Family uses program at Pittsburgh hospital to highlight every person who helped during cancer journey
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — One man's cancer journey has resulted in a wave of gratitude, shining a light on each and every person who helped him and his wife along his treatment path.
UPMC distributes recognition forms at all of its facilities. Patients and their families fill out the forms to recognize exceptional employees by sharing stories of care and compassion. The program is called Above & Beyond, and Dianne Baginski filled out dozens of the forms for each individual with whom they came in contact, from oncologists to valets.
Rick Baginski was diagnosed with throat cancer a year ago. He's recovered and is back at home now, but he still makes regular visits to the UPMC Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Clinic, where the focus is on caring for the whole person and their family in the recovery process.
"We don't always hear the good things that happen, and Rick and I as a couple, as we go through this cancer journey, we want to make sure each person was recognized," said Dianne.
"Everybody has been accessible, compassionate, and caring, and insisting that if there's a question or problem, call us," Rick said.
The couple likes to refer to all of them, collectively, as a "village."
Dianne said it can be a lesson in gratitude for all of us.
"Each one of the people we've come into contact with has been kind, thoughtful, respectful and comforting, not only to him, but to me. I'm not the patient, but they took care of me. So, they have become ... a family."
