Since moving to Licking County as an 11-year-old, Billie Hoy has turned to Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS) to meet her health and medical needs.  Her father moved the family from West Virginia for employment reasons, and retired from Rockwell International in 1989.  Her mother obtained a position at Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) in the kitchen and also retired in 1989.  Billie has spent most of her life in banking and currently holds a position with PNC Bank.

Unlike her parents, Billie has no plans of retiring; rather, she hopes to continue working and serving the Licking County community.  While Billie did enjoy staying home to care for her three children, she found spending time away from work to heal from surgery more challenging.  “The time at home about drove me crazy,” Billie commented.  “I enjoy my work, and I want to stay as active as possible.”  
Billie has survived cancer three times.  Her first diagnosis was breast cancer in 1995 which required removal of the cancerous tissue and breast reconstruction.  She remained cancer free until early 2020.  While visiting her primary care physician, Katrina M. Timson, M.D., Billie asked about a spot on her leg.  Dr. Timson suggested a biopsy of the tissue and laboratory results confirmed Billie had developed melanoma.  Melanoma occurs when the pigment-producing cells that give color to the skin become cancerous.  Billie’s treatment began with surgery to remove the cancerous tissue and several lymph nodes in her groin after it was discovered that the cancer cells had spread.

In addition to the surgery, to ensure all cancer cells were destroyed, Billie was prescribed immunotherapy, which is the use of medicines to target specific proteins in the immune system.  This process assists the body in recognizing and fighting cancer cells more effectively.  The medications can be administered intravenously; however, the staff at the Licking Memorial Oncology Clinic were concerned about the condition of Billie’s veins.  They suggested she have a port placed in her chest to simplify the process.  A port is a small, implantable reservoir with a thin silicone tube that attaches to a vein.  Utilizing the vein-access device allows the chemotherapy medications to be delivered directly into the port rather than a vein, eliminating the need for needle injections every treatment.  

“Every three weeks, I would visit the Clinic for my treatment.  The staff were so kind to me, and I cannot say enough good things about them,” Billie shared.  “Jean Moyer, the Physician Center Clerk, always greeted me by name and made me feel welcome.  The process took about an hour, and during that time, they would continually check on me, and ask if I wanted something to eat or drink.  I felt so comfortable, and I considered them all friends.”
After healing from the surgery, Billie returned to work.  She was concerned that her work hours might interfere with scheduling the immunotherapy treatments.  “The Oncology staff was so efficient and willing to consider my scheduling needs.  They were able to rearrange and organize my visits no matter what I had going on at the time.”

Billie’s family surrounded her and provided support and comfort during her treatments as well.  Her three children, Staci, Richard, and Matt, attended her first appointment at the Oncology Clinic.  “As we were heading to LMH, I told my children that they would really like D’Anna N. Mullins, M.D., and they did.  They were impressed by the depth of her concern for me and her confidence in the treatment plan,” Billie said.

In April 2021, Billie received her last immunotherapy treatment for melanoma and was declared cancer free.  She felt compelled to do something for the team of providers who displayed friendship and kindness toward her, so she brought a cheesecake to the appointment.  To her surprise, the staff was eager to celebrate with her and had also brought a cake for the special occasion.

In November 2022, Billie was once again informed she had cancer.  A lump was discovered in the opposite breast from the one that had been affected in 1995.  Fortunately, the tumor was discovered while in the early stages.  Billie was scheduled for a lumpectomy.  The surgeons removed the lump and several lymph nodes to determine if the cancer had spread.  The biopsies on the lymph nodes detected no signs of cancer.
 
Her healthcare team determined that no chemotherapy or radiation would be needed.  To reduce the risk that the cancer would return, Billie was prescribed hormone therapy.  Hormone therapy for breast cancer is a treatment to battle estrogen receptor-positive or progesterone receptor-positive cancers that are sensitive to hormones.  The medication blocks the hormones from attaching to receptors on cancer cells or by decreasing the body’s production of hormones in order to prevent cancer cells from growing.
Billie is fully recovered from the surgery and has again returned to work.  She does not plan to slow down anytime soon, and looks forward to spending more time with her children, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, who live in Licking County.