Paving the Way and Passing the Torch
Overwhelmed with the emotions that follow a cancer diagnosis, a patient tells her doctor she’s scared. The doctor grabs her hand, looks her in the eye and tells her she is going to be OK, and they are going to take care of her. The small gesture makes all the difference, helping to melt away some of the fear.
It’s a story Celia Ferman has heard more than once. Friends afraid they will get lost in the system at Moffitt Cancer Center quickly learn they’re not just a number here. That their providers genuinely care about them, and they will receive an individualized treatment plan.
Those patient stories are what always inspired Ferman, who retired from Moffitt’s Board of Directors after 25 years of service.
“I hope my legacy is that this is a place for ordinary people to be part of an extraordinary place,” Ferman said.
It’s hard to talk about Moffitt and the progress the cancer center has made over the past two decades without talking about Ferman. She was a member of the first board and co-founder of the Merit Society, a women-only philanthropic society that encourages and supports female cancer researchers and physicians. A conference room in the Stabile Research Building bears her name, and she helped fund and create the garden outside of the Moffitt McKinley Hospital. Most recently, she funded Moffitt’s first mobile lung screening unit. It will be the first mobile lung screening program in the state, helping to increase access of the low-dose CT scans to more patients across diverse communities.
“I have just been grateful to be a part of it. I can’t do the research, I can’t do the medicine, but I love being able to be part of something that is so important to so many lives,” she said.
As a new board member, Ashley Bell Barnett hopes to foster a relationship between Moffitt and Polk County.
When Ferman decided it was time for her to step back from an active role in Moffitt’s boards, one person stood out to her as a perfect replacement: community advocate Ashley Bell Barnett. After learning more about Moffitt, Bell Barnett couldn’t wait to get involved.
“Once I learned Moffitt’s mission, it felt like family. That we wrap our arms around the community,” Bell Barnett said. “It’s not a place for the elite. It’s for everyone to access top cancer care and research.”
As Moffitt’s newest board member, Bell Barnett hopes to foster a relationship between Moffitt and Polk County, where she calls home. For Moffitt patients, there are an estimated 30,000 trips a year between Moffitt and Polk County.
“We are growing, and we need the best of the best,” Bell Barnett said.
Combining her interest in medicine and research with her philanthropic expertise, she wants to light a fire in others in her community to join Moffitt’s mission. She knows she has big shoes to fill, but she is up for the job and is passionate about continuing the selfless work of Moffitt board members like Ferman.
And if Bell Barnett needs any advice, she doesn’t have to go far. Ferman is now chairing Moffitt’s Emeritus Board, where she hopes to continue to watch the cancer center expand into Pasco County with SPEROS FL and beyond.
