Support services
You don’t have to do this alone. Talk to your physicians or nurses or stop by The 11 Day Power Play Cancer Resource Center and we will get you connected with the staff, services and resources that can help.
“Just get me to Roswell Park.” Those were Sharon Ginter’s first words when her doctor called with the results of a scan. At Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sharon, then age 70, was diagnosed and treated for aggressive non-Hodgkin diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Now, two years later, Sharon feels blessed to tell others how faith and truly comprehensive care at Roswell Park helped save her life and strengthened her sense of purpose.
Sharon’s cancer story began one evening after finishing her daily fitness routine of 100 squats and exercises. “That night, my upper right thigh was really sore. I thought maybe I pulled a muscle. As luck or God would have it, I had my annual physical the next morning and I told my doctor about the pain. After examining my thigh, she ordered a scan at a local radiology center.
“My doctor called me before I’d even left the building. She said the scan showed an abnormal lymph node that needed to be biopsied,” Sharon recalls. “She gave me two choices: have the biopsy done there or go to Roswell Park. The first words I thought were, ‘Oh ****, it’s cancer,' but the first words I said were, ‘Just get me to Roswell Park!,'" Sharon laughs.
Comprehensive and coordinated services make a difference
In a matter of days, Roswell Park staff called to set up her appointment and arranged to get her scan and X-ray results. Over the next two weeks, Sharon received additional bloodwork, CT and MRI scans, a spinal biopsy, a laser biopsy, biopsy results, a diagnosis, and chemo-port installation, all at Roswell Park’s main campus.
“For medical reasons, I don’t drive and have to rely on a limited number of transport services. When I mentioned this to a nurse, she referred me to a social worker who helped me get transportation services through a Roswell Park program and helped me apply for a second program that offers reduced-cost door-to-door paratransit service. The transportation assistance and Roswell Park being able to provide so many services and tests during each of my visits made my life so much easier,” Sharon recalls.
Why Roswell Park for lymphoma treatment
Lymphoma is a diverse and complex disease with more than 90 subtypes — each with a distinct behavior, treatment response and prognosis. We offer treatments at the forefront of cancer care, plus clinicians with the knowledge and experience to use them.
Faith in her expert medical team
It turned out that Sharon was going to need many visits to Roswell Park in the coming months. A week after her laser biopsy procedure, Sharon met with hematologist oncologist Dorothy Pan, MD. “Dr. Pan is phenomenal,” says Sharon. “She is soft spoken, calm and empathetic, but also clear and direct. She explained that I had DLBCL, with cancer in the nodes of my groin, neck and abdomen and I would need very aggressive treatment. Before meeting me, Dr. Pan reviewed my test results with the lymphoma team and together they agreed on the best treatment for me.” That treatment regimen is called “R-CHOP,” named for the combination of chemotherapy drugs used: rituximab, cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, Oncovin and prednisone.
For six months Sharon received an infusion of rituximab at on Fridays and returned on Saturdays for her infusion of “CHOP” drugs. “The first time I had the rituximab, I got the rigors – shivering cold, dizziness and lightheadedness. The nurses were fantastic. They administered a medication to counteract my reaction and then waited an hour before successfully resuming the infusion at a much slower pace. This slower pace of drug administration worked for me through my remaining infusions.
“That first cycle of treatment was terrifying,” Sharon recalls. “But one day when I was feeling down and alone, while watching a movie, I heard a line in it that spoke to me: 'God gives the strongest soldiers the toughest battles.’ As someone who prays every day, I felt like I needed to hear that message to help me through this. It inspired me to be braver and fight harder. I started to believe in myself more and trust in whatever God had in store for me. I began to appreciate all the support from my family and friends even more. And I started utilizing even more of the patient services offered at Roswell Park.
“I enjoyed coffee from the hospitality room in the main lobby. I got oncology massages at The 11 Day Power Play Cancer Resource Center. When I lost my hair, I had fun trying on different colored wigs at the New Era Cap Foundation Elevate Salon, but ended up just getting my eyebrows shaped. I learned to be comfortable bald or just wearing a knit cap."
Looking forward and giving back to Roswell Park
Sharon completed her chemotherapy in January 2024 and has been in remission for more than a year. “I feel that God and the treatment I received at Roswell Park have given me a new outlook and sense of purpose in my life,” she says. “Last year, I went back to college online to get my business degree, and I am on the honor roll. I’m working out again. I now volunteer twice a week at the information desk at Roswell Park. And, as an Avon representative, I’ve started a fundraiser with all profits from my sales will be donated to Roswell Park’s Lymphoma clinic. “Mostly, I want to share my experience to encourage and help people who are going through treatment and to let others know that if they suspect they have cancer, their first words should also be ‘just get me to Roswell Park!’”
Editor’s Note: Cancer patient outcomes and experiences may vary, even for those with the same type of cancer. An individual patient’s story should not be used as a prediction of how another patient will respond to treatment. Roswell Park is transparent about the survival rates of our patients as compared to national standards, and provides this information, when available, within the cancer type sections of this website.
