In 2023, Karen Herr, now 58, was dealing with what she thought were gastrointestinal issues. She was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in her 20s, so she worked hard to live a healthy lifestyle and remove irritating foods from her diet. More recently, she cut out dairy and gluten, but the intestinal pain didn’t go away. Then, she developed a worrisome cough.
Karen, who was living in Los Angeles at the time, took a trip to New Jersey to visit her sister, Amy, in October 2023. While there, Karen’s health issues came to a head. She went to an urgent care facility for her persistent cough, which she thought could be the result of long COVID. She had an X-ray of her lungs, and the results were a shock: Karen had nodules that looked like metastasized cancer. She was immediately sent to the emergency room at Holy Name.
At Holy Name, Karen was diagnosed with stage four uterine cancer that had spread to her lungs. Karen returned to Los Angeles and began treatment at a local hospital. But two weeks in, she concluded that the best care she could find was back at Holy Name. She packed up her apartment and she and her cat Sydney relocated to New Jersey.
In January 2024, Karen started chemotherapy treatments under the direction of Dr. Sharyn Lewin, the Director for the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Holy Name. Karen was feeling understandably overwhelmed as she tried to navigate a life-changing diagnosis and a cross-country move. She sought some extra support and was referred to Jaclyn Saggese, an oncology social worker at Holy Name.
At their first session, Jaclyn assessed Karen using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) screening tool. Karen scored a 10 out of 21, indicating she had moderate anxiety.
"[I was feeling] overwhelmed and terrified," Karen said. "[I was] trying to deal with the whole world being changed underneath my feet which is [what] I think happens when you get a diagnosis: There is a ‘before’ and an ‘after,’ and you're very different on either side."
Karen connected with Jaclyn immediately because of her compassion and what she called her "warm and accessible approach." Karen found, in their sessions, a safe space to experience her feelings. Over time, she said, she started to see "a light at the end of the tunnel."
Jaclyn gave Karen the tools to acknowledge and reframe the adversity that she was – and still is – facing, so she could reclaim her autonomy and continue to care for herself. She also helped Karen see when she was making progress. In addition, Jaclyn nominated Karen and Amy for the For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation, which offers cancer patients and their loved ones a much-needed break from their challenges. The Foundation awarded them a week-long stay at the Woodloch Resort in the Poconos, where they connected with other cancer patients and their families. Karen described the retreat as the first time she and her sister "got to forget about cancer." She said that they "came back full of hope."
That hope continues to fuel Karen, who as of early 2025, is still receiving treatment at Holy Name. She credits Jaclyn with being "a stabilizing force in a really difficult time" and uses the tools she gained in their sessions to keep moving forward. Jaclyn reassessed Karen with the GAD tool at a recent session, and Karen scored a 0.
"From the moment I met anyone at Holy Name, I felt like a person they really cared about," said Karen. "That is the biggest reason why I would say, if you have any problems, go to Holy Name."
