In February of 2022, Pam Warren felt like something was wrong. She went to the doctor and received a diagnosis of endometrial cancer.
“I was very lucky,” said Warren. “They caught it early and Dr. Mitzie-Ann Davis (a gynecologic oncologist and surgeon) was able to remove the cancer completely. It’s so important for women to know the symptoms for this cancer (abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain) and to consult a physician for when things don’t feel right.”
After surgery, Warren went through four rounds of radiation without too many side effects, but she knew she needed to make some lifestyle changes. The answer came from a brochure she picked up for the Evolve program. Warren was skeptical that it would be something that she would be interested in or effective, but it made a significant difference in her life.
Evolve is a 12-week program designed to specifically address body composition and emotional changes that are typically associated with cancer treatment. It is offered through the Thomas F. Chapman Family Cancer Wellness at Piedmont Fayette and focuses on creating an individualized program to strengthen a patient’s body, mind, and spirit.
“It’s not just a weight loss program, although I lost quite a bit of weight, it was really more of adding healthy lifestyle changes,” said Warren. “The focus wasn’t on what you were giving up, but what you were adding. It really helped lead me to the A-ha moment of creating the vision of who I want to be.”
That vision included being able to travel comfortably and be able to play with her grandchildren. She met with the Evolve group once a week and started the MyFit RX program at the Piedmont Wellness Center, which helped build strength, stamina, and most importantly, confidence.
“Prior to this, I might have walked between one and two thousand steps a day. Now I regularly do ten to twenty thousand a day,” said Warren. “Recently, I traveled to Japan and one day walked 30,000 steps around Tokyo. I also hiked a mountain in Saipan. One year before, I would not have been able to do those things.”
When the Evolve program was complete, Warren thought, ‘This can’t be it.’ She and the other participants had made such great strides, but felt they could still use support, so a group was formed from the first two cohorts and they continue to meet once a week to share accomplishments, tips and tricks, and recipes.
Warren has come a long way since starting the Evolve program last July and her journey continues.
“The changes didn’t happen overnight and I will continue to keep working,” said Warren. “I feel very blessed to have received the care and support I did from the great people at Piedmont. The outcome could have been so different.”
To learn about the Evolve program and Cancer Wellness, visit piedmont.org/cancer/support-services/classes.
About Piedmont
Piedmont is empowering Georgians by changing health care. We continue to fuel Georgia’s growth through safe, high-quality care close to home through an integrated health care system that provides a hassle-free, unified experience. We are a private, not-for-profit organization that for centuries has lived up to our purpose to make a positive difference in every life we touch in the communities we serve. The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit organization that rates hospitals on safety, has consistently awarded Piedmont more A grades than any system in Georgia. Across our 1,600 physical locations we care for 3.7 million patients and serve communities that comprise 80 percent of Georgia’s population. This includes 22 hospitals, 65 Piedmont Urgent Care centers, 25 QuickCare locations, 1,875 Piedmont Clinic physician practices and nearly 3,100 Piedmont Clinic members. Millions of patients conveniently engage with Piedmont online, as they visited Piedmont.org and Piedmont MyChart over 30 million times, scheduled more than 515,000 online appointments and over 154,000 virtual visits. With more than 37,000 care givers we are the largest Georgia-based employer of Georgians, who all came for the job, but stayed for the people. In 2023, Piedmont has earned recognition from Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and also as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women. In 2022, Forbes ranked Piedmont on its list of the Best Large Employers in the United States. In addition, Piedmont provided nearly $360 million in Community Benefit in Fiscal Year 2022, including approximately $310 million in uncompensated care.
For more information, or booking your next appointment, visit piedmont.org.
