4 minute read
Annie Russell’s journey – from patient, to cancer survivor to oncology clinician
By John D. Begin
When she began her physician assistant program at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Annie Russell envisioned a different life and career path than the one she eventually traveled.
“I would have said I’d still be living in Boston after graduating and I’d be working at Boston Children's Hospital,” she said, “but my cancer diagnosis and treatment changed my trajectory.”
Born and raised in Madison, Russell had completed the first year of her program when doctors diagnosed a tumor in her left foot as a sarcoma, a rare cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 12,000 cases of softtissue sarcomas and 3,000 cases of bone sarcomas are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.
Sadly, this diagnosis was not the first time her family had experienced the painful challenges of cancer.
“My history with cancer started in 2011. I was 17 years old when my dad was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma in his hip,” she said. “He was diagnosed in February and died in October. This experience played a huge role in my decision to become a medical provider.”
“With my family history, I was terrified when I was diagnosed,” she added. “I lived within walking distance of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, so I got a second opinion from one of the fancy, big-name hospitals in Boston. I took their treatment recommendations and decided to come home to Maine, to the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, for my treatment.”
Before her eventual surgery in Boston to remove the tumor, Russell had six weeks of daily radiation therapy treatments at the cancer center in Augusta.
“More than seven years later, I’m cancer-free,” she said. “Without the radiation therapy I received close to home, I wouldn’t have my leg.”
Caring for others with a survivor’s heart
Since 2021, as a clinician with the medical oncology team, Russell has treated patients at the same center that provided her expert oncology care.
Though she had a very positive experience with those who treated and supported her as a patient, she never expected to someday join them as a colleague. But life sometimes moves in mysterious ways.
“I was working in emergency medicine after graduating, soon after my fight with cancer, and leaving work feeling unfulfilled,” she recalled. “A very good friend, and one of the administrators at the cancer center, approached me and said, ‘I think you’d be a good fit here.’”
“At that time, I didn’t want to come within 20 feet of anyone with cancer, because of my own experience and my dad’s. It was too close to home,” Russell added, “but eventually I reconsidered and worked a few days there. I was blown away by the stark difference between my days at my full-time job and what a day there could look like. The compassion every person has for their patients makes this the type of place you want to work at.
Debbie Bowden, administrative director for Oncology Services at MaineGeneral, said Russell’s personal experience with cancer, along with her skills and compassion for others, has made her a wonderful addition to the team.
“Her story validates that ‘hope starts here.’ We can’t always witness what happens to our patients after we care for them, but in Annie’s case, we do know. The care she received here not only saved her leg, but also her life,” Bowden said. “She’s now living a full and joyful life, and she brings that joy to her work as a clinician.”
“Annie offers empathy, a true understanding of what patients are going through and a love for others,” she added. “She's the type of staff you’d want sitting across from you and giving you the hope and encouragement you need.”
Russell, too, acknowledges the importance of the connection she can make with her patients. And when she cares for them, she often thinks of her father.
“I want to take care of other people’s loved ones, like I wanted others to take care of my dad,” she said.
“Unfortunately, all of our lives will be touched by cancer at some point. But if you or a loved one receive a cancer diagnosis, the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care is the place you want to go for treatment.”
“Thanks to the cancer center, I can live a happy, full life with my husband Barrett and my baby girl Quinn, with all of my extremities intact. That wouldn’t have been possible without the excellent care I received right down the road from my home.”
John D. Begin is a communications specialist in MaineGeneral Health’s Marketing and Communications Department
