Donors and resource center support breast cancer patient
Britney Stoumbaugh, a 28-year-old mother of four, sought out her MultiCare primary care physician after discovering a painful lump in her left breast.
This same breast had also stopped producing milk months earlier. At the time, she’d been assured it was fine.
Upon seeing the lump, Stoumbaugh’s doctor recommended she get additional ultrasound and mammogram screenings.
“I went in, and they did lots of imaging,” Stoumbaugh recalls. “The technician came in and told me, ‘I’m almost certain you have cancer, but we need to do a biopsy to confirm.’ I just remember thinking, how am I supposed to tell my husband this?”
Days before these screenings, Stoumbaugh’s husband was laid off from work. While facing this financial challenge, Stoumbaugh learned she did indeed have breast cancer and that a mastectomy was the best course of action.
Stoumbaugh during and after her chemotherapy.
Fortunately, the Stoumbaugh family was approved for financial aid through MultiCare, lessening some of the burden. Community generosity also afforded some relief down the road.
Fast-forward to Stoumbaugh’s single mastectomy, and malignant cells were found all over her milk ducts. With this development, Stoumbaugh’s care team decided to remove nearby lymph nodes, which tested positive.
“I went from being told you have stage 0 to, all of a sudden, you’re stage 3, have lymph node involvement and now you have to do chemo, radiation and all these doctor’s appointments,” Stoumbaugh says. “It’s very overwhelming.”
Good Samaritan Cancer Resource Center’s helping hand
Stoumbaugh underwent chemotherapy for a year and has since wrapped up radiation therapy at MultiCare Regional Cancer Center – Tacoma. Her final surgery is scheduled for February 2024.
Throughout it all, Stoumbaugh now 29, strives to remain positive.
Good Samaritan Cancer Resource Center’s community cancer consultant Tamara Miller, MSHS, BCPA, LE — along with MultiCare Good Samaritan Foundation donors — have helped her keep her smile.
“They were like, ‘If you want to keep your hair, then we should have you meet Tamara,’” Stoumbaugh says. “She was really great. With the Paxman scalp cooling (which mitigates the risk of chemo-induced hair loss), she would check in and ask how I was doing. When I started losing hair, she actually reached out to the company, who called and gave me advice to make sure I’m doing it right.”
Stoumbaugh received financial assistance through Foundation funds to try Paxman scalp cooling.
These cooling caps are one of the many services supported by Good Samaritan Foundation’s Come Walk With Me (CWWM) 5K walk and fundraising campaign. CWWM funds also provided Stoumbaugh a complimentary wig and bag of makeup and essentials, coordinated through Miller.
In 2022 alone, 364 patients like Stoumbaugh received a wig thanks to CWWM participants and fundraisers.
“When you have the diagnosis, everything kind of hits you all at once, so with the donors coming in and Tamara, I’m extremely grateful to have these extra things to take the load off,” she shares. “I still have some of my hair, so thank you for helping me feel somewhat normal and giving women going through breast cancer confidence.”
Stoumbaugh is also thankful for CWWM’s Pink Fund, which offers gas or grocery gift cards to breast cancer patients in need.
“When Tamara learned about my family’s situation, she was like, we have this program that’ll give groceries,” Stoumbaugh explains. “Being able to have that, I could take that money and put it towards my bills that are coming in because of the cancer. Hopefully when we’re all past this, I’ll be able to help contribute myself.”
