It’s been over a decade since Nancy May and her husband moved to Salem—a move she considers fortuitous not just because she loves living in the small waterfront city, but because it’s within easy reach of the North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) Cancer Center in Peabody. In 2003, after she received a diagnosis of Stage 3 colorectal cancer, she discovered just how relevant that proximity was.
    
May’s diagnosis was unusual in that it started with a trip to her dentist, who found a growth under her tongue that turned out to be cancerous. In a disheartening coincidence—only a day after undergoing a procedure to remove the growth—May noticed blood in her stool. A colonscopy and other tests revealed she had colorectal cancer.

In explaining how she became connected with NSMC, May said, “I had my colonoscopy performed by a gastronenterologist. When he gave me the sad news, I started researching doctors and Dr. [Marc] Rubin sounded impressive.” Dr. Rubin is chair of NSMC Salem Hospital’s department of surgery and specializes in colon and rectal surgery. May also had chemotherapy and radiation treatment at the NSMC Cancer Center, where she was the patient of medical oncologist Dr. Joel H. Schwartz (who is also chief of hematology and oncology) and now-retired radiation oncologist Dr. Eric Weber.

“I am very, very grateful to the [NSMC] doctors,” May said. “They stayed on top of everything and took very good care of me.” She is also quick to praise everyone connected to the NSMC Cancer Center. “I can’t say enough good things about the [NSMC] Cancer Center. As soon as you walk in the door, people make eye contact and say hello, including custodians, nurses, volunteers, doctors. Everyone is kind and thoughtful and caring. Everyone. It really is an exceptional place.”