WHY GROUP HEALTH? MEMBERS SAY IT BEST
Patient Praises Care Team Who Saw Him through Cancer

Andrew Dimas
Member

In late 2002, I noticed a lump in my groin area and made an appointment to see my Group Health network provider, Dr. James Baker, at the Gig Harbor Medical Clinic.

After examining me, Dr. Baker determined a routine, one-hour surgery was necessary to correct an inguinal hernia. Five hours after I went into surgery, I awoke. My Group Health surgeon, Dr. Peter Van Wagenen, calmly broke the news that a tumor was pushing on the hernia. Dr. Van Wagenen did his best to get me through the shock of the unexpected. The biopsy determined that the tumor was malignant.

From that point, my life changed, and I guess I went into some sort of shock. Life became surreal as I prepared for radiation treatments with CT scans, X-rays, a PET scan, and on and on.

Thank God for Dr. Ann Williams, my oncologist, who helped me through the maze and allowed me to cry when I couldn't help myself. She was my rock. She was incredible.

Then Dr. Dean Mastras, a radiation oncologist, and his wonderful staff got me through eight weeks of five-day-a-week treatments. Dr. Mastras was wonderful. I was scared to death, but he helped me make it through.

Five and a half years later, I am here writing this letter — thanks to Dr. Baker, Dr. Van Wagenen, Dr. Williams, Dr. Mastras, Dr. Kurt Norman, and Dr. Jeffrey Harrison, who took over as my personal physician part way through this experience. He has been wonderful to me and for me.

I have nothing but praise and love for the Group Health doctors who saw me through my cancer — devastating news for me. I have always had a great zest for life. I was very physically active. I traveled a lot, played tennis since I was 12 years old, hiked, bicycled, you name it.

Those days are over, but thanks to the incredible care I received from my Group Health doctors — and their staffs — I am still here. And that's enough for me.

POSTED: 12/1/2008

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