Receiving a Life-Changing Diagnosis

Being a teenager is an incredible time in a young person’s life, filled with promise and potential. The possibilities for a bright future seem endless. This was the case for 16-year-old Deena — until her life was turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis.

Deena noticed a mass growing around her abdomen, and while she was concerned, she had other things to think about. An ambitious, intelligent student, Deena was focused on her upcoming finals. But it soon became apparent that there was a serious issue.

Deena’s parents brought her to CHOP, where she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The reality of the disease hit Deena all at once. “I never thought I would hear the word cancer,” she shares. “Especially at that age.”

Doctors performed surgery the very next day, removing a 25-pound tumor from Deena’s body. She was subsequently put on a six-course treatment of chemotherapy. But at the end of this cycle, bloodwork showed her numbers still weren’t good, so she had to endure another nine months. “It was really devastating,” Deena remembers, “just thinking I was done, and then here we are with more chemo.”

After making it through this incredibly difficult time, Deena looks back at her experience at CHOP with gratitude and appreciation.

“They gave me a second chance at life,” she shares. CHOP has been a part of Deena’s life ever since. Her surgeon, John Templeton, Jr., MD, even attended her wedding to husband Michael in 2002.

The Challenges of Life After Cancer

When Deena was diagnosed with cancer, it was 1985. And while she knows she received cutting-edge treatment at the time, she also knows the landscape of pediatric cancer care was very different than it is now.

“Back then the mentality was to get people’s cancer under control at all costs. The focus was just on getting kids to the other side,” she says.

The field of cancer survivorship was only established in the 1980s with the term “cancer survivor” entering popular usage the year that Deena received her cancer diagnosis. At CHOP, the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program is the first of its kind in the nation, now seeing 700+ patients a year to help children and families manage life after cancer by educating about the long-term effects of cancer treatment, providing referrals to specialists, offering psychological counseling and facilitating the transition of patients to adult care when ready.

"The doctors take a holistic view of the patient, medically, psychologically and socially. They really view each child as a whole person, not just a patient…and even during treatment they are already thinking about life after cancer."

Still, to this day, therapies for cancer can be harsh and bring challenging side effects. Relapse is common, and even children who survive cancer frequently face long-term negative impacts on their health. Just as difficult for many patients is the effect of cancer therapy on fertility. Cancer therapy can affect a child's fertility through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, which can damage reproductive organs or the hormones that regulate them. In other words, it can prevent a child from having children later in life. This was the position Deena found herself in when she was married and ready to start a family.

“Unfortunately, I was not able to get pregnant as a result of the chemo,” Deena shares. “We feel fortunate that we had the resources to have a surrogate carry our children, but we realize that other families are not so lucky. We don't want finances to prevent someone from having children. You know, you go through a terrible experience like chemo and cancer treatment, and then hearing that you can't get pregnant or have your own family, it’s really a gut punch. We don't want any other family to have to go through that.”

Giving Back to CHOP

Inspired by her own journey, Deena made a gift toward cancer survivorship and fertility preservation studies at CHOP in 2020, and she has continued to support these efforts ever since. She also joined the Cancer Center Board of Visitors. “I didn’t want to just give money,” she says.

“I wanted to be involved and see all the cutting-edge work going on. I love going to the Board of Visitors meetings and meeting the doctors. I always come away feeling confident that I’m backing a winning organization.”

Her personal experience — as a patient, supporter and volunteer leader — has inspired her to give to CHOP now and include CHOP in her estate plan through a donor advised fund (DAF).

Deena shares that she has had a DAF for over 20 years, since she and her husband got married. She values that the DAF allows her to be tax efficient with appreciated securities. It also “forces us to give to the charities we care about” and “allows us to see the benefits of our charitable contributions in our lifetime.”

Deena also appreciates the opportunity to show her children the value of giving. “Charitable giving is very much a big part of what our family does. We want to instill that with our kids. We talk about charitable giving regularly…we want our kids to know that there are families out there struggling and we need to help them.”

Leaving a Legacy

Deena’s CHOP story has come full circle. To honor this lifelong relationship, Deena has included a DAF succession plan in her estate to support the Cancer Center at CHOP. Deena knows firsthand the fear and uncertainty patients and families face with a cancer diagnosis, as well as the physical and emotional toll of treatment. That is why she promised herself that if she made it to the other side, she was going to give back.

Deena’s estate gift ensures that future children receive quality and compassionate care and that the most promising breakthroughs in cancer treatment can happen within our walls. Most importantly, her gift surrounds our patients with a team of oncologists, surgeons, nurses, psychologists, social workers, child life specialists, and physical therapists dedicated to helping children along the path from cancer patient to cancer survivor.

“I feel really happy and privileged to be able to give back. I see this as a lifelong relationship, and even post-life given the fact that we designated CHOP as a beneficiary of our DAF…And I’m just glad that I'm able to fulfill this promise to myself.”

If you are interested in supporting CHOP with a gift in your will or other estate plan, please contact Lizabeth Macoretta at MacorettaL@chop.edu or by calling 267-426-6472. You can also learn more about the planned giving opportunities here.