Jane Cho knew she wanted to be a mother one day. Being diagnosed with sarcoma was not going to stop her. The Seattle native just needed to find the right care team that would listen to her needs as a patient, and she found that at the SCCA Proton Therapy Center. Cho was a patient at the Center in 2016. “At the time, I had an incredible oncology team vouching for me, listening to my concerns and priorities,” says Cho. “My husband and I were celebrating our one-year anniversary on the day of my second cancer surgery. We had dreams of starting a family and my physicians listened. They made proton therapy part of my plan instead of the more traditional radiation treatment. With conventional X-ray radiation, my dream would have been unlikely, but due to protons, we have a healthy, strong three-and-a-half-year-old boy.” Cho went through six weeks of proton therapy and calls the Center staff her biggest cheerleaders.
During her diagnosis and treatment, Cho was working in research and development and as a pastry chef at Macrina Bakery. But after completing her treatment, she decided to take a leap of faith and change career paths completely – with on the goal of working at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She took a web development course, did some informational interviews and was eventually hired as a web developer.
“I cried many times when I got the offer letter and as I was starting, because that’s how much it meant to me to be a part of the organization,” says Cho. “My parents and I have been patients at SCCA for over 15 years. The care we received from everyone - patient care coordinators, nurses, physicians - really stood out and was exceptional. And I wanted to be a part of that. In addition to the incredible work the organization does, my colleagues are the most dedicated team and believe so deeply in the mission.”
Now Cho hopes she can also contribute to supporting other cancer patients. She was invited to participate in a Survivor Panel with Steven Pergam, MD, MPH, and Elizabeth Prescott, PhD, to share her experiences and insights with others. “You hope to reach someone to be more proactive about their own health,” she says.
