A shared cancer journey brings provider and patient closer together

Estimated learn time: 2-3 minutes

ST. GEORGE — Receiving a most cancers analysis will be scary, however having a assist system may also help you thru it. One teenage woman created an surprising shut bond together with her medical supplier after her analysis.

“I bear in mind it prefer it was yesterday,” Paola Zarate stated.

Simply over a 12 months in the past, Zarate took her teenage daughter to the emergency room in St. George for some ache in her facet.

“It was very stunning as a result of I had no signs main as much as it,” Emma Zarate stated.

However got here out with the worst form of information — Emma, 19, was recognized with Stage II Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“The subsequent day, I began chemo, and that lasted all the way in which up by April 25 of this final 12 months,” Emma stated.

It was a protracted 12 months full of remedy, however by all of it she felt supported by doctor assistant Ricky Tebbs.

“I felt like I may all the time depend on him,” she stated.

“My sufferers give me a lot power,” Tebbs stated. “I study a lot from them.”

Tebbs has labored at Intermountain Most cancers Middle of St. George for 11 years. And whereas treating most cancers sufferers, few know that he has been battling most cancers himself, for the final 12 years.

“Often, I do not share my most cancers analysis with sufferers,” he stated. “I do not wish to discredit what they’re going by, or one-up them, or something of that nature.”

Tebbs was recognized with mind most cancers in 2010 and has had a number of reoccurrences. By all of it, his expertise has helped him grow to be a greater supplier.

“Generally within the medical business, we are able to get callous. However being a affected person myself, I attempt so exhausting to not be callous and deal with individuals the way in which I’d wish to be handled,” he stated.

Emma Zarate wasn’t conscious of Tebbs’ analysis up till a number of weeks in the past. She came upon when the 2 had been honored at The Las Vegas Raiders recreation, recognizing the significance of early most cancers detection. It was a second neither of them will ever overlook.

“My most cancers journey has been so exhausting on me, on my household, and having the ability to share that with Emma was such a particular expertise,” Tebbs stated.

And Tebbs’ assist, Emma Zarate stated, is one thing she’s going to always remember.

“It was actually exhausting for me, so for him to undergo it and nonetheless assist different sufferers, it was actually humbling,” she stated.

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Ayanna Likens

Ayanna Likens is an Emmy award-winning particular tasks reporter for KSL-TV.