| 7/22/2010 3:06:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Early cancer diagnosis gave Wallace hope
By Pam Chickering Wilson
Union staff writer
Some might ascribe Mike Wallace's good health to his career in healthcare, or his proximity to top-notch cancer care. Certainly, both probably played a role, but Wallace said he feels he's just lucky.
Wallace, the chief executive officer of Fort HealthCare, discovered a lump on his neck in January. Although he was experiencing no pain, he still decided to see his doctor the next day.
"I'd recently had some dental work done," he said. "I wondered if it might be connected. I thought maybe an infection had set in."
Treatment with antibiotics yielded no change, so Wallace and his doctor decided to schedule surgery to remove the growth on his lymph node. Initial testing all came up negative, but the pathologist on the case, sensing that something wasn't quite right, sent tissue out for further testing at a remote laboratory.
When those results came in, Wallace learned that he had cancer ... T-cell lymphoma, to be exact.
"It was pretty shocking," the hospital CEO said. "Here, I'd already been doing the happy dance."
In the next week, he underwent numerous tests - PET Scan, bone marrow test, bloodwork and additional scans - to determine what stage his cancer was in. It turned out to be Stage 1, the earliest stage.
As a healthcare professional, Wallace said, he was prepared for a few grueling months as he entered chemotherapy and then radiation therapy. Instead, he sailed through the treatment without major side effects and continued working throughout.
The chemotherapy lasted three months - February through April - and he completed radiation therapy in June.
"I never had so much as a whiff of nausea," he said.
"I feel so blessed," he continued. "I was fortunate that my growth was right out in the open, right on my neck, not somewhere deep inside my body, so I found it right away."
Having caught the disease so early, Wallace said he fully expected a good outcome. With the treatment completed, he's now in the monitoring phase.
And all throughout, Wallace said, he has been fortunate to have the support of his family, friends, all of his colleagues at the hospital and the community as a whole.
"I chose early on to be pretty open about it, to let people know, 'Here's what's happening with me,'" he said.
He invited inquiries and appreciated all of the kind wishes people sent his way.
Wallace's wife, Kristin, and daughters, Carly and Meg, ages 15 and 12, respectively, have been terrific, too, he said, showing their support while not letting the diagnosis and treatment overwhelm them.
"We tried not to allow this to dominate their lives," he said.
The hospital CEO said his comparatively brief sojourn "on the other side of the gown" also has given him a lot of good insights into the patient experience and the interaction between patient and medical staff.
"I truly believe healthcare professionals have one of the highest callings," Wallace said. "But there are a lot of opportunities for gaps in communication to appear."
Wallace said he was extremely happy with his personal doctor and with the staff at the Johnson Creek Cancer Center, where he received the majority of his treatment.
"I received great care, because that's what they do," he said.
Since the Johnson Creek Cancer Center is a joint venture between the Fort Atkinson hospital, the Watertown hospital and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wallace took a certain pride in the professional treatment he received right here in Jefferson County.
"In fact, I'm on the cancer center board, and I'm currently the chairman," he said.
With his position in the local medical community, Wallace can hardly have failed to be familiar with Tomorrow's Hope, and, in fact, he has been participating in the local healthcare charity since its inception.
However, this year ,Wallace will take on a different role at the annual Walk Fest when its takes place this Friday and Saturday at Jefferson County Fair Park. This time, he'll participate in the opening ceremony with other survivors of life-limiting diseases, helping to carry the Flame of Hope around the track Friday evening.
"I have always believed in what Tomorrow's Hope is doing to help the community," Wallace said. "This belief has only been validated through my own personal experience and journey over the past seven months."
One of the things Tomorrow's Hope does is to advocate for early detection of various medical problems, through the programs it supports in the community, through educational outreach, and through the free health screenings it hosts each year during the Walk Fest. This year, the health fair will take place Saturday, July 24, from 8-10 a.m. in the food wing off the Jefferson County Fair Park Activity Center. There is no charge for the health fair screenings, nor is there an admission charge to attend the Walk Fest as a whole, which starts at 4 p.m. Friday and concludes at noon on Saturday.
All are welcome to join in the celebration of life and to support their friends and neighbors who are affected by life-limiting illness.
For those who wish, there are also ample opportunities to support the cause monetarily, from purchasing used tools at the "tool tent" or eating at the barbecue supper and breakfast bonanza to signing on to the motorcycle and classic car "Ride with a Buddy" that pairs drivers with survivors of life-limiting illness.
For more information, people can check the website at www.tomorrowshope.org.
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