Morning Rounds – Updates on the Latest News

Dr. Greg Nawalanic, psychologist, The University of Kansas Health System

• The election cycle can be stressful for many people and can add strain on many families and relationships.
• Data from the American Psychiatric Association showed that 73 percent of adults were anxious about the presidential election. That info should not tell you how to feel, but it can normalize it for some people.
• The way we now consume news has changed and this 24-hour cycle can be too much for some people, especially on social media.
• Help others by suggesting they take a break from too much social media and/or news coverage.
• When talking to your kids about election concerns, let them drive the conversation. Ask them what they know and go from there.

Focus Topic

Kerrie Mooneyham, treated for breast cancer

• Kerrie is a 58-year-old mother of three and grandmother of four.
• At another hospital, a routine checkup led to a breast cancer diagnosis, but the way she was told about it was really abrupt and without compassion.
• She sought a second opinion at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. The diagnosis of triple positive breast cancer was confirmed, but what she found was a caring, empathetic team led by Dr. Anne O’Dea, who gave her hope and reassured her they were going to take care of her.
• She has gone through four of the six rounds of chemotherapy and is planning on have a double mastectomy.
• Her treatment is going well, and she is thankful for the support of the medical team, her husband, her entire family, her co-workers, and the community.
• She is an advocate for getting a second opinion and fighting for your own health.
  
  

Scott Mooneyham, Kerrie’s husband

• Scott said the key in any type of diagnosis is your attitude and that's been a key for Kerrie.
• Her faith, the family, the friends, and community have been so supportive.
• He said the support has been so critical in helping them through this.

Dr. Anne O’Dea, breast medical oncologist; medical director, Breast Cancer Survivorship, The University of Kansas Cancer Center

• We are often meeting our patients often on one of the worst days of their life and they may have different levels of understanding of the situation and information, so we try our best to meet them where they are.
• We have very targeted treatments that we’re using for Kerrie, and we'll assess how well that works when we get the results of all of her pathology. And then we'll design treatments for after that.
• We have lots of options with newer targeted therapies. We currently have a very important clinical trial that is looking at this type of breast cancer and a newer treatment which may improve things even further. So, there are so many exciting advancements in this particular type of breast cancer.
• The nurse navigators are amazing. When you call that number and you get that nurse navigator, and they tell you their role and what they're going to do and assimilate your records and get you to the right doctor.
• Behind the scenes, they're reaching out to us as the physician immediately, and they are trained in their type of breast cancer.
• Our breast cancer nurse navigators are only nurse navigators for breast cancer. That's all they do. So, they have a lot of medical knowledge pertaining to different types of breast cancer and what types of treatments might be needed.
• I just want all patients to be reassured that we're not going to let them kind of flail in the system. The nurse navigators are advocating for them. They're reaching out to us. If we see that it's a more aggressive type of cancer, we're going to prioritize that for that patient.
• I'm so blessed and grateful to know Kerrie and Scott because of the way they have handled this situation.