Max recoveredone step, one laugh at a time

May 25, 2012March 25, 2016

Perri Barber has undergone a series of chemotherapy and radiation treat-ments since her breast cancer, diagnosed in 2008, spread to otherparts of her body, including her brain.

So when offered a unique, new minimally invasive treatment for abrain tumor, she jumped at the chance. (The Visualase® MRI-guidedlaser ablation system, developed by Medtronic Medical Technologies,accurately maps tumor location and enables precise ablation of dis-eased tissue, while preserving healthy adjacent areas of the brain.)

In December 2015, the 51-year-old Comstock resident and motherof two sons underwent a stereotactic laser ablation under the skill-ful hands of Hunter Brumblay, MD, Neurosurgery of Kalamazoo,Borgess Brain & Spine Institute.

Remarkably, she was home two days later with a tiny scar nearher left ear, hidden by hair.

During the procedure, Perri was sedated and her headheld firmly in place by a brace while she was in aMRI machine. Dr. Brumblay said MRI im-ages were initially made of Perri’sbrain to precisely locate the tumorwithin 1- to 2-milimeter accu-racy in 3D images. The MRImachine continually fedupdated images as theprocedure continued.

Continued page 2

A “first” helps PerriMRI-Guided Laser Ablation of Brain Tumor

Perri Barber

A small entry hole about the size of a cof-fee stir stick was made in her skull, and acatheter the size of the lead in a pencil in-serted and placed at the site of the tumor.Laser energy was then applied to heat anddestroy the tumor. The MRI convertedthe laser’s thermal energy to images onthe computer screen, and the glow letDr. Brumblay know precisely where thelaser was located and how much of thetumor was being destroyed.

Once the catheter was removed, more im-ages were made to ensure accuracy. Thehole was closed with one stitch, he said.

An amazing process

“It’s an amazing process,” Dr. Brumblaysaid. “Laser thermal ablation has beenused for some time for procedures inother parts of the body, but it is only re-cently used to treat brain tumors. Perriwas the first patient in this region to un-dergo the procedure.”

In traditional brain surgery, a piece of theskull is removed to gain access to thetumor. The traditional operation takesmore time than the laser thermal ablation,requires a longer hospital stay and causesfar more scarring, he said.

Perri was awake soon after the procedureand said she had no pain except for asmall sore spot on her forehead caused bythe brace.

Dr. Brumblay said that not all people

with brain tumorsare candidates forthe new procedure.Perri was not a candi-date for traditionalbrain surgery.

Perri said that she hashad as many as 18separate brain tumorsover the years, mostof them small and re-duced in size by radi-ation treatments. Allare deep within thebrain. She also has tu-mors in her lowerback, and her liver,which are treatedwith chemotherapy.

Dr. Brumblay saidshe now has twomore brain tumorsthat appear tobe growing.

“If needed, I would do it again.”

“If I need to have another similar proce-dure, I would do it again,” said Perri.

“She’s doing great,” Dr. Brumblay said.“Perri has been battling cancer for along time, and she is a strong and coura-geous person. Perri has had some mildchanges since the surgery, but far fewerchanges than if she had had traditionalbrain surgery.”

Perri, who worked in special education atComstock Schools, is temporarily unableto work. “I miss being busy, but I do tire

easily,” she said. “I will need chemother-apy and radiation, and CT and MRI scansfor the rest of my life.”

She said she is supported by manyfriends and family praying for her, andgets additional strength from her owndeep faith.

“I’m not scared and I consider myself ina win-win situation. If I’m cured I’mcured and can be with my family. If I’mnot cured, I get to go to Jesus.”

“I trust in God and He will take care of it.I don’t worry, because if it’s going tohappen it’s going to happen.”

A “first” helps PerriContinued from page 1

Learn more about MRI-Guided LaserAblation of Brain TumorsLearn more about MRI-Guided Laser Ablation of Brain Tumors by watch-ing WWMT’s “Doc Talk” with Hunter Brumblay, MD, Neurosurgery ofKalamazoo and Borgess Brain & Spine Institute. Dr. Brumblay explainsthe possible uses of this new technique. You can view Dr. Brumblay’sinterview by visiting youtube.com/borgesshealth.

Badges now in Borgess Medical Center MAILROOMAs part of the ongoing transition to more standardized ministry-wide functions, the management of associate ID badgeswill move from Human Resources to Security. Effective Monday, March 28, associates may obtain new or replacementbadges at the Borgess Mail Services Office (ground east) at Borgess Medical Center. Mail Services hours of ID badgeoperations are 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office may be contacted at 226.8334.

