Steve Sendele

For all cancer survivors, I hope and pray you encounter the support I had in my journey with cancer. My wife was with me every step and, as you can expect, she experienced similar emotions to what I was going through: the fear, uncertainty, anxiety and dread of what lay ahead. It truly was a roller coaster for us.

There was always one rock in our journey and that was Dr. Brian Burnette, who, luckily for me, was the oncologist assigned to us at the clinic. When he met with us, it always made us feel better to know someone had a plan in mind and there was reason to hope for a good outcome. He gave us the bad news along with the good news, and he always had a plan of action ready for us. It was easy to commit to some scary treatments since we trusted he would give us all he had to make the journey as comfortable as possible and that he was thinking about what was best for us and for me. No matter how long it took, he always had time to listen to how cancer was affecting the rest of our lives, as well. He helped when he could and just listened when we spoke.

Dr. Brian Burnette. Photo provided by Green Bay Oncology.

As I think back on it now, it is crazy to think he prescribed gallons of that poison they pumped into me, but we believed in him and went forward with the treatment. The real payoff was when the surgeon removed my lung and told us the tumor was dead (the surgeon used a larger word that I cannot spell). Somehow, Dr. Burnette was able to read the biopsy, perform his calculations and kill that petri dish inside me.

It has been 10 years now since Dr. Burnette treated me and, even today, the thought of his cowboy boots brings a smile to my face and a warm feeling to my heart.

I thank God for my wonderful family who have been with me through this life journey and for Dr. Burnette, whom He sent to us when cancer invaded my life. Dr. Burnette was our rock that we always knew we could go to.

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A cancer survivor writes about the oncologist who helped him conquer the fears and anxieties of cancer treatments.

Steve Sendele

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