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personal How to ID signs of PTSD PHARMACISTS HAVE ANIMAL INSTINCTS ‘Lean’ on your team
16 Walgreen World May | Jun 2014
Katrina Wittkamp
As a team member, Deb Blue, divisional vice president of Transformation and Process Innovation, knows Walgreens purpose. But as a patient, she found new meaning in the words, “to help people get, stay and live well.�
fight
Choosing to
In her battle against breast cancer, one team member relied on her strength, her family’s support and her drugstore. By Brittany Abeijon
Este artículo está disponible en Español en “StoreNet”, “WalNet” o “The Wall”.
B
etween bites of Chinese takeout and sips of chardonnay, Deb Blue laughed. In the basement studio of hairdresser Brian Blanchard’s Chicago home, she sat in a chair listening to her husband, Brett, exchange jokes with Blanchard’s assistant. She laughed until she almost forgot why she was there: Chemotherapy had caused her hair to start falling out, and Blanchard was about to shave her head. Anywhere but in his basement, she was battling breast cancer. But there it felt more like a party. In December 2009, Blue sent photos and samples of her hair to Blanchard, who specializes in wigs for people with cancer, so he could order her a wig of the same color and recreate her style. At Blue’s appointment a few weeks later, Blanchard started cutting slowly, turning her blonde, shoulder-length hair into a pixie cut. “This is what it will look like when it starts to grow back,” he told her. “Now, are you ready?” She nodded. He picked up a razor and, for fun, shaved her hair into a Mohawk. She laughed, and he told her to close her eyes while he shaved off the rest. “Keep them closed,” he said as he fitted the wig on her head, swept some hairs into place and spun her around to face the mirror. “I expected to be like, ‘Wow, that’s not me,’” says Blue, divisional vice president of Transformation and Process Innovation. “Instead, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s not bad!’
Losing my hair made me feel like the cancer was winning. But wearing the wig helps me feel like me again. I felt like I could go back to work. I felt back in control. I felt confident.” Blue first lost her hair in 2009, but her cancer journey actually started more than 15 years ago. Through it all, she continues to give back to her community, advance her career and embrace life. And she credits much of her success to Walgreens – both as a team member and a patient.
Command and control Blue’s journey began in 1998, when she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 30. In 2002, she had a local recurrence, meaning the cancer came back to the previously treated area, and she decided to get a mastectomy. After she began working at Walgreens in 2005, Blue learned that the cancer had moved from her breast to her bones. It was metastatic breast cancer, also known as stage IV or advanced breast cancer, which can arise years after a person’s diagnosis and successful treatments. Currently, there are about 175,000 women living with metastatic breast cancer in the U.S. Doctors say it’s incurable, but Blue doesn’t use that word. “The spread of my cancer is under control, and that’s the closest to cured I’ll ever be,” she says. “It’s similar to other chronic conditions, like HIV or hepatitis C, where to
control it is to treat it. But it was up to me to choose how I was going to fight it.”
The lash hurrah The first time Blue lost her hair, she didn’t realize that meant losing her eyelashes and eyebrows, too. She was supposed to travel to Manhattan for work, but the thought of going there without eyelashes or eyebrows made her mad. And then sad. So, she went to Walgreens. As she stood in the beauty area of our store at 15 N. Buffalo Grove Road in Buffalo Grove, Ill., she quickly became overwhelmed by the many brands and styles of false eyelashes Walgreens carries. Suddenly, a few kind words came from behind her. “Can I help you?” asked a beauty advisor. Blue broke down. “I never expected to react that way to losing my eyelashes, but it was as if the cancer had taken another thing from me,” says Blue. “After telling her what I was going through, she calmed me down, helped me pick out some lashes and even made me laugh. Walgreens teaches us how to demonstrate Extraordinary Customer Care – and this was it.”
Special treatment One team member Blue has really bonded with is Nancy Davis, pharmacy manager at 353 Park Ave. in Glencoe, Ill. Blue first met Davis two years ago when she needed help coordinating May | Jun 2014 Walgreen World 17
The bond between a pharmacist and patient is essential. Just ask Glencoe, Ill., pharmacy manager Nancy Davis, right, who understands Deb Blue’s medications and condition, and can help her find the right over-the-counter products for her side effects.
18 Walgreen World May | Jun 2014
in stride
“Deb takes her metastatic cancer and doesn’t let it define her or slow her down – that alone .” makes her
a hero
one of her medications through our specialty central fill location in Canton, Mich. The two now see each other monthly when she picks up her other prescriptions at the pharmacy. “Building a relationship with a patient doesn’t happen overnight,” says Davis. “In Deb’s case, she tells me what she needs, and she knows how I can help her. Then, we work together to find a solution. But that applies to any patient. No two people who come in need the same thing. Everyone is unique, and my job is to take care of them.” Blue says Davis has helped her learn the true meaning of “Love Customers.” “Nancy understands all the medications I’m on, and always shows me the right OTC products to battle my side effects,” she says. “Every time I visit the store, even if it’s just because I caught a cold, she makes me feel like I’m her most important patient. My treatments change often, but I know that with Nancy in my corner, and access to our specialty pharmacists, there’s nothing I can’t handle.” Specialty pharmacy is the fastest growing sector of pharmacy and complements Walgreens core retail pharmacies. Plus, new specialty prescription drugs, like those used to treat cancer, are making a real difference in the lives of patients. “More and more, both doctors and patients are approaching cancer as a chronic condition instead of a life-threatening disease,” says Mike Ellis, corporate vice president of Specialty Pharmacy and Infusion. “Deb’s cancer can’t be cured, but it can be managed for many years. That’s why Walgreens specialty pharmacy services, including infusion, central fill, hospital on-sites, retail stores and specialized pharmacies, are so important to each of our patients.”
