As a show of gratitude and belonging, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center presents colorful Challenge Coins to veterans of cancer therapy who are also veterans of military service.
The Roswell Park Veterans Employee Network and Resource Group (ENRG) has awarded 13 Challenge Coins since last spring. The initiative is the vision child of Aaron Pry, chair of the Veterans ENRG and U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service who retired in 2022.
No one fights alone
“Over my years at Roswell I have noticed a lot of veterans going to appointments alone or they are isolated and quiet, which are usual signs of PTSD from their service,” Pry says, adding that the ENRG group also wanted to enhance its annual Veterans Day and Memorial Day salute on campus. “Roswell is a state facility, and usually at capitol buildings and other state facilities the legacy and tradition for those that have fought and given the ultimate sacrifice are honored and remembered properly. The veterans almost tear up when they receive a coin. It's incredible.”
The coins were funded by a Quality-of-Life grant from the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation. The customized design recognizes all military branches on one side, with the Roswell Park logo engraved on the reverse side with the reminder “no one fights alone.” This year’s recipients were formally honored at the annual Roswell Park Veterans Day program held November 7 on the main campus. The event featured a moment of silence for those lost; salute to those who have served or who are currently serving – and a keynote presentation by Roswell Park neurosurgeon Lindsay J. Lipinski, MD, who served in the United States Navy.
A new mission of hope and wellness
“Challenge Coins are a longstanding military tradition. I gave and collected them throughout my time in the Navy, and keep those coins in my office to this day to remind me of those strong bonds,” says Dr. Lipinski, former Lieutenant Commander, Medical Corps, United States Navy, 2015-2019. “The Roswell Challenge Coin is an acknowledgment of our veterans’ commitment to service to our country and recognition of their new mission to focus on hope and wellness in the setting of cancer treatment, as well as our commitment to them.”
Patients who are veterans are recommended by Roswell Park clinic staff, with their permission to receive a coin. Members of the Veteran ENRG members then present them with their coin on campus, usually following a treatment appointment, and invite them to come back for the recognition ceremony on Veterans Day or Memorial Day, whichever is closer. “Sometimes we give the coin to them when they finish treatment, like radiation or chemotherapy to say, ‘Hey, good going, you’re not alone, we’re with you.’ That’s what we like to do,” explains Melanie Matthews, co-chair of the Veterans ENRG, U.S. Navy veteran and a Roswell Park clinic liaison. “We gave one to somebody who wasn’t in treatment, but was struggling with their diagnosis, to say ‘You’re not alone, Roswell is here with you, and if you want one of us to come to your appointment, we’ll sit there with you. Sometimes they are emotional. The veterans are very much appreciative of what we are doing and what are continuing to do.”
Ralph Fogle, who served in the U.S. Army from 1972 to 1975, says he felt like a celebrity when he received his Challenge Coin on October 28. The oldest of seven children — with four brothers who all served — he described his tour of duty in Germany as “an adventure that put him on the right path,” teaching him critical life skills that included discipline, self-reliance and the value of teamwork. He recognized that teamwork while undergoing therapy for head and neck cancer and describes Roswell Park as a phenomenal place the region is lucky to have, that supports patients like a “well-oiled machine.”
“It’s been 50 years since I was in the service, but I felt so honored,” Fogle says of receiving his Challenge Coin. “After all this time somebody still appreciates what you did. There’re people out there that hold you in esteem. I felt really honored and it really caught me off guard.”
Year-round support for veterans and their families
Echoing Pry and Lipinski, Matthews agrees that the Roswell Park Challenge Coin both honors veteran patients’ dedication and sacrifice for their country, and inspires them to keep fighting their cancer battle for themselves and for their families.
She also credits the Veterans ENRG for mounting other programs and events throughout the year that provide information and connection to housing, mental health, financial management, domestic abuse and other social services available to veterans, active-duty service members and family members connected to Roswell Park – as patients receiving care, employees who have served or are currently serving, or who have family members who are veterans.
In addition to launching the Challenge Coin program early this year, the ENRG group mounted a Military Appreciation Week in May, hosting daily activities that included massages, art therapy and resource tables.
The Veterans Employee Networking and Resource Group is one of 15 diverse employee support initiatives administered by the Roswell Park Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Its current membership includes about 20 active and retired veterans of all military service eras and branches who are Roswell Park employees or family members of veterans; and Roswell Park employees who support veterans of military service.
