9 minute read
Strength in Numbers
Strength in Numbers
Celebrating three inspiring women for their resilience, optimism and dedication to their Gulf South community amid difficult diagnoses and treatments
By Olivia Watson | Photos: Daymon Gardner
For Ann Heslin, Deidra Dudley and Patrice Stanford, Ochsner Health is more than a workplace—it’s a second home. Pulling into the employee parking lot at their respective campuses every morning is an opportunity to change people’s lives.
“Being a part of the Ochsner family is a blessing,” Deidra shared. With their combined experience, Ann, Deidra and Patrice have served the hospital for over three decades.
But along the way, all three women found themselves on the receiving end of care—navigating difficult cancer diagnoses. Suddenly it was their turn to heal. “Instead of parking at the employee entrance, I pulled into patient parking,” Patrice said. “That moment was jarring.”
Up against unexpected diagnoses and treatments, these inspiring women continued to show up for others: working from home, coming in for shifts in between treatment and returning to work with a deeper sense of empathy for the patient experience.
“Until you’re diagnosed with cancer and undergo treatment,” Ann shared, “you don’t fully understand how the rest of your life will be impacted.”
Navigating difficult diagnoses
While every patient experience is unique, Ann, Deidra and Patrice share a similar recollection of their diagnoses— particularly how difficult it was to tell their loved ones.
“Nobody wants to learn they have cancer of any kind,” Patrice said. “Unfortunately many people associate it with death.” That’s why when Patrice was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012, a type of blood cancer that affects the lymphatic system, she decided to keep the diagnosis to herself for several weeks.
“I didn’t want anyone to worry, so I put my uniform on in the morning and pretended I was going to work,” Patrice shared.
Patrice Stanford, Patient Access Representative and Medical Assistant at Ochsner Baptist
Photos: Daymon Gardner
After talking with her doctors and forming a treatment plan, Patrice was ready to tell her loved ones. “I gathered my immediate family at my mother’s house, and told them the day before I was due to start chemotherapy.” Already aware of the top-tier care she would receive at Ochsner, she asked her family not to cry—but to remain hopeful.
Deidra made a similar choice when she felt a lump in her left breast in 2013, and was later diagnosed with breast cancer in her left breast and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in her right.
Deidra Dudley, AVP-Nursing at OMC-West Bank
Photos: Daymon Gardner
“My husband and I decided together that it would be best if we didn’t tell our three sons until we knew my treatment plan,” Deidra said. “When we did, which in my case was chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction, we had a family call and reminded my sons this was just a bump in the road—one of those hills you have to overcome together.”
For Ann, the path to a diagnosis was more complicated. After experiencing intense pain on her labia in January 2021, Ann wondered if a recent procedure had left her with burns. But something inside her told her it was more serious.
“My father died of skin cancer and I feared I had cancer too,” Ann explained. “But when my dermatologist thought I had a sexually transmitted disease, I started taking an aggressive course of antibiotics and steroids.”
Ann Heslin, Director of Philanthropy Events
Photos: Daymon Gardner
As the pain worsened over the next few months, Ann could barely walk. Nothing was helping. Finally, her dermatologist urged her to get a biopsy for vulvar cancer, a rare gynecological cancer that would require radiation and chemotherapy in her case. This cancer later spread to one lymph node.
“My dad had a very short cancer journey—five months from diagnosis until the day he died,” Ann said. “When I told my family, everyone was extremely concerned, but there was relief in finally knowing what was wrong.” The journey ahead would be difficult, but Ann’s instinct about her body was right.
— Ann Heslin
Experiencing Ochsner’s care from the other side
Despite different diagnoses and treatment plans, Ann, Deidra and Patrice all had to adapt to their new lives as patients. So did their fellow colleagues.
“There is a complex mix of emotions that arises when faced with treating one of our own—these are our friends, family and coworkers, so there is a profound emotional connection,” said Brian Moore, MD, Director of the Ochsner Cancer Institute.
“You feel the urgency and anxiety your friend is experiencing, and the risks are clearly visible, not just for your team member, but for their families and the team itself,” Dr. Moore said.
But at Ochsner, all patients are part of a larger family. “We pride ourselves on treating all of our patients as if they are our friends, family members, co-workers or neighbors,” he shared. “So we run our regular playbook—we strive to address their needs, treat (and ideally cure) their cancer, ease their suffering and alleviate their anxieties comprehensively, quickly and compassionately.”
