When Ashmore resident Darla Grigg’s local doctor diagnosed her with anal cancer in October 2023, she faced a difficult decision: either wait almost two months to begin treatment close to home or find a provider who could start the treatment right away.
“I already had been bleeding for a few months, and I did not want to wait any longer. I called Sarah Bush Lincoln, and they got me in right away,” Darla said. “They got the ball rolling with my care plan.”
Darla learned that cancer— and cancer care— doesn’t take holidays. “Initially, treatment was going to start after Thanksgiving, but they decided to start the week of Thanksgiving because I [had] had the bleeding for five months at that point,” she said.
Sarah Bush Lincoln Oncologists Seong Cho, MD, and Abdur Shakir, MD, ordered radiation and chemotherapy to start the week of Thanksgiving. Darla appreciated that the SBL Regional Cancer Center staff immediately began treating her. The staff even worked on Thanksgiving to care for her.
"Dr. Cho drove from Champaign on Thanksgiving to treat me,” Darla said. “Even his nurse, who had planned to hunt with her son and husband, came in to care for me. I was blown away by how accommodating they were.”
Darla’s body handled the treatment for the first few days, but on Thanksgiving afternoon, she became sick. What Darla appreciated the most about Dr. Shakir is that he prepared her for all the side effects that she would experience. “He did not sugarcoat anything, and he told me what would happen,” Darla said, “and the symptoms appeared just like he explained they would.”
Despite the forewarning, Darla still struggled at times to manage her emotional and physical wellbeing. “I told myself that I had to think that those things wouldn’t happen,” she said. “I told myself I wouldn’t lose my hair, but I did. I told myself that I wouldn’t get depressed, but I did.”
Darla’s 2023 Christmas included more treatments and sickness, but she was in the final stages of chemotherapy and radiation by then. By January 2024, her treatment was complete.
“During my treatment, I was not interested in the holidays. I just wanted to get through it,” she said. “This year, I was excited to spend the holidays healthy with my friends and family.”
Inspired by her experience, Darla plans to volunteer at the SBL Regional Cancer Center to comfort and support others who are receiving treatment.
“The only way I know how to pay back my gift is to pay forward my story and personal experience,” she said.