emotional and physical challenges of cancer.

“The oncology center saved my life, but the cancer support community and my nurse navigator Stephanie saved my spirit,” she said.

The Shreve gift has enabled the nurse navigator program to relocate to the third floor of the IU Health Bloomington facility, easing the travel burden on patients and their families.

The best of the best in Bloomington

“It’s so comforting to know that you have the best of the best care here in Bloomington,” Goffinet said. “I had 157 appointments last year. Can you imagine if those were all up in Indianapolis? Everything has been within a 15-minute drive for me.”

Care close to home also means a patient’s network can help more. “There’s the clinical aspect of healthcare delivery, but so much of recovery comes from the support you get from family and friends,” Jefferson told Goffinet.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you’ve done,” Stacey told the Shreves. “Everyone here has saved my life.