Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1508569
2 | Health Matters: Providence Mission Hospital Letter to the Community Seth R. Teigen, FACHE, Chief Executive Providence Mission Hospital R arely do I share personal stories in Health Matters, but I feel compelled to tell you about a recent experience. In the spring, my mother-in-law, Mary, reached out to us because she had a sudden onset of concerning symptoms; she saw her doctor and subsequently had an MRI. The results were shocking: inoperable stage IV brain cancer. We were devastated by the news. After she went through radiation and chemotherapy at the University of Wisconsin hospital in Madison, we received an unfavorable update. The tumor was continuing to grow, and the 12-to-18-month survival timeline we had originally been given was now just weeks or months. As all families do, we rallied together to talk about our options. Shortly thereafter, my in-laws made the difficult decision to move from Wisconsin to Orange County to spend time with us and their grandchildren. Establishing care in a completely different state is no small undertaking, and we have felt incredibly blessed to be surrounded by the best and brightest advising on next steps for Mary 's health care journey. I have now had the unique opportunity to be a family member of a patient at Mission Hospital; it was one of the most remarkable things I have ever experienced. I was in awe as I witnessed how our care teams wrapped their arms around my mother-in-law and our whole family. I also watched as other patients and families received the same amazing love and support. I have never been prouder of the dedication, compassion and expertise of our caregivers and physicians, and I'm so thankful to be surrounded by the Mission Hospital family. I hope that you never need the nurturing support of our oncology, palliative or hospice team, but if you do, our Mission family is here to care for yours as they did mine.