Bothwell Cancer Center providers, from left, Dee Dee Gilmore, Dr. William Decker and Dr. Matt Triplett.
For Nurse Practitioner Dee Dee Gilmore, returning to the Bothwell Cancer Center is like coming home.
Gilmore has been a registered nurse since 2000. After graduating nursing school, she worked at Bothwell hospital on the orthopedic floor and in the skilled nursing unit before moving to Bothwell’s Susan O’Brien Fischer Cancer Center where she was an infusion nurse for seven years. During that time, Gilmore said the relationships with her patients motivated her to be a better nurse.
“Because I spent so much time with my patients, I developed deep relationships with them and their families,” she said. “They inspired me to pursue advanced training as a nurse practitioner.”
Gilmore left the cancer center to work at State Fair Community College as a nursing instructor while she completed a master’s degree in Nurse Practitioner in 2011.
“As a nurse practitioner, I practiced at Katy Trail Community Health, in family practice and the Emergency Department at Pinnacle Regional Hospital in Boonville, and came back to Sedalia at Bothwell Family Health and Bothwell Walk In Clinic,” she said. “In March 2020, I was offered the opportunity to return to the Bothwell Cancer Center. Coming back to oncology was always a goal of mine, and I am excited to be part of this team again.”
Gilmore serves patients alongside Dr. Matt Triplett and Dr. William Decker, and together they care for medical and radiation oncology and hematology patients. Gilmore sees both current treatment and survivorship patients.
Bothwell’s oncology specialists offer patients the same treatment available in larger cities but closer to home.
“It’s really important to have a cancer center in Sedalia,” Gilmore said. “Oncology patients under treatment have good and bad days during their care. Being treated locally and not having to travel lessens the physical and financial burden that traveling several hours for each appointment adds to these families.”
Gilmore said the cancer center also has a dedicated oncology pharmacy located inside it that provides efficiency and safety for patients.
Besides the geographic advantages to having cancer care in Sedalia, Gilmore said there are more personal reasons for choosing cancer treatment close to home.
“The Bothwell Cancer Center is a wonderful place to receive oncology care,” she said. “There is a home-like atmosphere, and the care is extremely personal. The entire team is invested in providing the best care for patients and their families. Our patients become part of our family.”
Gilmore said Bothwell’s cancer team empowers, informs and engages their patients and their families to take control over the diagnosis, navigate the cancer journey, and partner with the team to help them make informed decisions.
“We tell patients that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t define who they are,” she said. “Yes, it can be life altering but it doesn’t have to be life changing. Our team collaborates daily to ensure the best treatment options are provided, and patients are an active part of the medical team.”
Born at Bothwell Regional Health Center and raised in Otterville, Gilmore said that Otterville and Sedalia have been her home her entire life and where she has raised her twin sons, Isaiah and Cyrus. She feels equally at home at the cancer center.
“I was excited to return to the cancer center, but now after being here for the past several months, I am just so happy to be part of such a caring and organized team,” she said. “They are professionals from here, taking care of people from here.”
