I could cry because they’re so caring: Essentia’s rural locations a place of comfort and healing

Life hasn't been easy lately for Hinckley's Pam Amo. The longtime resident of the small town in Pine County was widowed just two years ago when her husband of 36 years passed away.

"He was everything to me," Pam, 68, said fondly while remembering their years together. “We would have gone to hell and back for each other.”

The two created a life of love with three children and two grandchildren. Working through many challenges over the years, Pam started facing her biggest fight a year after her husband died.

“I had some pain on my left side that wouldn’t go away,” she explained. “It was constant and really uncomfortable.”

A trip to the emergency room at Essentia Health-Sandstone showed a mass on her left lung. A biopsy at the Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic a few days later confirmed the worst. She was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer on Aug. 9, 2023.

“A year after retiring, I was facing my biggest health battle,” she said.

Pam is resilient, having successfully battled a heart attack and many other ailments. Yet again, she’s digging deep to navigate another health journey, motivated by her love of family and her desire to keep living life to the fullest.

“I immediately started chemotherapy and Keytruda (a drug used to fight cancer),” she said. “I have a lot to fight for. I can’t stop being me and I won’t let this take me down.”

Despite living in a rural community, Pam isn’t fighting this battle alone. Her three children, friends and neighbors have been keeping her going, ensuring she makes it to all of her appointments. It’s a team effort, which includes care team at Essentia. Since her diagnosis, Pam has benefited from having all of her appointments at Essentia facilities in Hinckley, Sandstone and Moose Lake – all a short drive from home.

“I could cry because they are all so caring,” she said, holding back tears. “They’re like a second family to me. I’ve been seeing most of them every three weeks for 19 months and they’re all so wonderful. The doctors, the nurses, all the way down to the registration folks and security teams, they mean so much to me.”

A small urn in her apartment containing her husband’s ashes represents a lifetime of love and a reminder that she’s not alone.

“Once in a while, I look at my husband’s ashes and say, ‘You could be helping me through this,’ ” Pam said. “But he was always there for me and gave me the strength to fight this. So I count my blessings for those 36 years together.”

Another key person in her fight is Dr. Matthew Braithwaite, an Essentia oncologist based in Duluth, but does routine outreach at Essentia Health-Sandstone and other nearby facilities. He’s one of many providers who travel great lengths to deliver care to the rural communities Essentia serves.

“He is so well-mannered, smart and knowledgeable,” Pam said. “He really cares for his patients and staff, and it really shows in the care I receive.”

“Even in the face of such a serious health issue, Pam is a perpetually positive person,” said Dr. Braithwaite. “I’ve seen her almost every three weeks over the last year and half while she is coming for treatment, and I can’t think of a single instance where I heard her express a negative thought. Even during times where she has dealt with more side effects from chemotherapy, she has always focused on what is going well in her life.”

Early on, Pam’s scans showed the cancer had spread to several parts of her body. However, the course of action charted by Essentia staff has been paying dividends as the cancer has been eliminated in several areas of her body and is now stable.

“Pam initially received a combination of two different chemotherapy drugs as well as immunotherapy, with a good response in many of the tumors,” said Dr. Braithwaite. “From there, she has continued her treatment to maintain the positive response she achieved. Immunotherapy has been one of the most effective advances in lung cancer in the last 10 years and it appears Pam’s cancer has responded very well to it.”

Throughout her many trips to the doctor, Pam has been impressed by all facets of her care. That includes being able to receive expert care close home, the technology used in her treatment and the compassionate demeanor of the staff.

But what she’s really appreciative of is an anonymous volunteer who does what they can to make cancer patients in Sandstone feel loved.

“I don’t know who she is, but she gives these wonderful baskets to patients,” Pam said graciously. “They are full of comfort items like blankets and lotion and other things that make me feel comfortable. It has really brightened my days.”

Many of Pam’s days are spent reading and enjoying the company of her children, grandchildren and cat while making the most of retirement. She focuses on the road ahead – a road she travels with determination, a few laughs and a lot of love.