Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to In Their Words, a podcast from the UPMC in Central PA and the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation, sharing stories of healing, hope, and the people who make a difference along the way.

In honor of Day of Gratitude, we're sharing two special episodes centered on grateful patients and the caregivers who left a lasting impact on their lives. When Angelique Nelson was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 28 years old, cancer quickly became much more than appointments, treatments, and procedures. Like, so many patients facing a serious illness, there were also the realities of everyday life: maintaining stability, navigating financial and practical challenges, and finding the resources and support she needed while focusing on getting well.

Throughout surgery, chemotherapy, and recovery, Angelique found a team that cared about all of those pieces. From Dr. Geletzke, who Angelique lovingly calls Dr. G, to social worker Jennie Lawler, and the many members of her care team, she found people who helped her navigate not only her cancer, but the circumstances that can make an already difficult diagnosis even harder.

In this episode, Angelique reflects on that journey, the relationship she formed, and the gratitude she carries for the people who helped her keep moving forward. Here is Angelique in her words.

Angelique Nelson: So, I'm 29 now, so I found out when I was 28 years old. Right before my diagnosis, I was struggling with, like, severe mental health things. So, suicide, things like that played a big factor in my mental health. So first, I went to see Dr. Livingston. I actually went for a second opinion. So, I went to my normal PCP that I had been seeing for like the last—I want to say since I was 18. I mentioned the lump that I found in the shower while showering. And she was like, you know, "It's probably just a fibroid. You know, you're getting your menses. So, it should go away soon." And it indeed did not. So, that's how I ended up at UPMC.

I went to see Dr. Livingston. And at first, I wasn't going to say anything, because I'm like, you know, this is an OB-GYN, so they focus below the chest, not above the chest. So, I mentioned it to Dr. Livingston a little bit about just overall health, and then she did a breast exam. And from there, you know, she was like, "I'll send you for ultrasound and a mammogram." And I went to see Dr. York, which I haven't got a chance to see him again, but I have to make sure I try to hunt him down. But I went to see Dr. York, and that's when I did my ultrasound and my mammogram, and that's when they kind of noticed some things were abnormal. I went for my biopsy. And Dr. York was so great. He held my hand, "Just let me know, like, whatever the results are, I have a good team behind me. I have a good team to support me." So, that made the process a little bit easier, knowing that I would have some type of support. So, that's when I met a famous Dr. G, Dr. Geletzke.

And that was very—I wouldn't say it was heartbreaking. I guess my perspective is probably a little different. I want to say probably a little abnormal. Because at that moment when she let me know—well, first I got a phone call on Valentine's Day. I'll never forget it, because Valentine's Day is my favorite day of the year. So, I got the call on Valentine's Day that it was indeed cancer. It was breast cancer. And I know my first response was like, "Well, can you call me on Monday because today's Valentine's Day? we'll talk about it on Monday."

So, I just took the weekend. I'm a really big person of just digesting things and then moving on. So, I took the weekend. I kind of took 48 hours to just process it. I prayed. I just told myself, "Angelique, if you can get through anything, you've got through things before. We'll get through this no matter the road will look."

So, I just sat with myself all weekend. I took myself to dinner. I just pampered myself a little bit to just kind of know, like, "You're about to be up for a true fight. So, let's get ready." And then, that's when I met Dr. Geletzke. I went with my mom and my older sister. And my mom was to the left of me and my sister was to the right of me. Both of them were kind of like losing it a little bit. And my response to Dr. Geletzke was like, "Okay, how can I get this out of my body, and how soon can we get started?"

And, you know, you talk about just the journey, going through the chemo and all of those things. So, I told myself to think of it in a way to comfort myself, I said, "Angelique, if all you got to do is lose your hair to keep your life, which one are we going to do? So, I said, "You know, I'm all in. Let's just do it." And I just told myself, you know, after meeting Dr. Geletzke, she was just so amazing. Very thorough. She answered every question. She called me after the appointment just to check on me to see how I was doing. I guess she was probably a little stunned the way I just didn't really tear up or cry. I was just kind of like, "Okay, let's go. Let's get it started. Let's get it going."

