american cancer society announces 2008 hope gala spirit award recipients

Lafayette, LA – The American Cancer Society’s Reflections of Hope Gala will be held on Saturday, August 23 at the Lafayette Natural History Museum. Gala guests will enjoy an evening of elegance for all the right reasons: the fight against cancer.

During the event, the American Cancer Society will present its Spirit of Hope Award to 4 members of our community. The year’s award recognizes the talents and achievements of healthcare professionals, cancer survivors, and community leaders from the Acadiana area who have distinguished themselves in the fight against cancer. The 2008 recipients are:

M. Maitland DeLand, M.D. F.A.C.R., F.A.C.R.O., F.A.S.L.M.S.
OncoLogics, Inc.

Renee Fontenot, RTT
Opelousas General Health Systems / Opelousas Community Cancer Center

Debbie Dial, R.T. (R)
Lafayette General Medical Center

Melanie Broussard, RHIA, CCS
LSU - University Medical Center

Congratulations to our own Dr. DeLand for this prestigious honor. You can be part of this hope for a cure by contacting the American Cancer Society at (337) 237-3797 ext 0.

Engage in a short conversation with Melanie Tramonte, and you will quickly find this is a woman who has a zest for life. You will also find that she comes from a family with a long history of Breast Cancer — having lost four aunts and two cousins to the disease, it was not a shock for her when she found out she too had a tumor.

It was found during a routine mammogram. When she opened the envelope that held her films, she could tell something was not right. “My first reaction was fear, but having seen so many members of my family face this challenge, I knew I was up for it,” says Tramonte.

“When they found the cancer in October of 2002, it was in Stage 1, so I was lucky. The tumor was removed through a lumpectomy, and I only had to have radiation to follow it up. From the moment I stepped foot into OncoLogics, I knew I was in a place that was special,” recalls Tramonte. “As a patient, they treat you as a person, with honor and dignity. They really get to know you, and by the end of the treatment you feel like part of one big family.” So much that her daughter Melissa now works for OncoLogics. “They really have become part of my family,” Tramonte jokes.

Into her sixth-year of being cancer free, when Melanie is not busy with her job as a billing specialist, she spends her free time gardening, finding new and exciting internet destinations, and enjoying her life as a survivor, happy to be cancer free.