By the time Kathy Oshiro arrived in Columbia she had spent 4 ½ years seeking treatment for a rare and serious cancer. Fiercely independent and intensely private, she had lived alone and continued her employment, all while coordinating her care and navigating a patchwork of chemotherapy, clinical trials, oncologists and urologists across the country. Family helped out when they could, but the brunt of the research and effort to try and beat the painfully brutal odds (a less than 5% chance of remission), fell upon her. From her home in Hawaii, to Houston, to Los Angeles, she pursued treatment with willful determination.
When she agreed to move in with us in Columbia, she had finally reached the point where she knew she could no longer live on her own. We worried that she had only a few weeks left to live.
Although, she did not find a cure for her cancer at Ellis Fischel, what she did find was the best, most comprehensive care of any institution she visited in her long journey.
The doctors and nurses of Ellis Fischel didn’t just treat my mom’s cancer, they treated her as a person. They helped her manage her pain, worked with her on her nutrition and mobility, offered up dozens of small solutions that together added up to a better quality of life.
Instead of several weeks, we had six months. Six months filled with what felt like more good days than bad days. Milestones: attending grandkids soccer games, walking around the mall, going out to lunch. But even more importantly, we had the everyday: meals together as a family, mornings spent watching the birds outside the windows, evenings in front of the fireplace.
Through their care, the doctors and nurses of Ellis Fischel gave us a little more time.
And for that, we are thankful.
Please join us in helping to make this kindness and care available to those who need it most, by donating to the Ellis Fischel Patient Assistance Fund.
The Family of Kathy Oshiro