She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023. Eileen Hongo from Santa Maria was determined to learn all she could about the disease and how to fight it.
"Within two and a half weeks, I had a bilateral mastectomy, and then I started chemotherapy. So I underwent about 20 rounds of chemotherapy, and then after chemo there was a month break and I did 35 rounds of radiation," explains Hongo.
"I was very, very ignorant to breast cancer. No one in my family had ever been diagnosed with breast cancer, so my family and I, my husband Mark, and my daughter, we just started doing a bunch of research and became fluent in my diagnosis and treatment and making sure that I had the best care, making sure we understood the diagnosis," she said.
Hongo saw the need for a patient resource library to provide valuable education and support to patients like her, and their family members.
"A nook in the infusion center was my initial thought. And now it's this beautiful space, it has handcrafted cabinetry and bookshelves and coffee center and cozy seating, and it's just a really great place where patients can pause and breathe and feel seen, because that's what matters especially in your treatment," she said.
She raised nearly $40,000 to make the patient resource library a reality at Mission Hope Cancer Center.
Derek Baden is the Senior Director for Cancer Care Services for the Central Coast for Dignity Health. He said that as well as medical care, giving patients holistic care is a game-changer.
"I think it's tremendously important. Cancer, as we like to say, is a team sport. It's not just your medical team, it's not the surgical team, it's the support team that treats you holistically as an individual that really makes a difference and then sets it apart," said Baden.
"So you can have the best medical care in the world, but if you ignore the spiritual, the socioeconomic, the determinants of health, the psychological support, your outcomes are gonna be diminished. I think having something like this that really gives people resources, that provides education, that gives people a place to also intermingle and communicate with other staff members in a really non-threatening environment, a non-clinical environment, really helps support the patient as a whole," he said.
As for Eileen, her cancer battle continues, and it’s not easy. But she takes comfort in the community she’s built.
"It truly does not end after radiation and chemo and surgeries. It just...it never ends at this point. You're like in the worst club, but the best people," she said.
More information is available at Mission Hope Cancer Center.