So, she called, she checked on me. And then, I think from that moment on, the journey became very sweet. It became very—I want to say rewarding. It was truly an eye-opening experience to go through before 30, but I'm thankful for it. I'm beyond thankful for it, because it really puts life into a different perspective. And when you have doctors and nurses that see you more than just a patient really makes a difference.

Going in for oncology and meeting my nurse navigator, she answered every question. And even if my questions to me felt silly, because, you know, they're like, "Your appetite's going to change," and I'm sitting here wondering if I'm still going to be able to eat tacos. Now, I'm realizing, "Girl, you're getting ready to go through chemo and you're worried about tacos. But I knew, just from my nurse navigator, just the binder of education she gave you just so you have resources, it was just being able to have that consistency, too.

During this journey, I met a lot of people. You meet so many women. And the whole process was dreadful. It was miserable. They didn't like their doctors, the nurses were mean, and I'm just sitting here, like, smiling, just, "Oh I was doing karaoke in chemo." I didn't have a bad time. I actually had a ball. So, just being able to be in that safe space. Because, you know, battling, and it's not to take away from cancer, because it is a very scary thing. It's a life-changing thing, and it's very overwhelming. But when you have people like Dr. G, Nurse Jeanette, you got Dr. Latif, Nurse Christina, and you just have the whole oncology nurses that are pouring into you day by day. It makes each day worth going. In the beginning, like my first day, I dreaded it. I'm like, "Mom, I don't want to do this," "Lord, is there another way you could get this out of my body where I don't have to sit for six hours?"

But from just being there and the oncology nurses were just phenomenal. And I just told myself, "Angie, you're going to just do what you're good at, and it's laughing, smiling, and having a good time. So, that's how we're just going to get through cancer, the same way we get through everything else. We pray, we laugh, we smile, and we take it one day at a time."

And that's just what I did. And honestly, I met some amazing people in chemo. I actually gained a really, really great friend. We were kind of around the same age, in our 20s. I had bay buddies where I would just go play games and because, you know, we're already there. So, it's like nobody wants to be there, but I just decided, "Okay, if I got to stay here for six hours every Thursday, we're just going to make it the best six hours possible." And without UPMC's Hillman Cancer team, like everybody from the front desk to the back, I loved going.

I know it's probably crazy, but I loved chemo. I enjoyed chemo. I was thankful for chemo. And I didn't have any symptoms. So when I would see Dr. Latif I used to just be like, "Oh, well, I got a pimple today." And he's like, "Angelique, for real." Just having that feeling more than just a patient and having that connection where you can laugh with the doctors and laugh with your nurses, you know.

I think one day I had a breakdown because I was just like, "I'm just so over it. Like, how much longer do I have to go?" And, you know, just the nurses making me feel safe enough to cry. Seeing Dr. G on my birthday was even more amazing because, you know, when I last seen her, it was, "Ang, you know, Angelique, you have cancer." And then, to see her again on my 29th birthday was actually on the very, very day of my birthday. And just to be able to hug her and just thank her for just saving my life, but being a part of my life. And not just, "Okay, you're done. See you later." Actually making sure I had everything I need. And still to this day, she still checks on me, makes sure I'm okay. I'm a busy bee, so I worked during chemo. Even though my supervisor kicked me out a couple days, but I kept moving. Dr. Latif was saying, "You got to rest," and I'm like, "Doc, I'm good. I drink a lot of water and I'm going to be all right."

So, I just pushed through it, and just to have my doctor support me even when, you know, days where I was tired, I just knew that God had a greater reward for me if I just stayed in the fight, just kept praying. I always tell my coworkers, it's me and my prayer closet against the world. I go there for everything. And that's just what I did. I spent a lot of time just praying.

