Is CTCA Too Good to Be True?

Most of us understand that good word of mouth does the most to promote our businesses but is often the hardest to generate. Unfortunately, people are more likely to complain about a bad experience than they are to share information about a good one.

That's why I want to write just a bit here about the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, Ill. It has earned good word of mouth!

My oldest sister's cancer care has been managed by the doctors at CTCA in Zion for the past five years and for the past year and a half, I've been escorting her to her three-month checkups. I can say from firsthand experience that it is an exceptional facility staffed with valued employees who are empowered to make a difference, no matter what their job title or responsibility. From Hope, the cafeteria employee who pushes a cart through the returning patient waiting room while handing out snacks and singing a cheerful song, to Sue Jackson in patient relations, who will listen carefully and then fix the problem each and every time, they are all remarkable.

Last week we attended the Center's annual Celebrate Life event for five-year survivors. It was a very special occasion for my sister. She could attend this milestone event because CTCA is different. In addition to treating the whole person, not just the disease -- and that's why she travels to Zion from her home in the Southern Tier of New York State -- CTCA also offers her treatments that might not be available elsewhere. The parent organization even funds cancer research at competitive cancer facilities, hoping to use the outcome in its own four regional centers.

I know that when people see the CTCA commercials on TV, they think, "Really? Is it REALLY that good?" or "Those aren't real patients offering testimonials, are they? They're actors." It IS that good and those are REAL people. We sat next to one of them last Thursday night at dinner. When Roger Stump, one of the new TV commercial "stars," was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer more than five years ago, his doctor told him he had six months to live. Roger moved his care to CTCA in Zion and his cancer is now in remission.

Some doctors say to their patients, "Don't go to CTCA. They do things differently there." Yes, they do, and for that, I am grateful. Different isn't always bad, you know. Different can be good, too. And at CTCA, "different" isn't alternative, hokey, or whoo-whoo. It's surgery, chemo, radiation, and all the traditional forms of cancer treatment people receive elsewhere. But it's with better equipment, newer drugs, and incredibly skilled health care providers.

So back to the title question: Is CTCA too good to be true? No. It isn't. Not everybody can survive cancer, but you'll get your best shot at it at CTCA.