A destination for everything Battling cancer has transformed Blue’s view of Walgreens from a place where she picks up her prescriptions to a destination for both health and daily living needs. “Usually, it’s the little things that set me back, and it’s amazing that we have a solution for every one of those little things,” she says.
Bonnie Gordon, director of Cause Marketing
Davis and the staff at the Glencoe store help Blue with every side effect she experiences. For her tingly feet and sore toes, Davis guided her to the foot care aisle. She also had itchy skin from radiation treatments, so Davis recommended an oatmeal bath coupled with calming itch-relief lotion. And because treatments made her eyebrows fall out, beauty advisor Vickie Goldrick helped her pick out an eyebrow pencil, and then showed her how to draw on natural looking brows.
Ground support A must for any patient is a support network – especially when the patient has already experienced significant losses, like Blue, who was 9 years old when her mother died from ovarian cancer. Her mother was 38. Because of Blue’s cancer, she was never able to have children. “Essentially, the same thing that took my mom from me also prevented me from becoming a mom.” One of the most important people in Blue’s support network is her husband, Brett, who uses humor to cheer her up. “I help distract her from the bad and focus on the good by making her laugh, usually with loving nicknames,” he says. “When we found out we couldn’t have kids, I told Deb I’d rather have a lifetime with her.” Still, Blue used to spend each Mother’s Day feeling sad. But, for the second year in a row, she’s choosing to lift her spirits by joining other breast cancer fighters, survivors and supporters through Susan G. Komen, one of Walgreens five Way to Well partners. “The energy surrounding the Komen walk is so inspiring,” she says. “I’m humbled by the support I receive, and I know that others may not have that same care and network. It’s also nice to see the funds we raise help the underserved in Chicagoland, providing services such as free mammograms to women who can’t afford them.”
school project. “She wrote that even though I was going through cancer, I was doing it with a smile,” says Blue. “What an interesting perspective from a child. When my mother was sick, I didn’t fully understand it. Because, like me, she never wanted to show it.” Her niece isn’t the only one who considers Blue a hero. Friend and colleague Bonnie Gordon says Blue is an inspiration. “Deb takes her metastatic cancer in stride and doesn’t let it define her or slow her down – that alone makes her a hero,” says Gordon, director of Cause Marketing, who also battled breast cancer at a young age. “Deb also helps many others in similar situations by counseling, volunteering and being an incredible role model. Heroes sometimes risk their life for others, but Deb is a hero as she fights for her own life.”
Hero status Blue’s family and friends are also a big part of her support network. When her niece, Emma, was 10, she chose Blue as her “Hero” for a
Deb Blue was surprised – and humbled – when her 10-year-old niece, Emma, called her a hero. May | Jun 2014 Walgreen World 19
what the experts say
Glencoe, Ill., beauty advisor Vickie Goldrick, left, prides herself on helping customers, such as Deb Blue, look good and feel even better.
Patient and mentor While Blue leans on her support network, she also acts as a mentor for others going through cancer. After becoming certified as a counselor in 2000, she began taking calls for a hotline supporting people with breast cancer. She estimates she has helped more than 100 people over the years. So, when she heard about Walgreens relationship with cancer-support organization Imerman Angels (imermanangels.org) in 2013, she jumped at the opportunity to get involved. “I can be paired with people based on age, type of cancer and even those who can’t have children,” says Blue. “As a ‘mentor angel,’ I get to create a personal connection with another person, which can last for a few months or even a few years. I’ve had some unbelievable matches that have helped me, too.” Blue’s hope for the future is that more customers and patients will view Walgreens as a holistic place for help. “I want others to see and feel what I felt,” she says. “Walgreens isn’t just a place that fills scripts or sells false eyelashes. It’s one experience with the best products, services and people who can help. Our purpose – to help people get, stay and live well – didn’t fully resonate with me until I thought about my own experience with Walgreens. But now I get it. I really do.” ww 20 Walgreen World May | Jun 2014
Cancer care package
At the Walgreens on-site pharmacy at the University of Arizona Cancer Center – one of our more than 80 oncology specialty network locations – pharmacy manager Scott Salerno and registered manager Scott Cheatle see more than 75 cancer patients each week. Walgreen World asked these experts to recommend products found at Walgreens that can help patients cope with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation:
1
Maximum-strength moisturizers to soothe sensitive, dry skin and relieve hand-foot syndrome, which causes swelling, redness and pain on the hands or feet. BUY
2 3
Vanicream or Udderly Smooth
Pill organizers for complicated medication regimens.
Over-the-counter medication to help with diarrhea or constipation. BUY
4
Imodium, MiraLAX or Senokot
Basic pain relievers to help with bone pain.
Aleve and Claritin – a combo that offers maximum pain relief
6
Mouthwash and toothpaste to help with dry mouth.
BUY
7 8
Hat or head scarf for sun and cold protection.
Non-stick pads and bandages to help care for wounds from surgeries or reactions to treatments. BUY
9
5
Nutritional drinks or shakes to replenish the body as it’s worn down from harsh chemicals. BUY
Boost or Ensure
Walgreens brand
100 percent aloe vera to help with burns or irritated skin from radiation.
BUY Fruit of the Earth or Ocean Potion
BUY
Biotene
10
Puzzles, books or magazines to help keep the brain busy during long chemo sessions.