And just being able to have open and honest relationships with the nurses and the doctors made a difference, too, because sometimes you're scared to tell them you're having a symptom because you don't want to do this or that. So, being able to just say, "Hey, Dr. Latif, you know, my stomach is hurting a little bit," and them not procrastinating, like, "Oh, well, we'll see how it feels in the next 21 days." Like, sending me for labs and just being on top of my overall health is just the greatest experience I have ever experienced. And although it came through cancer, I still say to this day, I'm so blessed that God was able to put me in a place that was uncomfortable so I could really shine light somewhere where you don't really think to show it. Like, you don't really think to go into the infusion center and do karaoke while everybody's, like, looking at you, like, "Are you here for the same reason I'm here?"

There was one patient, I think she was in her 90s. And, you know, we used to talk, and she's just like, "My kids are making me come here." And I'm like, "Yeah, my mom's making me come here." And then, you know, we're looking at each other, And she's like, "You're just so young." And I'm just like, "You never know what God has in store for you." And, you know, I was always intentional about when they say be careful of what you pray for. Some people think it's a bad thing, but it's actually a beautiful thing, because I prayed for a new start, a fresh start, a clean heart, joy and happiness, and it all came through my cancer journey.

Like, I've met some amazing people. I've got to do things I never thought I would do, honestly. Going on WGAL with Dr. G and being able to share my story without really being out there to share, but to know that God shaped me to do something that is hard. Going through cancer is very hard because you go through so many physical changes. But to me, I love the physical changes. It's just like you see yourself become a whole new person. Like, you lose your hair, but it comes back, and it comes back beautiful. You know, you lose your appetite, but you start to crave healthier foods because that's what your body actually needs during chemo, like those nutrition. So, I've had a whole new diet change. You know, I meal prep now. I go to the gym now, and I hated the gym. I love it now because I know I need the gym.

So for me, it was just a beautiful thing to just kind of get a whole new start on life. So, I'm like, "Lord, I think you're ready to make my 30s good. I think you were just preparing me for my 30s, so you need to give me one last thunderstorm. And I can get through this." But, you know, I also prayed for my health team. I prayed for my doctors and my nurses every single day. Even at the altar, I prayed for them just to make sure that, when they touched me the surgeons, the anesthesiologists, like the whole experience was just phenomenal. Like, I loved everything about UPMC.

From the very beginning to the end, I have no complaints. Like, I think I laughed at my appointments more than I cried. I think I probably cried one time during the entire year, and I think that was just because I had to get up early at 8:00 AM. And I was just tired and I'm just crying and like, "I don't want to go." My spiritual mom looked at me and said, "Girl, you are almost done and you wait till now to cry?" I said, "It's just this 7:00 appointment." I was like, "Why can't she bring me in at 10:00?"

I'm a dental assistant by trade. However, shout out to my job, once I got diagnosed with cancer, I was already a clinical instructor. But because I was going through chemo, I couldn't be patient-based or it wasn't safe to be patient-based. So now, I'm a clinical instructor. So, what I do is I mentor new dental assistants out of school. I hold our new hire orientation. I go to the offices just to help the clinical staff talk with the doctors, just make sure everybody's good, everyone's following the policies, and they usually call me the little birdie. I go to the offices and they're always like, "Angelique, you're here." And I'm like, "Hey. Hi." So, that's what I do for a trade. I'm a clinical instructor, so I mentor newer assistants.

It's really—and I told Dr. Livingston and I told everyone, when you go into the doctor's, you trust your physician. When your physician tells you everything's okay, you go with that. Like, you trust that. And for just some reason, it was crazy, because I just had a physical before my cancer diagnosis. Like, it blows my mind. And my previous physician was like, you know, "Oh, everything's good. You're nice and healthy." And I'm like, "I can't really list them much." But I'm a big communicator with God. Like, me and God talk like He's sitting next to me. Like, that's how crazy it is. People probably look at me like, "Are you okay?"

