The most recent bell-ringer said he’s looking forward to feeling better. Doctors diagnosed Ralph Danuser, Marion, N.D., with small bowel cancer in the fall of 2020. The 76-year-old said he remembers feeling fatigued during ordinary activities like teaching hunter’s education class. When he noticed a darkness to his urine, he connected with his healthcare team at Essentia Health in Jamestown.
From there, he visited specialists in Fargo who ultimately referred him to Mayo Clinic. After a 6-hour operation in Rochester, Minn., his care team said he could receive chemotherapy close to home – at Jamestown Regional Medical Center.
JRMC opened its cancer center in 2019, in partnership with Sanford Health’s Roger Marris Cancer Center. The JRMC Cancer Center cares for individuals from any health system – Sanford, Essentia, Medallus, Catholic Health Initiatives, etc. In two years, the JRMC Cancer Center has saved those individuals more than 500,000 miles of travel. More than 2,000 of those miles are Danuser’s.
His treatment plan included 12 cycles, each cycle two weeks apart.
“They made an unfortunate situation as pleasant as you possibly can,” he said, saying Registered Nurse Garret Hillius always remembered his favorite snack and had one waiting for him. Admissions Clerk Lori Vondal remembered his preferred name – Ralph – even though his legal first name is something else. “You’re a person at the JRMC Cancer Center, not a number. Little things like that mean a lot to me.”
MILES MATTER
This isn’t the first time Danuser chose JRMC for care. He chose JRMC Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Michael T. Dean for his joint replacements in 2013, 2016 and 2018.
Like nearly all cancer patients, Danuser said his diagnosis scared him. He began to see life a little differently. He also began to consider his mortality.
REACH Coordinator Kalen Heller offers spirirtual care and support for every cancer patient. REACH stands for Resources, Educate, Advocacy, Care and Hope. The coordinator provides support and other services to help reduce the stress of the patient and their family through all phases of treatment and recovery. Heller helps individuals with cancer navigate their diagnosis outside the medical aspect and helps address other needs individual may have while completing treatment. Kalen also helps apply for programs that offer financial assistance and offers spiritual care and helps them learn about life as a cancer survivor.
“In healthcare for instance, we treat the physical person. My role is to offer care for a person’s holistic needs,” Heller said. “In visiting with Ralph, he mentioned his service in the Marine Corps and his tour in Vietnam.”
Danuser spent a year in Vietnam, at the age of 24.
“I know what it’s like to be scared,” he said. “Cancer scared me more.”
Today, he’s looking forward to celebrating his 54th wedding anniversary with his wife, Carol.
“I’m looking out for her and she’s looking out for me,” he said.
LEARN MORE