Some important reminders involving associate ID badges include the following:

n All associates and contract staff are required to wear a Borgess badge.

n Borgess identification (ID) badge must be worn at all times. The ID badge mustbe worn above the waist level with picture and name clearly visible to the observer.

n There is a $10 fee for lost badges. This fee is paid to the Cashiers Office. Pleasecontact the Cashiers Office at (269) 226.8383 to make a payment when needed.

Meet ALEX:Let’s face it: Understanding your benefits can be overwhelming.Ascension wants to make it easier and fun. So we’re introducingALEX, your personal guide to Ascension benefits.

ALEX is interactive, informative and entertaining while explaining youroptions in plain English. Whether you’re making new choices or simplywant to understand Ascension’s plans, ALEX can help.

How ALEX WorksALEX uses point-by-point comparisons, definitions and examples.ALEX will:1. Ask you questions (your answers are anonymous)2. Walk you through your plan options 3. Show you how the plans compare4. Crunch numbers so you understand costs 5. Provide a details page where you can review your choices

Meet ALEX at bhahome.bmc.borgess.com/ and start your personalbenefits tour.

* Due to the benefit differences in collective bargaining agreements, the Alex Benefits Guide is not applicable in all situations for union staff.

your new benefits guide

Teamwork-March 25 insert Meet .qxp_Layout 1 3/23/16 4:20 PM Page 1

There are still many choice volunteer opportunities before, during and after theBorgess Run for the Health of It! You can volunteer with co-workers, friends orfamily, and we can tailor opportunities to your available volunteer times. Withnearly 9,000 participants in the six events and the Expo May 6 through May 8,we provide them with a great experience, and have fun in the bargain! Pleasevisit http://borgessrun.com/2016-volunteer or call 345-1913.NeeDeD:SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

THURSDAY, MAY 5 | BORGESS HEALTH & FITNESS CENTERMeijer Kids Fun Run Packet Pickup & Late Registration 3:30 – 6 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAY 6 | BORGESS HEALTH & FITNESS CENTERMeijer Kids Fun Run Expo 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.Meijer Kids Fun Run Registration & Packet Pickup 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.Motivational Mile Late Registration & Packet Pickup 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.Meijer Kids Fun Run Warm-up 5:30 p.m.Meijer Kids Fun Run 6 p.m.Motivational Mile 6:05 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 7 | WINGS EVENT CENTERBorgess Run Expo with Late Registration & Packet Pickup 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 8 | NAZARETH CAMPUSPacket Pickup for all events (Borgess Health & Fitness Center) 6:30 a.m.Worship Service in the Massage Tent 6:45 a.m.Kalamazoo Marathon 8 a.m.Borgess Half Marathon 8 a.m.Borgess 10K Run 8:15 a.m.Borgess 5K Run 8:25 a.m.Priority Health 5K Walk 8:30 a.m.

VOLuNTeeRS

They are known as events to “Honorand Remember.”

The 2016 Friends of Borgess Nursing(FoBN) celebration recognizes the manyoutstanding nurses throughout BorgessHealth. Honor and Remember featurestwo annual events designed to continuethe healing mission of nurses throughsupport of a special endowment fund.

FoBN Silent AuctionThe Tenth-Annual Gift Basket SilentAuction supports awards, certificationsand scholarships recognizing nurse re-search throughout Borgess Health. Thisevent will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,Wednesday, April 20, in the BorgessMedical Center cafeteria. The event is or-ganized by the Borgess ProfessionalNurse Council and is held the same dayas the Skills Fair.

Nurses in departments at Borgess Med-ical Center, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hos-pital and Borgess-Pipp Hospital areencouraged to donate baskets for theFoBN Silent Auction. The annual auctionfeatures more than 40 baskets ranging inprice from $35 to $290, with biddingoften exceeding $6,000 in total proceeds.

FoBN Awards ReceptionThe second and main FoBN event is theAwards Reception, which will be held at5 p.m., Thursday, May 12, in theLawrence education Center Auditorium.The reception tickets are $40. The reser-vation deadline is Monday, May 2.

