Hope Lives Here | Nancy's Story

In January of 2011, Nancy Lutz lost her son Travis to skin cancer.

Five and a half months later, she was diagnosed herself - with stage 4 breast cancer, after finding a lump.

But not once did she think she was going to die.

"I'm going to live," she recalls thinking, "for my other son."

Nancy's secret weapons? Strength, says her friends, and an unwavering positive attitude.

"I'm the kind of person who likes to be in control of things and I had no control over this. The only thing I could control was how I felt," she said. "So I didn't let myself feel any negativity. I had to stay positive because I knew I had a long road ahead of me."

She was right about that. Since 2011, Nancy has battled a steady stream of health issues. She has had her gallbladder removed, multiple liver ablations, radiation burns and chronic cellulitis, plus a trip to Portland for surgery when her cancer kept coming back. Then, in 2024, she was diagnosed with a different kind of cancer - lymphoma.

"My treatments never stopped. I had to keep going for tests. I still have to go for CAT scans all the time," she said. "I will always be in the care of St. Charles Cancer Center."

No one wants that, of course, but Nancy - as usual - has made the best of it. From day one, she felt like she was in good hands.

"Somebody at (Central Oregon Radiology Associates) set me up with three amazing doctors. She said to me, 'Nancy, I got the best for you.' And she did. Ever since that day, I've had nothing but care and love from the people there," she said.

Her doctors, Nancy said, always spoke to her in a clear and forthright way, providing treatment options and partnering on a path forward. And her nurses made her feel comfortable in a place that doesn't always evoke comfort.

"This may sound strange, but they are so much fun. I have fun with them. We'd laugh and tease each other, and there's something about that that makes you feel normal - and normalcy is what you need," Nancy said. "I've been there for treatment that lasted several hours, and when it's getting late, I'm sure they'd like to go home. But they never make you feel that way. You can tell they're there for us."

They're often familiar faces, too, she said.

"From the time I was there for breast cancer and going through all those treatments to when I was back again in 2024, a lot of the same nurses were there. They remembered me," she said. "So they know me well, and I think if you ask any of them, they'd say it was my attitude that has really gotten me through all this."

Nancy can't take that attitude and transplant it into current and future patients at St. Charles. But she can offer words of encouragement to anyone who finds themselves there.

"I would just tell them that there is hope. I am a prime example of that," she said. "And when you go to St. Charles Cancer Center, you're going to get the best care possible."

Learn more about St. Charles Cancer Institute .