Going it alone

By Vikki Ortiz Healy/Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO - Claudia Peyton went to the doctor's office alone to receive the terrifying diagnosis.

Doctors told her she had an aggressive breast cancer, which would require surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Treatments would be so intense, she'd need rides to every appointment. And sometimes she would be too sick to get out of bed.

“All I could do was sob,” said Peyton, 55, who is single and remembers coming back to her studio apartment afterward and collapsing in grief. “There was fear and anxiety and I wanted to feel supported.”

So the former adjunct fine arts professor at Northern Illinois University and Harper College did what she had to do to get through her illness. She assembled a remarkable team of family, friends and ultimately, strangers, who drove her to chemotherapy sessions, brought over dinner and even did fundraising to make sure her bills were paid when she was too sick to work.

“I'd come from an upbringing where I believed that I had to do everything alone,” said Peyton of Chicago's Roscoe Village. “I think when you realize when your life might be limited, all my baggage needed to go and I needed to invite people in for support.”

Alone as Peyton felt after her diagnosis last year, the experience is becoming increasingly common for a growing number of single people like her diagnosed with cancer and facing the prospect of fighting for their lives alone, experts say.

Their solo efforts to triumph over the disease are inspiring additional resources and training for medical staff as well as encouraging new support groups, according to advocates.

Oncologists and medical staff are learning how important it is to inquire early on if a patient has support.

“The first thing the oncologist should say is, “I notice you've come alone. Is there somebody who is going to be able to help you?” said Lidia Schapira of Cancer.net.

When a patient doesn't have adequate support, it can be hard to feel optimistic about their chances.

“It's just very emotional,” said Cathy Galligan, director of patient navigation services for the American Cancer Society. “So to get somebody at the time of diagnosis, or shortly after, to know that there's help available - it's very important to give them help and hope.”

After receiving the news, Peyton allowed one of her sisters to create and keep a blog seeking prayers and financial contributions. And she created a weekly email that she called her “Support Needs List.”

Sent to about 45 people who offered help, the list detailed shifts to handle needs as simple as a ride to the hospital or a phone call at bedtime.

Friends eagerly grabbed opportunities to help, and eventually, word of Peyton's list spread to former colleagues, high school classmates she hadn't seen in decades - even strangers willing to pitch in.

“She was tough. No self-pity. I think that made people want to help,” said Mary Ellen Hynes, a friend who stopped by to tidy up Peyton's home or just offer company. “People felt nurtured by her presence.”

The story is a change from what medical experts more typically see when single people deal with cancer on their own, said Michelle Peters, a nurse at Swedish Covenant Hospital, who helped Peyton navigate the treatment process.

“I think a lot of time, people's needs are not met because they're not expressed,” Peters said.