By Sara Browning
IPMR’s STAR (Survivorship Training and Rehabilitation) Cancer Rehab Program is breaking down barriers to cancer rehabilitation across central Illinois.
The Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IPMR), founded in 1950, is helping cancer patients through its STAR Cancer Rehab Program. The STAR Program is a national program co-founded by Julie Silver, MD, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a cancer survivor. IPMR received STAR Program certification on April 29, 2013, thereby launching the first and only cancer rehab program in the Peoria area.
Addressing the Full Spectrum of Care
IPMR welcomes any cancer survivor, newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment, or post treatment, who is not satisfied with his or her current level of functioning. “Your wellness is our priority,” says Kate Horst, PT, Cert. MDT, STAR/C, program coordinator of IPMR Star Cancer Rehab Program.
Cancer rehabilitation experience depends on many factors including the type of tumor; organs affected; and treatment methods such as chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation. The rehabilitation team will develop an individualized program to address functional limitations and concerns to achieve personal goals.
IPMR’s comprehensive, STAR Program certified team is lead by a physiatrist and may include physical and occupational therapists, pain management specialists, speech-language pathologists, counselors, and nutritionists specializing in working with cancer patients.
Telling Hope’s Story
IPMR’s STAR Cancer Rehab Program has helped numerous cancer survivors regain their physical and emotional stability. But more than anything, the program has given them hope.
Susie Brown, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, began the STAR Cancer Rehab Program on January 20, 2014. “Soon after I joined the program, I met Tricia Saylor [PT, CLT-LANA, STAR/C]” says Susie. “From the start, I could tell that Tricia genuinely cared about me and my problems.”
Through the STAR program, Susie gained access to an occupational therapist to help neuropathy; a physical therapist to combat the effects of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT) and lymphedema; and a weight-loss therapist to help her shed the pounds she had gained from her breast cancer treatment medication.
“My therapists were amazing! I feel so much healthier and so much more like myself! IPMR’s STAR Rehab has truly been a gift from God. I had no idea the wonderful care and compassion that awaited me with this program!”
Excited About Recovery
Gary Tinervin was diagnosed with small cell and non-small cell lung cancer in February 2013. “The radiation burned me so badly, I could not swallow or eat. I also developed neuropathy in my hands and feet, chemobrain, and extreme fatigue,” says Gary. “After four chemotherapy treatments, I wanted to give up, but I’m not a quitter. People have said to me: ‘You never gave up. You’re a hero!’ But all I did was survive.”
Gary’s oncologist recommended the STAR program at IPMR. “My first thought was ‘Oh, great. More doctors. More therapy.’ Then I met Deb Meyer [PT, CLT-LANA, STAR/C]. And I knew that— finally — there was someone who actually cared, and it gave me hope. IPMR even gave me a scholarship to help with the cost of the program.”
Katie Pena, OTR/L, STAR/C, helped him overcome the neuropathy. “Katie is wonderful!” says Gary. “I also saw a psychologist who I really enjoyed speaking with as well as a massage therapist who was wonderful. Never in my life have I been so relaxed!”
Gary says the IPMR STAR Cancer Rehab Program has given him comfort at a time when he thought he was on his own. “For the first time since my diagnosis, I am actually excited about recovery! STAR has given me a desire to get better — as much for the staff at IPMR as for me. I’m no longer just sitting around waiting for the end — I have hope.”
Discovering What’s Next After Cancer
A lymphoma cancer survivor, Trina Magan worried that the cancer would reoccur. “On September 11, 2012, I discovered I had two sites of lymphoma,” she says. “I underwent chemotherapy every other week for six months. By April 1, 2013, I literally couldn’t breathe. I later discovered that one of the cancer medications had caused me to go into heart failure. In addition to the medication’s side effects, the chemotherapy basically turned my blood into molasses, and I developed a blood clot from my knee to my ankle. Neuropathy developed in my hands, and I had a full blown cataract in my left eye.”
After joining the STAR program, Trina discovered that the team of professionals “really listened” to her and educated her regarding how to cope with the damage caused by chemotherapy.
“For me, STAR was an after-cancer program. After cancer, you tend to ask yourself ‘What now?’ The STAR program is part of this answer! I thank God every day for STAR. I know now that God has a plan for me and that He is always in control,” says Trina.
Becoming Empowered
After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, the cancer treatment had left Shawna Erxleben unable to walk due to severe neuropathy in her hands, arms, legs, and feet.
“More than anything, I wanted to walk again,” she says. “I would tell my physical therapists that learning to walk was my first priority, but no one would listen. It was very frustrating. Then, I enrolled in IPMR’s STAR Cancer Rehab Program last June, and everything changed. Finally, someone was actually listening to what was important to me. There was a time when I thought I would never walk again. Today, thanks to the staff at IPMR, I am completely out of the wheelchair and no longer using a cane. I can take walks with my husband again. My life is so much better!”
Following Shawna’s breast reconstruction, her occupational therapist, Katie, began working with her. “Katie has always been ready to go outside the norm to help me get better. Today, I am empowered to take back what chemotherapy took away! Before STAR, I had never heard of a program that focused on cancer services and dealt specifically with areas the chemotherapy complicated. I honestly don’t know where I would be today without the caring people at IPMR!”
To learn more, call IPMR at 309-692-8670, 800-957-IPMR, email star.navigator@ipmr.org, or visit www.ipmr.org.