Stronger Together: Overcoming Transportation, Financial Struggles and Reaching Survivorship

A breast cancer survivor from Varnville, Lashana Greene overcame transportation and financial struggles with the help of a dedicated care team It takes a lot of strength to navigate a breast cancer diagnosis. Strength is something Varnville’s Lashana Greene has in spades.

The 51-year-old tapped into that strength in July 2024, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and began her treatment journey.

Lashana said that from the very beginning, her next steps following her diagnosis were clear. When a patient is diagnosed with cancer and beginning their treatment journey with Beaufort Memorial, they receive an informational packet, a “guide,” which includes everything from contact information for surgeons and cancer team members to diet and nutrition help to a step-by-step description of what to expect during radiation and chemotherapy.

“The team at Beaufort Memorial was very, very helpful. They gave me my packet, they told me the dos and don’ts, and they told me that if I go ahead and have surgery to make sure I’m able to continue with the radiation and treatment right after with no gap,” Lashana explained. “It made me feel very open and confident. I rely on God for a whole lot, but they made me feel comfortable.”

She began her radiation treatments, driving to and from her Varnville home to the Keyserling Cancer Center in Beaufort every day – no small distance. Then, early on in receiving treatment, a huge obstacle reared its head for Lashana: her vehicle caught fire, taking away transportation that was necessary to get her to her appointments.

“I guess the treatment was going too well for me; a wrench needed to be thrown in there,” Lashana laughed. “I said, ‘OK, God, I’ll leave it in your hands.’”

She went from having reliable daily transportation to her radiation appointments to having no way to get to Beaufort to receive her treatment. “It was a battle,” she admitted. “I had to really talk myself through it. When something like this happens, you have to take a deep breath. You have to keep a strong mind.”

She was committed to keeping her mental toughness, no matter what kind of wrench altered her plans. She missed a few months of treatment while navigating her transportation difficulties, and she made the courageous decision to ask for support.

“I wasn’t giving up,” she said. “I wasn’t scared to ask for help. I let everyone know that I was in the middle of treatment, and I wanted to come back.”

She shared her challenges with her Beaufort Memorial oncology navigation team, and she got the help she had prayed for.

Lashana’s care team put their heads together, said oncology social worker Kianna Brown, LMSW.

The American Cancer Society offers lodging assistance for patients undergoing cancer treatment to stay in hotels during their treatment, and they collaborated with a hotel less than two miles from the New River Cancer Center in Okatie. The program covered up to 12 days of lodging – and Lashana had just shy of 12 days left of treatment.

“It was as though the stars aligned!” Brown said. “I told her that I had made some calls and finally found a resource to help her complete her treatment journey. She was so excited!”

Lashana got to work, making connections with the organizations Brown shared with her. She did her research, made calls and applied for assistance.

“I told them about my financial situation and my vehicle situation,” Lashana said. “I asked them for help, and they responded. It was wonderful.”

Lashana was able to continue her treatment in Okatie, staying for 12 days at the Extended Stay of America Hotel and receiving help from the American Cancer Society’s Lodging Assistance Program. Thanks to a grant awarded to the Beaufort Memorial Foundation, she was able to use gas and grocery cards from the American Cancer Society and Share Our Suzy to help compensate her loved ones that gave her rides to and from the hotel, as well as assistance with groceries during her hotel stay.

The radiation team coordinated with the Beaufort Memorial transportation team and Foundation-purchased transport vans to bring Lashana to and from the hotel to receive treatment daily, free of charge.

“She was able to complete her treatment, thanks to her eligibility paired with the availability of this beautiful combination of resources,” Brown said. Lashana’s hard work – and the hard work of the navigation and transportation teams – paid off.

“I left it all in God’s hands,” she said. “I applied for everything they gave me. I’ve got kids, grandkids. I’ve got a lot to live for, and I wasn’t giving up that easy.”

Lashana rang the bell, cancer-free, on November 11, letting her care team know how much their help meant to her.

“I let them know, I love them,” she said. “I love them, honest to God, I do. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The mom and grandmother is active in the Cancer Buddy program at her church in Varnville, sharing her story when she can and emphasizing the passion and commitment of the Beaufort Memorial oncology team to others facing their survivor journey.

“I say to them, if you go to Beaufort Memorial, there is help for you there,” she said. “The people there are so good, and they work with you.”

 

This article was first published in Beaufort Memorial's 2024 Report to the Community, Transforming Tomorrow.