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PATIENT
PROFILES
Meet Vicci Guillet, breast cancer
survivor
 When
you meet Vicci Guillet for the first time, you can’t
help but notice her welcoming smile, her striking features,
and her quick wit. It is only after you speak with her that
you realize what fuels this "Dragon Lady."
Vicci was diagnosed with breast
cancer in 2002.
“I work for a great company, still do,
and they do great things for their employees like have health
fairs,” she says. “In November of 2002, there
was a mobile health unit there, and they were performing
breast exams. It was at this time the nurse conducting the
exam found a nickel-sized lump in my left breast.” As
a woman and mother, the discovery did not come as a shock
since so many women are diagnosed these days. But she was
determined, as soon as she heard the news. “I can remember
my first reaction being 'What do we do to get rid of it?'
,” she reflects. "Ms. Elaine Junca told me 'You
will fight this, and you will beat it' and my reply was,'Yes
Ma'am'."
Vicci was diagnosed with DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ).
It was fairly large, but had not metastasized. Having caught
it in time, Vicci was had a lumpectomy to remove the tumor
and also had some lymph nodes removed as well. After enduring
five surgeries and six grueling chemotherapy sessions, Vicci
was unsure whether she wanted to proceed with the radiation.
“I was tired from all the poking and prodding and cutting
that had gone on for what seemed like an eternity. When it
came time for my radiation treatments I was not sure I could
go on." she recalls. "I knew right away when told
I was going to have radiation therapy, that I was going to
OncoLogics. Their reputation preceeded them. I called their
office and spoke with Evelyn Goodrow, the Director of Nursing
Services. I told her how exhausted I was from the first two
portions of the treatment, and she told me to hold while
she spoke to Dr. Maitland DeLand. When she returned to the
line, she told me that I did not have to come in right away...that
if I wanted to take a month to recuperate, in my case it
would be okay. It was at this first moment that I knew there
was something special about OncoLogics...they gave me a chance
to breathe.”
"I spent a lot of time just relaxing. My husband is
a paramedic, so he has a very calming influence. He was the
one who shaved my head when my hair started falling out.
He would hold me and tell me how beautiful I was...I of course
did not feel beautiful at the time, but he was a real source
of strength."
This month off, was just what the
Doctor, or in this case the Nurse, had ordered.
"When I went in for my initial consultation,
I met with both Evelyn and Dr. DeLand. There are moments
in your life when you know something is just right, and I
knew right away that this was where I needed to be treated.
The first words out of Dr. DeLand's mouth were,'You have
been through hell and you're not having any more of that
here.' I had found sanity in the midst of insanity."
"Up until this point, most of the medical process had
been very "cattle-call" like, but not at OncoLogics.
They were there for me when I wasn't. Dr. DeLand, Evelyn
and Jaime Brou knew when I needed a little laugh or a little
hug. I would march in at 4:00p.m. for my treatment dragging
for the day, and 30 minutes later, I was bouncing out of
there laughing and giggling like I had just spent time with
best friends; it was very uplifting. They made me want to
follow through with my treatments — even look forward
to them."
“OncoLogics made me feel like a very special person,
like I was their only patient...and they do that with everyone.
When I would arrive for my treatments, I would speak with
other patients and they shared the very same feeling. It
takes a very unique staff with very unique leaders to make
each patient feel that special. I know that comes from Dr.
DeLand surrounding herself with people who are not only the
best at what they do, but individuals who also share the
same sense of compassion, understanding and love that she
does.”
38 sessions of radiation later, Vicci had finished
her treatment, but was only beginning her new way of life.
"Before
cancer, I was a vivacious person. I enjoyed gardening, running,
playing racquetball and spending time with my family. However,
I found myself worrying about the small things in life and
over-giving of myself and my time. Not that those are bad
things, but sometimes, you have to say no. Now, I don't sweat
the small stuff. I am willing to say no when I feel like
I am overloading myself, and I now appreciate the small things
in life that need to be appreciated, like my grandbabies.".
As of December 10, 2007, Vicci has been cancer-free
for five years, and although she no longer plays racquetball,
she has taken up a new sport. "Dragon Boat racing," she
proudly beams. Vicci is a member of the Cajun Invasion, Louisiana's
First Dragon Boat Team. Based out of Lafayette, LA, Cajun
Invasion addresses the needs for breast cancer survivors,
uplifts those surviving the disease, remembers those lost
to the disease, and proves there is life after breast cancer
diagnosis...a life that Vicci may never have seen had she
not been diagnosed. She would never have “awakened
the dragon” in her life.
" I had to do something for excercise," she teases.
For Vicci, Dragon Boat racing helps her to continue her fight
against breast cancer by keeping its awareness in the forefront.
What's more noticeable than a dragon boat filled with Breast
Cancer Survivors decked from head to toe in pink, ferociously
attacking the water with bright pink paddles, all while raising
money for research? It's a sport that has brought her closer
to her family as well. Many of her five sons and husband
regularly travel with the team to competitions, and sometimes
she even lets them do the paddling.
Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Friend, Accountant, Dragon Boat
Racer...she is all these things, and most importantly, Vicci
Guillet is a survivor; more than that, she thrives!!!
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