Meet the Armes Family
At only 25 years old, Roy Armes lost his father to cancer. His wife, Marcia Armes, lost her mother to a brain tumor. Together, they have stood by as several family members battled breast cancer and family friends faced various forms of the disease as well. Like so many, cancer has touched their lives and made a profound impact. This impact led them to provide the lead donation to make the Armes Family Cancer Care Center of Blanchard Valley Health System a reality.
“My dad was battling renal cell cancer when I was in college,” Roy explained. “At one point he was on a painkiller that caused an allergic reaction of hallucinations. I would get calls in the middle of the night to go to the hospital to help calm him down. I had to balance helping with his care alongside being a full-time engineering student and working a full-time job.” A life-shaping experience, seeing his father’s fight with cancer created an appreciation for health care and an understanding of the importance of having quality health care close to home.
Roy said, “I experienced my father traveling for care at various facilities, and it’s a painstaking experience. Having quality cancer care with continually advancing technology that is available right here in your own back yard helps lessen the burden.” Marcia echoed Roy’s sentiments, “To be able to stay at home, in your own bed, surrounded by your family as a support system, immeasurably reduces the hardship of cancer treatment. We thought that if our donation could eliminate that hardship for others, we would be making a difference.”
Indeed, the Armes Family Cancer Care Center is making a difference. The facility not only provides space for advanced equipment, but also the space needed for the many facets of cancer care to be available under one roof – strengthening the coordination of care for patients and their families. This is especially exciting for Marcia, who traveled this uncertain road with little guidance during her mother’s illness. “Like most people I was a novice at what it takes to coordinate care for a loved one,” Marcia explained. “I learned a lot through my experience, but would have loved to have someone like the care navigators who are available through the Cancer Care Center in Blanchard Valley. These people are able to help create a pathway of care and offer choices to the patients. This is a truly invaluable service that makes the cancer journey easier for all involved.”
It is clear that cancer care is a passion of the Armes family. They strongly believe that exceptional and convenient health care is a necessity for everyone. “Having advanced cancer treatment close to home helps provide high quality, cost effective care throughout the community. It’s less traveling, less stressful and more convenient,” Roy explained. “It is good to know that the entire community will have access to high quality care in our local area. It’s a gratifying feeling for both of us.”
On behalf of their experiences and the impact the cancer center will have on generations of families to come, Roy and Marcia chose to name the new facility The Armes Family Cancer Care Center on behalf of their family, including their sons Justin and Nick. “Our entire family and so many other families have been affected by cancer. And when someone gets this disease, the whole family is touched. We are grateful and proud to be able to help make this center a reality here in Findlay.”
The Armes Family Cancer Care Center is an outpatient department of Blanchard Valley Hospital.