Jan Hopkins has always been an advocate for patients. As a certified medical coder at CHC/SEK, she makes sure charts are accurate, and insurance pays what it should. But last year, Jan found herself on the other side of the chart as a patient.
A mother of three daughters, one in middle school, one in high school, and one in college, Jan is a “theater mom,” and supports her girls in their many productions. Jan worked in medical billing and coding for several years before joining CHC/SEK three years ago. Last year, she began working from home. It was around this time she started to feel unwell.
A Rare Diagnosis
“I couldn’t explain it,” she said. “I just knew I didn’t feel well.”
She went to the clinic and had labs drawn. Soon after, Dr. Hudson called her in to let her know her labs didn’t look good and scheduled testing. Around the same time, while visiting family in Joplin, her cousin, a doctor, looked at her and urged her to go to the hospital.
At the hospital, doctors discovered that Jan had squamous cell carcinoma of the ovary, which is an extremely rare form of cancer, with only about 40 known cases. They identified a teratoma, a rare type of tumor that can contain hair, teeth, and other tissues. The next few days were a whirlwind for Jan.
“Within four days, I had surgery,” she said. “They did a complete hysterectomy, took my omentum, and six inches of my small intestine. They found the tumor was malignant.”
Five rounds of chemotherapy followed her surgery. At the beginning of her diagnosis, doctors told Jan her prognosis didn’t look good, just a 21% chance of surviving five years. But the surgery went well, and they were able to remove everything, so her prognosis improved.
“I had a free and clear scan in November, and every scan since has been good,” she said. “I’m still getting immunotherapy every three weeks for two years and scans every three months for now.”
Finding Strength in Her Support System
For those going through a difficult diagnosis, Jan advises them to let people support them and not keep it all in. Some days, you feel completely alone, but you’re not. Jan credits her strength to the people around her.
“I have a great support system at home and a great one at work, too. My coworkers were cheering me on from behind the scenes,” she said. “My husband was my caregiver, and so were my kids. I lost both my parents to cancer, so I have been through the caregiving side. I was being cared for this time, and it helped to have somebody supporting me.”
“I was very impressed with the support I got from CHC as a patient and an employee,” she said. “I was well taken care of on both sides. My doctors were very considerate and caring; their bedside manner was amazing. The company helped me with the Fairy Godmother Fund, and people donated PTO. My coworkers are just amazing; they organized fundraisers for me. I am so thankful to work for CHC.”
Today, Jan takes things one day at a time.
“I don’t let little things get to me anymore. Life is short, and you’ve got to find joy wherever you can.”