Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute is ‘Where Hope of Survival is’

On her first day of chemotherapy at Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute, Janet Hansen plucked a piece of a jade plant from the infusion suite atrium. She dubbed it her “cancer plant” and hoped they would survive together.

Janet was 55 when she developed a sore throat that turned into a lump that proved to be cancer, the beginning of seven years of treatment that included three surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.

“When you go into the cancer institute, it’s a wonderful place to be. It’s your world when you have cancer and everyone is there to help you,” she said. “They are there to help you, but I thought about what I could do to help myself, and that was work on my attitude, my sense of humor, and my diet. My body had to be strong enough to survive the radiation and the chemotherapy.”

Janet rapidly dropped weight as she struggled to swallow and battled fatigue, radiation burns, lost teeth, and food texture issues during her treatment. Her throat still swells until she has an opening only the width of a pencil opening. She must twist her head to swallow, and choking is a constant risk. Every bite counts when you can take so few, and she has had to comb through magazines and Internet guides for nutrition advice.

“When you’re sick with cancer, people think it’s like being sick with a cold, but there’s not a word in the human language that can explain how sick you really are,” Janet said.

Janet making a smoothie

Janet Hansen, Cancer Survivor

Janet consulting a nutritionist

“That last chemotherapy was a real hard one on me, and your body’s got to survive that stuff,” she added. “If you nourish it well and feed it what it needs to be fed, you can change your outcome. And if you have a place right there to get your information from, it could save your life.”

Cancer taught Janet about nutrition, and it also taught her about life. She learned who would stick with her in hard times and about the strength within herself. It brought her family closer together.

As for her “cancer plant,” Janet overwatered the succulent and watched it wilt. She, too, had her “oh no” moments when her future was in doubt. Now the plant is doing well and has a stem as wide as her wrist, and she’s been cleared of cancer.

“Sitting here cancer-free is something I never thought would happen,” she said. “SCI has become to me a safe haven. It’s where hope of survival is. It’s like a family. No one understands what you’re going through unless you have cancer or work with cancer patients. At Sletten, everybody gets it. It’s a great feeling to know that when you go there, you’re in a safe place, and they’ll have what you need to help you get better.”