Jessie Mayshack - “A Game Plan”

Jessie Mayshack, Durham, NC

Jessie Mayshack was still recovering from knee replacement surgery when, in the fall of 2000, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer. As a nurse at UNC, she knew exactly where she wanted to go for care.

Her doctors at UNC started her on both chemotherapy and periodic radiation treatments. "The chemo was the kind you get 24 hours a day," she says. "I had this little machine that went with me everywhere and gave me continuous doses. I slept with it, ate with it, and bathed with it for about six weeks." This strong combination of therapies shrank her tumor significantly. The next step was surgery.

Following the operation, she had a few complications but remained strong. Now, at 55, Jessie feels well enough to work part-time as a private-duty nurse. She's even considering replacement surgery for her other knee.

Mayshack was impressed by her doctors at UNC. Especially by the way they worked so closely together. "After you're diagnosed, they have these multidisciplinary meetings where every service that might be involved in your care is represented. They go over all the test results and talk about what they're going to do. And then, they come up with a game plan to make sure you get the best results and get cured. They really want to get it right."

Throughout the course of treatment, the doctors and other specialists continued to confer, collaborate and revise Jessie's treatment plan. "One doctor took care of this part of me, and another took care of that part of me, and so on. But they all put their heads together to decide what was best. There was nothing that one doctor did that the others didn't know about."

Today, Mayshack is very active in her church and even sings in the choir. That's one of the things she's always enjoyed, so she is thankful for the UNC team that helped her get back on her feet again. "I appreciate every one of them for their know-how and concern for me, and for the whole team effort. I had a wonderful team. Of course, my major team player was God."