From Volunteer to Worker: "Every Day is A Gift"

After working for Ralston Purina following college, Debbie Fager was living the life of a suburban mom. She had a marketing degree from DePaul and was happy to defer her career to be a stay-at-home mom when, one day after a walk with a friend, she thought she had pulled a muscle. Trips to the doctor and a blood test confirmed a different diagnosis altogether: Debbie was diagnosed with Stage 4 appendix cancer.

"Cancer touches everyone," Debbie said, "and it doesn't care if you're rich or poor." Her life became a rotation of doctors and therapies and she ended up in Washington, D.C., where she found a specialist, Dr. Paul Sugarbaker, who specialized in this very rare type of cancer. "The occurrence of appendix cancer is .4 percent," Debbie said, adding that she and her family felt blessed to find Dr. Sugarbaker. Her treatment was very aggressive but she beat the odds and found herself, three years later, back home. At that point she had to ask herself, "Now what?"

Serving as a volunteer at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life led to her present job as senior patient service representative for the American Cancer Society (ACS), a job she calls "my 'pinch-me' job.”

"There's nothing better," Debbie said about her work, "than to be able to help, to be able to give back and be involved." Her job takes her all over DuPage County, working with hospitals and staff, physicians and nurses, to elevate their awareness about the breadth of programs offered by ACS. From the "Look Good, Feel Better" program which helps cancer patients with wigs and make-up to the "Road to Recovery" program that provides free rides to patients who need transportation, Debbie said there are programs for every aspect of support for those facing a diagnosis of cancer.

She described the satisfaction of talking with "a woman who comes in, nervous and afraid, and telling her I'm a Stage 4 cancer survivor," Debbie said. "Then, [after sharing about the services of ACS] I see that same woman walk out of the office a little taller, a little sassy, knowing she can get through this.

"I have a deep passion for what I do," Debbie added, saying "I believe God left me here for a reason. I'm here to talk, to listen and to contact people," she said about her role of educating people about the many services of ACS. "Our patient navigator system is like no other," she said, "and we can find resources for almost anything." 

Debbie has made it her mission to use her job to alleviate any barriers to care for cancer patients in the area, a mission that isn't always easy due to the complexity of the healthcare system. "Everyone has so much to do," she said, "and it's sometimes hard to get to everyone." The goal of ACS is to ensure that no patient "falls through the cracks," Debbie said, and to work together with every referral. "I
would love it if [our services] would become part of the standard of care" for healthcare providers.

The biggest need for ACS right now is for volunteer drivers, Debbie said, asking that anyone who might be interested in serving as a driver contact the DuPage Area Office, Illinois Division. She said she's touched and amazed by the passionate volunteers who give of their time, their vehicles and their gas money to drive patients to where they need to be. "These people could be doing something else--they're qualified, educated and talented--and they choose to volunteer here," Debbie said. "When you work with people who share the same passion, it's euphoric," she said.

When Debbie was given her original prognosis, she didn't think she would live to see her son Danny graduate from eighth grade. With a big smile, she said he just graduated from the University of Iowa. "It's easy to say every day is a gift, but when you're faced with your own mortality, it's totally different."

To learn more about the American Cancer Society and all its services available to patients in the DuPage area or to volunteer, call 1-800-227-2345.

Vickie Austin is a business and career coach and founder of CHOICES Worldwide, a coaching practice based in Wheaton. She blogs for the Wheaton Patch about people who love their work.  Vickie will be forever grateful to Tricia Bruce and the people of the American Cancer Society based at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, AZ, for the wonderful services they provided for her mother, Geri Axford, who died of breast cancer in 2009.