30 Sep 2021 Fearless in the face of cancer
By Jennifer Skinner
Kristi Miller is passionate about her career because it is very personal to her. Nursing wasn’t something she had even considered until her mother, Cindy Mendenhall, was diagnosed with stage 2B cervical cancer in 2013. Kristi desired to understand the diagnosis and treatments. As she began to ask questions, she found herself wanting to know more.
Cindy saw her daughter’s interest as a potential career in the medical field. She steered Kristi into pursuing a registered medical assistant certification (RMA) and supported her every step of the way. Kristi completed her RMA certification and came to work at Unity Health-White County Oncology in the Pyeatt Family Cancer Center, where her mother was receiving chemotherapy. She would be there with her in the clinic during the long hours of treatments.
Kristi loved caring for patients as an RMA but longed to do more for them. With additional support from her mother, she pursued a registered nurse degree. Cindy remained by her side, studying with her every day, and Kristi remained by her mother’s side during her treatments. She graduated with her RN degree and a 4.0 GPA at the end of 2019. She attributes her success to all her mother’s dedication and support. Unfortunately, Cindy lost her battle with cancer during Kristi’s last semester of RN school. This was a difficult time for Kristi, but when she graduated, she received a letter her mother had written to her.
Now, less than two years later, Kristi still cares for cancer patients at the Pyeatt Family Cancer Center, where her mother sat day after day in the chemo chair she now affectionately calls “my mom’s chair.” She admits, “Some days, it’s very hard. I see my mom in a lot of patients.” However, she remains dedicated to making patients smile and laugh. She explains, “Even with cancer, you can have joy. You don’t have to give up or give in.” That’s what Kristi’s mother taught her and the other patients around her.
She says, “Sometimes patients need you not to treat them like a patient, but like a person, to joke with them and talk with them about their day.” Kristi helps bring them joy in the midst of their struggle.
Kristi sees a lot of different cancer situations, and she really wants people to understand the importance of getting their annual exams. “That’s how we catch it, and that’s how we save people,” she says. She encourages people to do everything they can to prevent cancer and get an early diagnosis, so they have a better chance of beating it.
She knows personally what a horrible disease cancer really is for patients. Her mother was having complications for a long time before she went to the doctor, and by then she was already at stage 2B cervical cancer. After the cancer progressed even further, her mother experienced excruciating pain as it metastasized, attaching to the bones in her hip, spine, and femur.
Kristi sees patients fighting for their lives every day. She stresses the importance of getting physician-directed diagnostic screenings, such as prostate screening, colonoscopy, mammogram, pap smear, skin cancer screening, and even genetic screenings, to identify potential risks for cancer so it can be caught early. When caught early, treatment can be more successful, and the quality of life can be preserved.
Today, as a working mother with support from her husband, Michael, Kristi is continuing her education to obtain her BSN this December and then on to her master’s degree. She is currently raising money to purchase a new chemotherapy chair at the Pyeatt Family Cancer Center in honor of her mother, Cindy. Cancer patients spend many hours in the chemo chairs — sometimes eight hours a day several days a week — and the chairs are very important in making them comfortable. Kristi will also have her mother’s favorite quote engraved on a piece of wooden artwork and hung near the chair to inspire patients to have strength: “Fear comes because of forgetfulness of God. Whatever you’re afraid of is bigger than God in that instance.” This tribute is important because, even in the darkest days, her mother never showed fear. “She would talk about where she was going to be.”
Unity Health – White County Oncology and the Pyeatt Family Cancer Center’s comprehensive approach to cancer care allows patients to be diagnosed and treated close to home with a team of board-certified experts using advanced diagnostic and treatment technology. The cancer center is undergoing expansion, and new chemotherapy chairs can be sponsored at Unity-Health.org. Anyone wishing to contribute to the new chemo chair in honor of Cindy Mendenhall can donate at unity-health.org/foundation/donate-now/ and use “Cindy’s Chair” as the tribute name.
