Beaufort Memorial Hospital | Affiliated with Duke University Health System in heart and cancer

Keyserling Cancer Center

Patient Testimonials: Catherine Salkowitz

When Sun City resident Catherine Salkowitz was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, she knew she had an important decision to make about where to seek treatment, and she knew it was going to involve a lot of traveling.

“I thought my options were going to be Charleston, Savannah or Hilton Head, and all I could think about was ‘I’m going to have to drive somewhere far away, everyday, for six weeks,’” she says. “I knew I wasn’t going to be up to fighting traffic to Hilton Head or Savannah everyday. It would have taken all of my energy to get to and from treatment.”

She and her husband, Wayne, had all but decided the best option would be to rent an apartment in Charleston and begin living – and receiving treatment, there for six weeks. Then Wayne saw an announcement in the newspaper about the opening of a new cancer center in Beaufort and their plans changed. “One day Wayne suggested that we take a drive to Beaufort to have lunch and just stop by the new Keyserling Cancer Center to take a look” Catherine recalls. “We really didn’t know what to expect. The center wasn’t officially open yet, but we stopped by and Rose was there, and she invited us to come in.”

Rose Blanken is a registered nurse at the center. She showed Catherine and Wayne around the center that day and introduced her to the rest of the staff. “We saw the equipment and we met people and everyone was so nice,” Catherine says. “The whole center was so nice. It was really well done and it was comfortable – and comforting.”

Rose talked to them about the services that would soon be available there, and the fact that the program had been developed in affiliation with Duke University Health System. For Catherine and Wayne, who had spent 20 years in the Raleigh/Durham area, knowing that Duke stood behind the new cancer program gave them a certain peace of mind.

“I’ve been in the pharmaceutical industry for years, and my company is headquartered in Raleigh/Durham, so I know about Duke and have a lot of confidence in them,” Catherine says. “Knowing about the affiliation – and that it meant the center had this great technology that no one else had – that made a big difference to me.”

Catherine and Wayne quickly decided that Catherine would stay close to home and begin her six weeks of radiation therapy in Beaufort, located just 35 minutes from their Sun City home. It was a decision they say was one of the best they’ve ever made.

“They went so far beyond excellent it is hard to say anything better,” Catherine says. “To have people who can make you feel relaxed when you’re going through something like cancer – it’s just really special. They even showed Wayne all of the equipment and explained everything to him.” “This is the time when it matters the most, when you want to see that your caregivers really care, and they did,” she says. “The care is amazing, but the attitude of caring is just over the top.”

Read about other Keyserling Cancer Center patient experiences here.
Learn more about the Keyserling Cancer Center here.