The Awards Reception will recognize re-cipients of 11 non-monetary awards fornursing excellence, and recipients of 23monetary grants that promote specialtycertification and research. The non-mone-tary categories are:

n Rising Star Awardn Nursing Leadership Awardn Sisters of St. Joseph Legacy Awardn excellence in Clinical Practice Award Ι(one for Borgess Medical Center, and one

each for Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital,Borgess-Pipp Hospital, Borgess Gardens,Reverence Home Health & Hospice, andBorgess Ambulatory clinics/departments)n excellence in Clinical Practice Award Πn excellence in Advanced PracticeRegistered Nursing (Nurse Practitioner orCertified Nurse Midwife)

The monetary categories are:

n Scholarly Grantn Certification Grantn Certification Renewal Grant

Funds that are raised through the SilentAuction and Reception will support theFoBN endowment Fund. The funds willbe used to continue recognizing nursingexcellence throughout Borgess Health,and to support future nursing educationand scholarships.

For information on the FoBN Silent Auc-tion, contact Nancy Mora, RN, at (269)226.4835 or nancymora@borgess.com.For information on attending the FoBNawards reception, contact the BorgessFoundation at (269) 226.8100.

2016 Friends of Borgess Nursing Awards

ABC’S OF LIVING A HEALTHY LIFE is aconference for learning about ways youcan improve your health as you age, 9 a.m.to 4 p.m., April 11, at the TransformationsSpirituality Center, Nazareth. For moreinformation, contact Cheri Fraaza at(269) 370.9347 or cfraaza@csjoseph.org.

A Matter of Balance: classes to help prevent fallsA free, eight-week program to prevent falls and increase activity levels will begin9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Thursday, April 7, at the Borgess Health & Fitness Center, Classroom4. “Matter of Balance” may help anyone who restricts their activities because of con-cern about falling, anyone who has fallen in the past and anyone interested in improv-ing balance. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. To register, or for moreinformation, contact Megyn Gose, Injury Prevention Coordinator & educator, (269)226.7075 or MegynGose@borgess.com.

Veterans Choice Programserves those who served usAscension is now an official provider ofVeteran Care outside the VAAscension associates received a video message from Ascension President & CEO

Anthony R. Tersigni unveiling an exciting new program across our nationalministry. Ascension has become an official provider of Veteran Careoutside the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now qualified US veteranswho face wait times in excess of 30 days at the VA, or have to travelfarther than 40 miles from home, can receive care from BorgessHealth doctors and facilities. Keep a lookout for a public relations andmarketing campaign to promote the program. Here is the official

web site: ascension.org/veterans.

A thank you to veterans...and an oathIn honor of the Veterans Choice Program, Jennifer Purucker, Business Analyst, Ascension Information Services, and an eight-year U.S.Army veteran, thanked fellow veterans and gave an oath to serve all veterans entering the Borgess Health Ministry. She was joined byfellow veterans John Collins, MD, Todd Gray, Infrastructure Delivery Director, Ascension Information Services, Greg Petty, RN, BorgessEmergency & Trauma Center, and Andrew Hofacre, RN, Borgess Emergency & Trauma Center.

Each oath was unique, including Jennifer Purucker’s, shown below:

I, JENNIFER PURUCKER, solemnly swear to care for any eligible veteran at Borgess Health. I will do my best to provide IT services tofulfill our mission of compassionate, personalized care. I am honored to serve these veterans because I myself am a United States Armyveteran. It was my privilege to serve alongside some of our nation’s most dedicated men and women during three combat deployments.As a country, we need to be devoted to serving the people who kept us safe and continue to keep us safe. Veterans signed a blank checkto our country when they enlisted and now it is time to repay them for their sacrifice.

Jennifer Purucker’s videotaped oath will soon be used on the official Ascension website devoted to this new program: ascension.org/veterans.

Are you inspired by our commitment to serving qualified veteransthrough the Veterans Choice program? Sharing your commitment iseasy. Take your own oath to serving our veterans:

1. Use your smartphone to record a short video of your personal oath(no longer than 30 seconds). Don’t worry about it looking profes-sional! Just be sure to hold your phone horizontally for the best view,and don’t forget to smile.

2. Go to: ascension.org/oathvideos to upload your video and giveyour permission for Ascension to post it on social media and on as-cension.org/veterans.

Here is a brief template to help you get started. Feel free to person-alize your video—have you served our country or do you have aloved one who has served or is currently serving? Tell us about it!Make your video specific to you.

“I, (My Name), solemnly swear to care for any eligible veteran atBorgess Health. I will do my best to (What my job entails) to providecompassionate, personalized care for all, especially those most inneed. I am honored to serve these veterans because (My personalreason, or simply ‘they served us’).”

Share your personal commitment to serving our veterans

Jennifer Purucker