Scott Provencher’s
Exceptional Patient Experience “I firmly believe that I have had an Exceptional Patient Experience at Moore Regional, and this is why I have become a member of the PFAC and its subcommittees. Thank you to all my doctors, nurses, radiation technicians, administrative support, financial aid support and all the friendly/helpful volunteers.” —Scott Provencher
The friend brought him back to Moore County and Moore Regional Hospital, Provencher says, “because he really liked this hospital for how they had treated his mother.” Provencher was admitted to Moore Regional on Aug. 9, 2011. Soon afterward, Arsenia Provencher, just arrived from Paraguay, met with neurosurgeon Larry Van Carson, M.D., for an update on her husband’s treatment and to learn that he needed surgery to relieve pressure to his brain and to biopsy a mass on his temporal lobe. Six days later, by the time Provencher had been moved from surgical to neuro ICU, Dr. Carson had
Provencher’s room to discuss his recommended plan of action: first, surgery to remove the tumor followed by radiation and chemotherapy. A six-hour surgery to remove the tumor took place on Aug. 16, 2011. On Aug. 25, after completing all of his required physical therapy, Provencher went home with a walker, a cane, a treatment plan and a Cancer CARE Fund scholarship to FirstHealth’s Cancer Wellness Program. Radiation therapy, with radiation oncologist For more than a year, Scott Provencher has deStephen King, M.D., began on Sept. 8 and ended fined his life by “moments that matter.” The Seven Oct. 26. Chemotherapy, under the direction of Lakes resident, husband and father of four medical oncologist Charles Kuzma, M.D., has collected a scrapbook of them. started a week later and continues. Provencher was diagnosed with Stage Provencher has encountered the usual IV brain cancer in August 2011, and has side effects of treatment as well as a since undergone surgery, radiation and couple of unusual ones, but remains chemotherapy. Three recent MRIs indicate optimistic. The seven weeks of exercise that he is now in remission. Because his and education with the Cancer Wellness cancer has a history of recurrence, howProgram at the FirstHealth Center for ever, his chemotherapy was continued Health & Fitness–Southern Pines undoubtbeyond the usual standard of care. edly helped. Despite the dramatic assault to his “(Instructor Cinnamon LeBlanc) got me health and his family’s well-being, this to really push myself,” he says. strapping former Marine generally feels The lengthy list of caregivers throughout well, remains upbeat and is determined to his “exceptional patient experience” also beat the disease that changed his life so includes hospitalist John Kerr III, M.D.; quickly. He is also eager to share his story “The eagle represents Dr. Carson, the fish represents nurses and volunteers throughout the and does that as a member of FirstHealth’s my dad’s brain tumor. The water represents my hospital whose efforts and concerns have Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC), daddy, and the sun setting means the cancer is meant so much to him and his family; and his gone and the day is over.” – Kirsten I. Provencher a FirstHealth initiative to improve patient “favorite” Outpatient Cancer Center nurses care while celebrating the “exceptional Barry Barber and Laura Ferrall, who brought patient experience.” in cake and ice cream when he finished his “It’s my way of paying it forward,” Provencher the results of the biopsy—glioblastoma multifirst round of chemotherapy. says. forme, the most malignant and fastest-growing Barber says modestly that “it was a community Provencher’s FirstHealth experience began with of all brain tumors—and an uncertain prognosis kind of thing” while Provencher recalls giving “a a trip to the Emergency Department at Moore of maybe a month, maybe three months, maybe lot of hugs that day.” Regional Hospital, of which he has no memory. a year. Seemingly able to put a best face on even the He was in South Carolina for a new job and had According to both Provenchers, Dr. Carson most difficult of circumstances, Provencher has begun to have moderate-to-severe headaches delivered the news straightforwardly but with teamed up with his daughter, Carina, to create an and nausea. His wife, in her native Paraguay with compassion, even speaking to Arsenia in her acronym to describe his chemotherapy. He uses it their children to care for her ailing mother, had native Spanish. when sharing all of the events of the past year. become increasingly alarmed by his slurred speech “Dr. Carson talked to us as though he was the CHEMO, he says, means Caring Hearts Equals and lack of engagement during their telephone patient,” Provencher says. Miraculous Outcomes. conversations and asked a friend to check on him. Later the same day, Dr. Carson returned to
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