By Nancy Eshelman
For Dorris Winters, it was the electric bill. There she was, weeks in Hershey undergoing cutting edge stem cell treatment for B-cell lymphoma, and that meter at her home in East Prospect, York County, just kept on turning.
Dorris, who lost her husband of 51 years in February 2022, is used to taking care of things on her own. During her treatment, she pulled out her credit card whenever someone wanted her to pay for medical expenses. Then she went home and saw the electric bill. If that wasn't a big enough shock, her refrigerator went kaput.
Someone at Hershey suggested she inquire with their financial aid staff about a wheelchair for the short term, and she not only got some wheels, she learned about Vickie's Angels, the New Cumberland foundation that offers financial aid to those in cancer treatment. And just like that, Dorris rolled away from her electric bill worries.
"They were wonderful," she said about Vickie's Angels.
Vickie's took care of the electric bill and offered to step in for more. But Dorris, 70, said help with the electric bill was more than enough. She described Vickie's as "very receptive," but she took only what she absolutely needed.
"I don't like asking people for help," she said.
This isn't Dorris' first bout with cancer. In 2013, she noticed a lump on her neck, and an immediate biopsy determined she had lymphoma. She was able to continue working during her chemotherapy, which was successful.
For years then, "all things were quiet on the Western front," Dorris said.
The current battle began with pain in her back. She thought it was a kidney stone. Tests proved her wrong.
Dorris spent several weeks in a hotel in Hershey while her stem cells were collected and frozen each day. After two weeks at home, it was back to the medical center, where her own stem cells were returned. She experienced weeks of gruesome reactions. All told, she said, she lost 77 pounds, which she refers to as a good thing.
"I'm not huge anymore," she said.
Since that seven-week stay, she has been returning to Hershey every three weeks for infusion, but said she suffers no pain. She feels good, she sleeps well and she never felt the need to fill a prescription for pain medication. She is able, she said, to take care of many household tasks on her own.
Dorris is also very fortunate because she has a large family ready to step in and help when needed. Her sister, a nurse, spent the initial time in Hershey with her, and her grandson, who is 24, lives with her and handles the labor-intensive tasks.
The family, she said, "steps up. They really do. I have a big family, and they all help."
As she gets stronger every day, things look bright for Dorris' future, thanks to treatment, her family and a bit of help from her new friends in New Cumberland.