STRATFORD—One woman’s journey of faith is woven into a life of resilience and hope with the help of the staff at Norwalk Hospital.
Ronnie Lazzaro and her husband Ralph have been active members of the Diocese of Bridgeport for more than three decades. A cancer diagnosis in July 2022 led them to Norwalk Hospital’s Whittingham Cancer Center, a part of Nuvance Health, where Ronnie’s personalized care and treatment were not only focused on her physical health but also on her overall quality of life.
“When I go to see a patient, I consider that person my only patient for the moment because for the patient that’s their only cancer,” said Pradip Pathare, MD, Radiation Oncology at Norwalk Hospital.
It was that personalized attention and comprehensive care that Ronnie credits in part with helping her keep her spirits up during a challenging time.
This journey started with a routine mammogram. Admittedly, Ronnie said, she was remiss and hadn’t had a mammogram in awhile. This mammogram would not be routine .
“I never got a call before. As soon as I got it, I knew something was wrong,” she said. “They found three different sites in the same breast. One of them was in a lymph node. Now it wasn’t stage 1. It was stage 2. I hear what they are telling me and I’m thinking, this too shall pass,” she said, as she reluctantly settled into her new reality.
“I got chemo every week until the end of November. Then I had to wait two weeks to have surgery in December followed by radiation therapy,” she said, which ended in March.
“I have very tired days,” she said, comparing the endless appointments to managing a job. On the positive side, where she and Ralph always seem to find themselves, they now have an extended support system of friends that feel more like family.
“The Whittingham Cancer Center has become part of my social life,” Ronnie said. “I go to the infusion suite, spend four hours there, and everybody knows my name.”
“They really try as best they can to make you comfortable in what’s really an uncomfortable situation,” she said, adding that she has no family history of breast cancer, which is not an uncommon scenario for many women.
Indeed, her care team has become like an extended family.
“Dr. Phuong is my medical oncologist. She’s very warm. Very involved,” Ronnie said. “I would have no problem walking in and hugging her.”
“When I started to cry, she put her arm around me. I just knew her concern was genuine. I was more than a number on a piece of paper,” Ronnie said.
Dr. Lisa Phuong, DO Medical Oncology, said caring for the patient as a whole is her priority and likened the doctor-patient relationship to being similar to a marriage.
“Knowing her overall, as a person, and how to approach her helps to guide the treatment as well,” she said. “The goal of the treatment is not just to cure the person of breast cancer but to help improve their quality of life.”
Dr. Pathare agreed.
“You are there for that patient for that moment. I can comfort the patient and rely on my expertise to help them,” said Dr. Pathare. “The hospital seems to attract the very best people who have a heart not just book knowledge.”
Her constant companion is her husband of 42 years. A connection that was evident to her care team.
“It’s important to also have social support and her husband Ralph has been fantastic at always being there for her,” Lisa Phuong, MD, DO Medical Oncology said. “He always shows up with her to all of her appointments and has been by her side during every treatment. It is amazing to see their love and devotion to one another.”
Ronnie and Ralph met about 45 years ago in New York and eloped in 1983. The couple and their son had very recently moved to New Canaan when Ronnie made the decision to convert to Catholicism, having grown up in the Jewish faith. But even though she was raised in a different faith, she recalled Catholicism having an early presence in her life through her childhood friend.
“I loved visiting her family during Christmas. They always had Rosary beads and spiritual pictures in their home,” she said, recounting going to church with her friend when she was 10 years old. “I remember sitting in the pew and looking at the crucifix and thinking, ‘Why would anybody do that?’ I was drawn to the cross and the whole idea of Church without understanding why.”
She said when her son was about four, he asked her, “Where do you go when you die?” She didn’t know what to tell him but knew she needed to introduce religion into their home but, “the context of my life was not Jewish anymore.”
Someone mentioned RCIA to her and the seed was planted. After she dropped her son off at nursery school one rainy day her dilemma of whether to go shopping or into a nearby church changed her life. She walked into the parish office she said and told the secretary, “I want to talk to someone about converting.”
At the following Easter Vigil, Ronnie received the Sacraments of Initiation and the Sacrament of Matrimony, as she and Ralph hadn’t been married in the Church.
Ronnie then began volunteering at St. Aloysius Parish, where she had been fully initiated into the Church. She ultimately became the parish’s secretary, and upon retirement, she started proofing a book on the history of the Diocese of Bridgeport and working as the copy editor for the Fairfield County Catholic.
When it comes to the many obstacles she has faced, Ronnie credits her resilience to God.
“I’ve never considered myself to be particularly strong. I have no doubt that God has been with me through everything,” she said.
Ronnie and Ralph lost their son about 10 years ago It seemed to Ronnie that the cancer diagnosis was only one more step on her life’s journey.
“You think you will never get over the loss when in fact, it is preparation for the next chapter,” she said..“Life goes up and down. Sometimes the water is over your head, and sometimes you’re floating on top,” she said, reflecting on years past. “God insulates me from the negativity. He has blessed me with a loving husband, a great care team and most important—faith.”