So began Patrice, Deidra, and Ann’s journeys, as patients and professionals at Ochsner.
As the Patient Access Representative and Medical Assistant at Ochsner Baptist, Patrice was used to coordinating appointments for cancer patients. “I was the one scheduling chemotherapy appointments for our patients,” Patrice said. “Next thing I knew, I had to make it on time for my own chemotherapy appointment.”
Over the course of seven months, Patrice received intense treatment before moving to Ochsner’s outpatient program. “Every single person that took care of me was amazing,” Patrice said. “It warmed my mind, body and spirit when it dawned on me that I had done the same for my own patients for so long.”
Eager to get back to work, Patrice hoped she could resume her role immediately following treatment. But her doctors advised her to rest, recover and strengthen her immune system before returning to the hospital—especially after a particularly aggressive form of cancer.
“While I had to take time off work, Ochsner allowed me to come back to the same department when I was ready,” Patrice said. “Once again they demonstrated their commitment to me as a patient and a professional.”
Deidra also felt the support of Ochsner throughout her treatment cycle, at a time when she was the director of multiple nursing departments. “I came to work Thursday morning, got my chemo in the afternoon, returned for a shot to help my white blood cells on Friday and then rested all weekend,” she said. On Monday morning, she was back alongside her colleagues.
— Deidra Dudley
“If I didn’t feel too good on Monday morning, I would sleep in and come a little later,” Deidra explained. “My team lifted me up, filled in the gaps when I couldn’t be there and distracted me from worrying about my cancer.”
During the same period, Deidra was also studying for a comprehensive exam to achieve a Doctorate Degree in Nursing from Louisiana State University Health Science Center. Ironically, the focus of her study was the quality of working life for registered nurses. She successfully completed the exam and defended her dissertation.
Like Patrice and Deidra, Ann also underwent chemotherapy, managing Ochsner’s stewardship and cultivation events for major donors from her laptop at home as the Director of Philanthropy Events. “I had chemotherapy every Monday for six weeks, and radiation Monday through Friday for six weeks,” she said. “I was exhausted but determined to keep doing what I love.”
Ann also leaned on many of the wonderful resources available to cancer patients at Ochsner, including acupuncture at the Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center, oncology yoga, pelvic physical therapy, nutritional support and more.
“It has been a tremendous experience to get back on my feet after such a traumatic experience, with so much support from Ochsner on my side,” she said.
Inspiring hope by sharing their stories
Today, Ann has been a cancer survivor for one year, Patrice for nine years, and Deidra for 10 years. They all agree their lives have forever changed, as well as their sense of purpose.
“I want to share my story with other women,” Ann said. “I want to bring awareness to reproductive cancer and remind women that if you know in your heart that there is something wrong, trust your gut.”
Already immersed in the world of philanthropy, Ann knows how impactful just one donation can be. “As the holidays approach, I encourage anyone who has the means to consider end of year giving and much-needed funding for GYN cancer research, Ochsner’s survivorship programs and beyond.”
This cause is so important to Ann, she has already left part of her estate to the Ochsner Cancer Institute and dedicated a plaque on the Rita and William Mitchell, MD, Donor Wall in the Benson Cancer Center to all GYN cancer patients.
— Patrice Stanford
Patrice firmly agrees. “My passion is to always give back—to this hospital, the patients, cancer services and beyond,” she said. “One of the ways I can do this is by offering my time as a volunteer, and showing up for the community that was there for me during my time of need.”
On a daily basis, that means listening to patient concerns. “Now I know what their bad days feel like, experiencing side effects from cancer medication and chemo,” she shared. “I tell them what I went through and share some hope with them.”
It’s why Patrice also continues to donate to the employee and patient funds at Ochsner.
Deidra couldn’t agree more with her fellow colleagues and survivors. “I believe that everything happens for a reason— and my purpose is to share my story with other people and remind them of their strength.”
It is a profound experience to live out Ochsner’s mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate only to become a patient yourself. But for these compassionate women, it’s more than profound—it’s a privilege to pay it forward.
“When a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient arrives at the hospital, my staff notifies me and I go sit with her,” Deidra shared. “I listen to her fears, I hold her hand and I tell her a story about what I overcame.”
