Chris Petti marks her 25-year survivorship with donation toward new cancer treatment technology
Though Chris Petti and her husband Dr. Alfonso Petti had been seasonal residents of Linville since 1979, her introduction to Watauga Medical Center was through the Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center 20 years later, when she received a scary diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer.
“I will never forget the terrible feelings that went through my body when I heard the words, ‘You have cancer and it is stage 4. You may live a few years,’” Chris remembers. “As a nurse, I knew I needed to be aggressive and think positively. I decided I was going to fight and live.”
Chris had the means and opportunity to go anywhere for her cancer care, but she chose to complete her first nine months of chemotherapy in Boone.
“I wanted to be at my home in the mountains where the air is pure and clear. My friends were astonished,” she recalled. “I knew I could get everything I needed right here.”
She had three complex tumors with metastasis to her lymph nodes and bones. “My treatment plan became very aggressive with weekly chemo of Cytoxan, Adriamycin and Taxol, along with many other drugs. I sat in the chemo ward with many others for four to seven hours a week and endured the side effects that occurred for the next two years.”
During that time, she realized that Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center was not only clinically excellent, but also caring, kind, loving, and “not what you would find at a large institution.”
“The doctors and nurses showed love and support and I was so happy for my decision,” she said. “I don’t think I would still be here 25 years later if it had not been for the wonderful care and loving community that I found here.”
A Legacy of Generosity
When Chris’s husband, a renowned orthopedic surgeon passed away in 2019, she donated $1 million to the new orthopedic center at AppOrtho in his honor. Two years later she made another impactful donation to name the Dr. Alfonso and Christine Petti Emergency Department at Watauga Medical Center.
In celebration of her 25-year survivorship and appreciation for the care she received at Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center, Chris now has a new cause to support. The cancer center where she spent so many months taking chemotherapy treatments, is raising funds to purchase a new linear accelerator for radiation oncology.
Rob Hudspeth, President of the Appalachian Healthcare Foundation noted, “When I mentioned to Chris that we were trying to fund the purchase of a new linear accelerator she posed just one question, ‘How much do you need to raise?’ I told her the technology would be just over $2 million and $3 million more for construction. Chris had just made two generous contributions to us recently, so I didn’t consider that she would step up again. But she surprised me. Without hesitation, Chris said she would provide the first $1 million if we could find a match.”
Petti explained her excitement for the project by saying, “I am very passionate about raising funds for the linear accelerator. I want it to benefit all the people in the High Country, so they will not have to leave the community for the radiation treatment they need.”
Finding a Match
Over the summer, hospital foundation employees Kindsay Reeder, Brian Whitfield, and Rob Hudspeth began meeting with other prospective donors to talk about the linear accelerator project. In August, they sat down with an anonymous donor from Blowing Rock and told him about Chris’s challenge to match her gift.
Right away he expressed interest in matching Chris’s gift. But the catalyst for his interest arose from a different motivation. He wanted to honor the legacy of Dr. Herman Godwin, a renowned and much-loved oncologist who helped start the Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center in Boone and served for years as Chief Medical Officer for Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.
Hudspeth noted, “he (the donor) talked fondly about his lifelong friendship with Dr. Godwin. And while he wanted to be anonymous, he also wanted to celebrate Dr. Godwin’s legacy as a caregiver for the community. When he agreed to give us $1 million we were overjoyed.”
A Surprise for Chris Petti
On Wednesday, September 18, the Appalachian Regional Healthcare Foundation held its annual Pinnacle Society Celebration to honor its legacy donors. At the conclusion of the evening, Rob Hudspeth called Chris Petti to the podium to surprise her. Hudspeth told her, “Chris, we have some good news to share with you. You will need to bring your checkbook with you because we have found a matching gift for your wonderful generosity.”
She was elated and commented, “It is wonderful that someone stepped forward in honor of Dr. Godwin. Ironically, he was my doctor 25 years ago. I cannot begin to express what he meant to me over the course of my treatment. He helped me – and I know he has helped thousands of others over the years. I am just so excited so many people will benefit from what we’re doing here to support our healthcare system and medical providers like Herman Godwin.”
Chris concluded the evening by saying, “Twenty-five years ago, I was told I had a 20 percent chance of living two years. Well, I proved them wrong. I am still here, and I would love for everyone to join me in celebrating this and being able to invest in the things this community and this hospital needs.”
Celebrate With Us
If you are interested in celebrating Chris Petti’s 25-year survivorship or Dr. Herman Godwin’s legacy, please consider contributing to the new linear accelerator fund for the Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center, by contacting Appalachian Healthcare Foundation at 828-262-4391, or via email at kreeder@apprhs.org.
