Employee gives the ultimate gift, a helping hand through breast cancer

When Angela Brumley learned that the mother of her supervisor, Liz VandenHeuvel, had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, she did for VandenHeuvel what someone had done for her.

“I talked to someone who had been through breast cancer surgery and treatment before I went through it,” said Brumley, a senior patient access specialist at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs. “Going into everything, I knew what to expect, and that helped in my recovery. I wanted to do the same for Liz and her mom.”

Brumley immediately offered a support pillow she still had, and sent VandenHeuvel numerous links of additional items she found helpful and comforting during her recovery process. The items arrived at VandenHeuvel’s mother’s house before she arrived to help care for her after surgery.

“Angela is a force of positive energy,” said VandenHeuvel. “She was pretty new to our team when this occurred, and for her to be so open and supportive was incredible.”

“Breast cancer is something that is very personal for women,” Brumley continued. “If me being open with my breast cancer experience was helpful to Liz and her mom, then maybe they’ll be able to pay it forward and help someone else who may face a similar situation.”

Brumley’s approach to cancer was proactive, having lost her father to esophageal cancer and her mother to breast cancer. When genetic testing identified an increased risk of cancer in Brumley, she elected to have a radical hysterectomy, where early stages of cancer were discovered in her fallopian tubes. She then had a bilateral mastectomy and full reconstruction.

“I thought that was it, that I’d be cancer free at that point,” she said. “But two months later, they found cancer in the last 2% of my breast tissue.”

Brumley then had a post-bilateral lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. She is currently in remission.

“The people at UCHealth in Steamboat basically saved my life,” she said. “The doctors and nurses, everyone was so pleasant. They were my team, and now working here, I get to be part of that bigger team.”

VandenHeuvel said the compassion and empathy Brumley showed and continues to exhibit in her patient interactions at work makes her well-suited for her role.

“I enjoy people. I like to talk to people,” she said. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to help them along the way.”