Giving Stories

Barbara Palmer: A Survivor's Story

Barbara Palmer has a name you may recognize: The Palmer Museum of Art on the Penn State University Park campus bears her name, and it was a gift to Penn State, indeed the community, from Barbara and her late husband, Jim.

Barbara is a philanthropist, and it's one of her passions. She is a founding member of the Hemlock Council (Central Pennsylvania) of the Girl Scouts, and also of the Park Forest Day Nursery for low-income children. She has helped to fund important international multiple sclerosis research, and also provided generously for students and faculty at the Palmers' alma mater, Iowa State, and at Barbara and Jim's adopted alma mater, Penn State.

When Barbara Palmer knows it's important to be involved with an organization, she digs in deep, providing counsel, resources, and inspiration. This is a story about digging deep within one's soul to find strength, fortitude, and the will to get up and greet each day as if it's an opportunity to be lived.

In the winter of 1994, Barbara was diagnosed with breast cancer—a complete shock to Barbara, as well as to her family. Thankfully, Barbara was diagnosed at a time when mammography was routinely available, and a lumpectomy, rather than a mastectomy, was the new standard of care. After a lumpectomy at Penn State Hershey and six weeks of radiation therapy under the care of Jerry Derdel, MD, at Mount Nittany Medical Center, combined with a relatively new, powerful medication and regular follow-up appointments with Richard Dixon, MD, her medical oncologist, Barbara received another jolt—uterine cancer was diagnosed. A spontaneous remission occurred, however, and Barbara didn't need to undergo further treatment for uterine cancer.

Barbara's breast cancer treatment behind her, she and Jim rededicated themselves to each other, and to their family. World travel combined with activities like scuba diving, piloting private aircraft, and working to raise money and visibility for the National Council of the World Wildlife Fund provided the healing therapy that the Palmers needed to almost forget about the “c” word that had nearly destroyed their lives. Almost …

Jim, husband to Barbara for 53 years, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2000. Even more devastatingly, the prognosis was poor—the cancer was late stage. Kidney surgery at Hershey Medical Center (kidney surgery wasn't performed at Mount Nittany Medical Center at that time, although now is a regular occurrence) was followed by enrollment in a sophisticated clinical trial at the Cleveland Clinic (Mount Nittany's affiliation with the Penn State Cancer Institute in 2001 has enabled us to participate in these same types of sophisticated clinical trials right here in State College). Despite Jim's poor prognosis when his cancer was diagnosed, he outlived everyone's expectations and survived his cancer for 18 months. Perhaps this was Jim's tribute to the gentle, yet capable care from his wife, Barbara, or the intellectual capacity of his physicians, or the compassionate teachings of his nurses.

As Barbara was still adjusting to life without Jim, Barry Stein, DMD, expressed concern about a lesion on Barbara's gum. Barbara had been through biopsies of suspicious lesions in her mouth before, and was not as concerned about this newest one as Dr. Stein was. After all, these lesions had always been benign, and no further treatment had ever been indicated. Eventually, and because hurricanes prevented Barbara's annual winter pilgrimage to the Caribbean, Barbara conceded to surgery. This time the results indicated squamous cell carcinoma of the gums—cancer. Excision of the tumor was recommended, quickly followed by extensive reconstructive surgery. Fortunately, new State College-based physician, Stephen Engroff, MD, DMD, was one of the few surgeons in the country who could perform both excision and reconstructive surgery. The decision was clear: Dr. Engroff would do the surgery at Mount Nittany Medical Center. A six and one-half hour surgery allowed a nearly prefect cosmetic outcome, and a removal of the cancer. In addition, all 27 of Barbara's lymph nodes tested negative for cancer. Barbara's mouth cancer had not spread. Speech therapy and jaw exercises have left Barbara with a full return of function.

Barbara Palmer wishes people to know that although cancer can exact its toll, hope remains. Treatments continue to improve through research, and the latest treatment options are now available locally, so people can stay close to their families and friends.

Barbara knows the value of philanthropy: to sustain important programs and services; or, to encourage programmatic or technological advances; or, to construct or equip facilities to be more client-focused, more family-friendly, and to aid in the recruitment of top-notch professionals. That's why Barbara Palmer has decided to participate in Commitment to Distinction and is a significant donor to Mount Nittany Medical Center. She believes she can play a role in helping to advance healthcare for this special region. After all, improved healthcare may again help Barbara or someone she cares about. And that's something into which Barbara can dig deeply.