During Violandi's hospitalization for high-dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, Toni Dubeau, RN, BSN, explains the precautions he'll need to take at home.
The circle of care
One steady presence throughout Violandi's treatment was clinical social worker Mary Lou Hackett, LICSW, who met with him and his family right away and provided counseling related to family, friends, and work. "Leukemia is an illness of extremes," Hackett says. "You seem healthy one day, and the next your whole life has changed."
Vince Violandi often accompanied his son to appointments.
Violandi's family and colleagues mirrored the circle of care that the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center gave him. While he was ill, his parents, four older siblings, friends, and relatives forged ahead with renovations to his house, under the watchful eye of Violandi's father. It didn't hurt that one brother had a painting business and another worked in heating and plumbing. "Friends helped out, and everyone gave us a good price," recalls the elder Violandi.
After his plan to move into a new home was postponed by cancer, Violandi remained in the loving care of his parents.
A police officer for the Federal Protective Service in Boston, Michael Violandi continued to collect a salary thanks to the generosity of his colleagues, who donated their vacation time. Before returning to the Boston area, he had worked the midnight shift for the New York Police Department in Manhattan, and he won a Police Officer of the Year award with his partner in appreciation for their dedication and devotion to duty. "We showed up at everything, eager to learn," Violandi says. Now, he is applying the same diligence to his cancer care. "When you have cancer, you are always asking questions and you become very knowledgeable. You get to know your own body."
Will Violandi's treatments prevent a return of his cancer? Doctors won't know for sure; a Phase III trial is needed to find out. For now, investigators and the family's team of caregivers hope, in the words of Stone, that "he never has another leukemia cell as long as he lives."
