A Gift for ‘Angels in Comfort Shoes’
For Doreen Dimmitt, every interaction at Moffitt Cancer Center made a difference in her cancer journey. Every greeting. Every smile. Every word of encouragement.
When Dimmitt was originally diagnosed with ovarian cancer by her local doctor in January 2023, she was given six months to live. She and her husband, Richard, decided to come to Moffitt for a second opinion. That decision saved her life.
After extensive testing, Moffitt’s peritoneal disease experts, who specialize in cancers affecting the tissue that lines the abdomen, determined Dimmitt actually had advanced appendix cancer. The recommended treatment was cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. In this procedure, all visible tumors are surgically removed and then heated chemotherapy is delivered into the abdominal cavity.
Gastrointestinal surgeon Sean Dineen, MD, performed the procedure in March 2023. All told, the operation took 16 hours. Dimmitt stayed in the hospital for eight days afterward. During this time, the nursing team left a lasting impression on her.
“The insightfulness of the nursing staff to see and meet unspoken needs on a continuing basis was exemplary,” she remembered. “We called them the Navy Seal team because they would quietly slip into the room, perform unpleasant procedures and quietly disappear. They were thoughtful, kind and strategic. They were a blessing to me and my family.”
After being released from the hospital, Dimmitt spent about four months recovering. By July 2023, she was back to doing all the things she loves — gardening, going out with friends and, most importantly, playing with her five grandchildren. But even with life back to normal, she hadn’t forgotten the people who had taken such good care of her.
In recognition of the nursing staff at Moffitt, she decided to make a gift, donating $2 million to create the Doreen Dimmitt Excellence in Nursing Scholarship Fund. The gift provides funding for nursing education, training programs and technology.
“Moffitt’s ability to meet the current and future needs of cancer patients is dependent on its ability to grow its nursing curriculum and build a large community of passionate and trained nurses,” she said. “We hope to provide excellence in cancer care for generations to come.”
Dimmitt presented the gift at the Nursing Excellence Awards ceremony in May 2024, where Moffitt nurses were recognized for their hard work and invaluable contributions. Her generosity was deeply felt by the crowd.
“Nurses stand as the backbone of Moffitt, and the Doreen Dimmitt Excellence in Nursing Scholarship Fund ensures we as a cancer center continue to provide lifechanging care to all who enter our doors,” said Kelley Gonzalvo, DNP, Moffitt’s chief nursing officer.
At the awards ceremony, Dimmitt praised the “angels in comfort shoes” who cared for her during her journey, as well as the culture of compassion at the cancer center.
“Throughout this journey, we visited Moffitt too many times to count. We met so many people who were living out the Moffitt mission of providing compassionate, innovative and expert care,” she said. “There is a very strong culture of excellence and community at Moffitt. No matter their position, everyone was committed to delivering the best possible patient care and outcome.”
