Tammy Schwing
Tammy Schwing: Caregiver Finds Comfort and Support, Close to Home
When her mom was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Tammy Schwing had to learn to juggle becoming a caregiver while working full-time and having a family.
“It was very difficult,” she says.
For the first two-and-a-half years of treatment, Tammy drove her mom to St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood for treatment, more than a two-hour drive from her home in Southeast Indiana.
“It was lots of traveling back and forth,” she says, noting that she’d sometimes have to make the trip twice a day if her mom had another treatment later.
Still, even as a healthcare provider herself — a nurse educator — Tammy remembers the surprise she felt when she learned that her mom’s Cancer Care team at St. Elizabeth was willing to talk to other hospitals and cancer centers about possible treatments.
“My mom’s cancer, urethral cancer, accounts for only about 1% of cancers, so there’s not much known about it, even how to treat it,” Tammy says. “They reached out to Mayo Clinic and some other local hospitals. I thought that was very nice. I felt more comfortable knowing that they were really trying to see if there was something they were missing or something else they could do.”
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Although she wasn’t sure if her mom would live to see the opening of the St. Elizabeth Dearborn Cancer Center in Southeast Indiana, Tammy was able to take her there for treatment for a year before she passed away.
“Traveling to Edgewood, you know, you don’t think it’s that far away, but it took a lot of time,” Tammy says. “Having the Dearborn Cancer Center here in our backyard is wonderful. It was such a blessing to have it in our hometown. It just decreased the stress and helped with time management.”
Learning to Accept Help
Even with her career in nursing, Tammy was struck by the care both she and her mom received through each of the St. Elizabeth cancer centers.
“My job has always been to be strong and take care of other people,” Tammy says, “but there were times when I just couldn’t do it anymore. I needed a break. I had to learn to pull on the strength of people around me and gain strength from that support. And everyone has just been amazing.”
St. Elizabeth Makes Caregiving Easier
At St. Elizabeth, we provide healing and hope — for patients and their caregivers. From caregiver resources to caregiver support groups, we help make sure you take care of yourself, too. You can also call (513) 791-4060 for more information on additional support groups through our Cancer Support Community.
