Arlene McLean's experience with cancer comes full circle

When Arlene McLean began working in MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Radiation Oncology Department in May 2000, she couldn’t have envisioned two things – that she’d still be helping patients 24 years later and that she’d become one of them.

Now the practice administrator at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta, McLean is a breast cancer survivor. She also will be a marshal for MaineGeneral’s annual Day of Hope on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Augusta Civic Center, where she’ll share her cancer story.

Always a supporter of cancer patients during her career, the Winslow resident now has a much deeper understanding of the many challenges they face.

From her diagnosis in June 2023 through her treatment, McLean documented her experience through Facebook posts that were personal, inspirational and educational. Her goal was to help others better understand the cancer treatment journey.

“I always felt I was placed here to help family members, friends or people I’ve met get through their cancer diagnosis and treatment,” she said. “I used to be a very nervous person but that changed when I started working in oncology. You meet people at possibly the lowest point in their lives and they’re scared. I always tell my patient schedulers, ‘Do whatever you can to make a patient’s journey easier.’ That’s so important.”

“Looking back, I think the change in me occurred so I’d be comfortable when it was my turn to be a patient,” she added.

McLean’s family, like so many, has a history of cancer – her mother and three of her aunts had breast cancer, and her uncle died of pancreatic cancer. Despite this prevalence, her own diagnosis was a shock.

After discovering a lump, she had a screening mammogram. More imaging and a biopsy followed, and then additional biopsies at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston that confirmed she had triple-negative breast cancer. McLean had lumpectomy surgery at Dana-Farber and then 16 chemotherapy and 25 radiation treatments at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care. 

While the treatment regimen was physically and emotionally challenging, she found hope and strength from many sources. Foremost among them were her husband David, her adult children and eight grandchildren ranging in age from 3 to 13.

“I have the best family. Everyone took a rotation to be with me at each chemotherapy treatment, and the kids arranged for us to have family photos done before I lost my hair, which was wonderful,” she said. “My grandchildren have been awesome. They wanted to feel my head after I lost my hair – and they’re still touching it because I now have hair.”

McLean’s network of friends also filled her with hope – and then there are the cancer center clinicians, nurses and staff who supported her in many ways.

“Many of the staff were new and weren’t even aware I worked at the center,” she said. “They were absolutely wonderful and didn’t treat me differently than any other patient. That’s what I wanted.”

A much deeper sense of thankfulness

From interactions with patients at the center since it opened in 2007, McLean understands the importance of having high-caliber cancer care in Central Maine. Her experience as a patient has only strengthened this belief.

“We’re so fortunate to have such a high-quality cancer center in Augusta. It’s a beautiful place to work and a beautiful place to come for treatment,” she said.

McLean also has seen how the center has been taxed in responding to a greatly increased patient population and need for services. She knows the importance of the current $36 million project to expand and renovate the center to meet this demand.

“As an administrator, I’m most excited to see our treatment space grow and to know that any patient who needs care will have timely access to treatment close to their home and families,” she said. “This expansion is more than bricks and mortar. It is hope – for the future, for a cure, for more memories and time well spent. It will change the lives and futures of many.”

And as a survivor, McLean is eternally thankful for the expert, compassionate care she received.

“I always felt thankful before my diagnosis, but it’s a whole new level of thankfulness now.”

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