Breast cancer survivor and employee: Why I made quilts for two MD Anderson doctors

How do you thank someone properly for saving your life? Seriously, how do you accomplish that in a way that the recipient might find meaningful, too?

That was the question I faced in August 2020, after completing treatment for breast cancer at MD Anderson The Woodlands — during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For me, the best way to express my gratitude is to quilt. So, I made quilts for two of my oncologists: breast surgeon Dr. Elizabeth FitzSullivan and radiation oncologist Dr. Pamela Schlembach. It took me almost three years to finish them. But it was important to me to say thank you with more than just words — because the gift they have given me is truly priceless. 

Quilts that reflect their new owners: similar, but unique

I’ve been a freestyle quilter now for about 20 years. I like how the materials feel in my hands and the way the colors and textures look when they’re all sewn together. 

The colors of my doctors’ quilts are mostly shades of pink because that’s the color of the awareness ribbons for breast cancer. I didn’t use any patterns, though. I just quilt by whatever comes into my heart. My hands start putting pieces together and the design emerges naturally.

Today, I know that the style of Dr. FitzSullivan’s quilt is called ombré because the color palette gradually fades from dark to light. Both quilts incorporate essentially the same fabrics, though, because I wanted them to reflect the doctors themselves: similar in their gifts but also unique. 

I presented my doctors with their quilts on May 31, 2023. It was really satisfying to say thank you in that way. But I also hope that these quilts will serve as a frequent reminder to them of just how special they are — not only to me but to all of the patients they’ve helped over the years. 

Other people at MD Anderson I owe my life to

Drs. FitzSullivan and Schlembach aren’t the only people at MD Anderson that I feel like I should be thanking.

If it hadn’t been for the technician who positioned my left breast just so in December 2019 during my regular annual screening mammogram there, for instance, then the tiny spot of cancer I had in my chest wall might well have been overlooked. It was only because of her skill in performing mammograms that the radiologists were finally able to examine an area of my body that had never been photographed before. And that turned out to be exactly where the cancer was.

And, if it hadn’t been for the pathologist who analyzed my tissue samples there after my breast surgery, then the tiny cancer cells hiding in my armpit lymph node might have also been missed. But MD Anderson has pathologists on staff who specialize exclusively in breast cancer, and they see it every day. So, I am extremely grateful to them, too. 

How cancer has made me slow down

Having cancer has given me a completely different perspective on life — especially once I finished treatment and showed no evidence of disease. It was only after I started to recover and process everything that had happened to me that I realized I’d been working way too hard. 

I knew I needed to slow down and make some changes. But that was a tough pill to swallow. By then, I’d been a registered nurse for 40 years and a nurse practitioner for 30. I was accustomed to putting others first. 

It was hard to start prioritizing my health. But what I eventually realized is that my life matters, too. So, I decided to start caring for myself just as well as I’d been caring for others. I’m still not perfect at it, but I am getting better.

Ringing the bell showed me the ceremony’s power

Ringing the bell to mark the end of my treatments on Aug. 4, 2020, was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. 

As an MD Anderson employee for 10 years by then, I had heard about the tradition for a long time. But I never really understood how incredible the experience was until I became a patient and experienced it personally.

When your hand is on that rope and you’re hearing that bell echoing and people cheering for you all up and down the hallways, it is so powerful. It just gives you chills. There really is nothing quite like it.

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