| Pat
Lehr, RN, Crusades Against Cancer
 Waukegan ,
Ill. ,
7/8/04 -Cancer can be very trying
on a patient's spirit, drive, and life.
Some people succumb to these pressures
and become bitter towards the disease.
Others grow from the pressures and become
stronger after the disease. And a select
few learn from the pressures and become
a crusader against disease. Pat Lehr, RN,
( Beach Park ), Case Manager, Vista Health,
is one of these cancer crusaders. After
surviving cancer twice she decided to focus
her life on helping others get through
the disease that afflicted her.
"I love the emotional aspects of cancer
care," said Lehr. "I just love knowing that
I can help."
Her passion for humanity and care led her
to start the Cancer Care Unit at Victory
Memorial Hospital with Dr. Naren Kapadia,
an independent, board-certified oncologist.
That was twenty-five years ago.
Today, she has incorporated new avenues
for the fight against cancer. Pat is currently
a board member of the American Cancer Society
where she has been the recipient of some
of their highest awards.
Mary
Kennedy, American Cancer Society, said, "She
really has a gift for dealing with people.
[Calling her] an angel doesn't even do her
service-maybe an archangel."
Lehr also is a local chair for Relay for
Life, one of the biggest nationwide cancer
research fundraisers, and a volunteer for
Reach to Recovery offers for support for
breast cancer patients. On June 23, Lehr
received the Lake County Medical Society
2004 Citizen Service Award. This award was
first given out twenty years ago to provide
recognition to a non-physician in the community
who works in cancer care.
Even with all of her awards and honored
positions, Lehr is still very focused on
helping others with the disease that once
plagued her. She believes that cancer care
needs to focus on three aspects: the physical,
the emotional, and the spiritual.
"Most cancer patients I have seen have been
worried about the pain," Lehr explained. "We
can control the physical pain. But, you have
to remember, there is no narcotic for the
emotional pain."
Lehr's patients are the focus of her love
and work. Even in the toughest situations,
she aims to provide her patients with the
support, love, and care that they need to
get through the battle.
A few years ago, Lehr helped a middle-aged
woman whose dying wish was to see her son.
He was incarcerated in Statesville Correctional
Center in Joliet . The woman thought that
this reunion would be impossible, but Lehr
made it happen. She made several calls and
pleaded until the prison agreed to take him
to the hospital. The son walked into the
room alone and without handcuffs for their
last moments together. Lehr made even the
details possible. Her biggest reward was
seeing the mother die peacefully because
of that moment.
With all her accomplishments and admirers,
you may think that Lehr's crusade is over.
But she still drives forward, comforting
patients, raising money, and working for
a cure. By 2015 she hopes to see the cancer
rate reduced and even more money for research.
"Just in the time that I have been doing
therapy, testicular cancer has gone from
deadly to 99.5 percent curative," Lehr remembered. "In
the future, I hope to see more advances like
this."
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