Lisa Bashore

My passion for pediatric oncology and survivorship began when I was a young girl and my friend’s brother was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Unfortunately, he experienced a recurrence of his leukemia and had to undergo a bone marrow transplantation that included radiation. As a result, he experienced many late effects of his disease and treatment.

The journey that brought me to focus on childhood cancer survivorship started with my professional encounters with the many children and adolescents for whom I cared early in my career. Their long-term struggles with medical late-effects drove my desire to focus on childhood cancer survivorship. My first encounter was with a childhood cancer survivor (actually an adolescent) who died suddenly due to a cardiac event. This tragic encounter just after I began my career in survivorship fueled my ongoing passion for survivorship and research to try to make a difference. As a pediatric oncology nurse practitioner, I had the privilege to design a childhood cancer survivorship program in the South that continues to flourish today. After 24 years in practice and now with a special focus on how genetics impacts cancer care and survivorship, I have never looked back on my career decision.

Throughout my career, I met the most amazing professionals and people (more than that of a Hollywood celebrity) many who changed the trajectory of childhood cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship ---physicians, scientists, and nurses in particular. One of those is Wendy Hobbie, a pioneer in nursing care and study of childhood cancer survivors and an original author of this book. I spent several days with her at the survivorship program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and took home with me a fraction of her vast knowledge of childhood cancer survivorship. The original authors of the first editions did a fabulous job writing and revising over the years. Now ALSF will continue to share this book with new, updated information to guide survivors and families on their survivorship journeys moving forward.

Joanne Quillen

As an oncology nurse practitioner, I often share this book with my patients, but I received my first copy by a strange happenstance about 22 years ago, and it changed my life and career goals.

I have seven siblings and two of my sisters developed Hodgkins disease, one at age 12 and the other at age 14. My older sister was later diagnosed with late-effects breast cancer and heart failure in the 1990’s. During that difficult time, while I was on a flight to a Childrens Oncology Nursing Conference to present a poster, I began chatting with another nurse (Sue) sitting across the aisle. She told me about a Survivorship Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) where she worked, and spoke about this book and Wendy Hobbie, coauthor of the first editions. I was uncomfortable about attending this conference and leaving my older sister who was so ill at that time. When I returned home from the conference, a copy of Childhood Cancer Survivors: A practical guide to your future, was waiting for me. Sue had thoughtfully mailed me a copy along with Wendy’s contact information. In a few days, I called Wendy and she began to explain about late effects of cancer treatments and the importance of long-term comprehensive follow-up care for survivors. When I started reading the book, I could not put it down –such a helpful resource and guide. I used it like the Bible and found answers to so many questions for my sisters and me.

My experience on this cancer journey with both of my sisters, reading this book, and seeing the impact of that Survivorship Clinic at CHOP changed me in a profound way. Soon after this encounter with Wendy and reading the book, I enrolled in the Pediatric Oncology Nurse Practitioner Program at University of Pennsylvania. I have been a Pediatric Neuro-oncology/Survivorship Nurse Practitioner for 19 years. In 2008, I started the first Survivorship Program in Wilmington, Delaware at the Nemours Children’s Hospital. I continue to share this book with my patients and see how it continues to offer valuable support, guidance, and knowledge to both survivors and their families throughout their cancer journey.