But I'm in constant communication with God, and I said, "I'm just going to go home. I'm going to take a nap," whatever. But once I was driving, something was just like, "Angelique, go." And I'm just like, "Lord, if this is for me, I'm going to go to this appointment and give me all the answers that I need." And for sure, Dr. Livingston, I told her, I'm like, "I pretty much just went based off of what I was told, you know, I'm all right. But I don't really know what's a normal period. Like, I just know I need to look for it every month, just need to make sure it comes." And she did a breast exam. And honestly, in 28 years of my life, that was honestly my first breast exam I ever had.

UPMC, I don't think I would have had as much fun or a good experience if I had to go somewhere else. I was very adamant on one hospital I was not going to. I told my mom, I said, "Mom, I'm not going there. I'm just going to stay at UPMC. I've already met the doctors. They already know what's going on. I just have to pray that God touches each and every person that comes in contact with me and just make sure I'm going to be well taken care of." And that's what I did, and I had a phenomenal team.

Even my primary care physician, Dr. Murphy, you know, I go see her and she checks up on me, make sure I'm good. But I told my mom, I told her yesterday, I said, "I had this interview," and I said, "Mom, anything for Dr. G, anything for UPMC, I will drop everything because I can never really repay them for everything that they've done to me. My social worker, I know I was driving Jennie insane, because I had a question every day, and I'm like, "Jennie, I'm a little late on a bill, girl. Can you help me? "I need help." And she was sending applications, and she did all the busy work so that I didn't really have to stress about it. And she let me know, like, "Angelique, if you're ever in a financial strain I got you." And that was why I kind of was working so much, because I'm like I'm my sole provider. Like, I have to take care of myself. Like, I have to be able to do what I have to do. And when she said that, I still worked. But, you know, Dr. Latif, my nurse navigator, was like, "You know, we need you to rest. Don't worry, we got you. We'll make sure you're taken care of."

And honestly, I wanted for nothing. Always had a hot meal. Rent was always paid. Like financially, I was taken care of too. So, not only was I being taken care of physically, but I was also being taken care of emotionally, mentally, financially. Like, it was more than just a, "Hi, Angelique, you have breast cancer. This is what you got to do." It was not like that. It was like every step of the way, everybody was so kind and gentle and patient.

I had the dream team, I'm telling you. I told myself when I hit the lottery and I'm going on a cruise, I'm taking my whole UPMC team with me. Like, Mary at the front desk, I used to really get on her about the 8:00 AM appointments, and I used to joke, like, "Miss Mary, what is up with the 8 AMs?" She's like, "That's all I got."

So, I had six months of chemo. So, I started March of 2025, and I finished August of 2025. I ate breakfast at the same time, lunch at the same time, dinner at the same time. I took my naps at the same time. Like, I was really on top of just hydrating, eating good, and resting. I think the only thing I actually really experienced was the hair loss. And even at that point, I was just like, "What wig am I going to wear today?"

I'm very thankful. I loved everything about UPMC and I loved the conference too. That's what this assignment was for, to be a blessing to someone else.

Caitlin Whyte (Host): Our thanks to Angelique for sharing her story so openly and to Dr. Geletzke, Jennie Lawler, and the physicians, nurses, social workers, and caregivers who became such an important part of her journey. Angelique's experience is an important reminder that a person's health is shaped by so much more than what happens inside an exam room.

Safe housing, transportation, access to food and medications, financial stability, and a strong support system can all affect a patient's ability to focus on treatment and recovery. That's why caring for the whole person matters. Sometimes the support that makes the greatest difference isn't medical at all. It may be a social worker connecting someone with a resource, a caregiver recognizing a need that hasn't been voiced, or simply having someone there to make an overwhelming situation feel a little more manageable. During Day of Gratitude, we celebrate all of the people who provide that kind of care. And patients like Angelique who remind us just how much that care can mean. Thank you for listening to In Their Words.