Heather Buck, the senior system director for Food and Nutrition Services at OhioHealth, has resumed her duties after battling multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. Buck, who needed several months of intense treatment including high-dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, returned to work last week to a warm reception from her colleagues.
Reflecting on her return, Buck stated, "It's exciting. It's a little overwhelming just to see everybody. But it just validates why I'm so happy to be back." Diagnosed last fall, she spent the holiday season being treated at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital. This experience offered her a new perspective on the level of care provided by the institution she serves. "To come as a patient is a whole new lens, but a privilege to get that care," she expressed. "It gives you so much clarity because you have a lot of time in a hospital bed. You see everything in a different way. To really see the quality, the professionalism, the dedication to you as a patient is really humbling."
Now in remission, Buck attributes her recovery to the OhioHealth care team and her colleagues who supported her throughout her journey. Her team even shaved their heads in solidarity when she lost her hair, demonstrating their unwavering support. "Just the feeling of coming home and seeing all the people that I work with and being so grateful that they’ve done amazing work in my absence," Buck noted. "This is the place I couldn’t wait to get back to. I’m healthy enough from the care I’ve gotten at OhioHealth to come back to work. So it’s a full circle moment for me."
Joy Bischoff, system vice president of Enterprise Shared Services at OhioHealth, spoke highly of Buck, saying, "Heather has been the kind of leader that people want to be led by. She is kind, she’s warm, she’s genuine, she’s fun. And she really connects personally with each one of our teams."
Throughout her illness, her team supported her, and on her return, celebrated with her. "We are resilient. And really, we are a team. And I think Heather embodies that," Bischoff added. "Today was just pure joy and celebrating."
On her first day back, Buck expressed gratitude by walking the halls and delivering cookies to her colleagues, saying, "You never want to get cancer. But if you had to have something happen to you, thank God everything happened to me while I was here at OhioHealth."