'Extraordinary' cancer meeting
Not many people describe the day their oncologist explained cancer treatment as "extraordinary," but that's how Lon McMurtrey describes his doctor's appointment. That word could also describe the journey Lon and his wife, Ranita, would experience over the next few years.
Lon gives all the credit for that extraordinary day to Dr. Harold Longe and his team at IU Health Methodist Hospital. With a diagnosis of stage four metastatic melanoma that had spread to his lungs, Lon's prognosis wasn't good.
"Dr. Longe walks in, gives us a big smile, and says, 'We can't do surgery, we can't do chemo and we can't do radiation, but I think we can do something with this,'" said Lon.
Dr. Longe told the McMurtreys about immunotherapy.
"He introduced us to his staff," Lon said. "He gathered everyone around us, kind of like a group hug. They said, 'Don't worry. We've got you now.' It was an extraordinary day."
Lon's odds of surviving for two years were just 15%. Instead, the immunotherapy shrunk his tumors to the point that they were nearly gone. Lon is happy to report that he has been cancer free for over 2 years!
In 2020, Lon and Ranita's story took another extraordinary turn: Ranita was diagnosed with cancer in both breasts. On the day of her surgery, Ranita woke up feeling a little off. She told the pre-op nurse she felt "fluttery," but chalked it up to nerves. That feeling turned out to be an atrial flutter caused by a blood clot in her heart. Ranita's surgery was canceled, and she ended up in cardiac care.
"I was so grateful that nurse was so attentive and took what I said seriously," said Ranita. Eventually, Ranita received surgery and chemotherapy. While none of it was smooth sailing, Ranita credits her nurse navigator, Jamie Cornwell at IU Health Bloomington Hospital, with standing by her side. "She called me every two weeks without fail," said Ranita.
That kind of support is why Lon and Ranita included a gift to IU Health Foundation in their estate plan. The couple will establish a named fund to support nurse navigation in south central Indiana. The amount of the gift will be determined by the size of their estate when they die, but they want to ensure the fund is large enough to have a meaningful impact. So they are leaving the remainder of their retirement account and the remainder of a stock account to IU Health Foundation. Both gifts were simple. They just required a signed beneficiary form. Additionally, when the McMurtreys revised their wills, they directed their attorney to include a gift to IU Health from their will.
The McMurtreys were well cared for at IU Health, and they want to ensure others receive the same care. Planned gifts are an ideal way to ensure that their wishes are carried out.
