Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care are profiling the McKnight’s 2024 Women of Distinction honorees daily from July 1 to Aug. 13. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.
Janet Simpson has been a steady presence at WesleyLife for more than 20 years. Not even her battle with breast cancer in 2021 could keep her away: that battle was chronicled on wesleylife.org’s blog.
After chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, reconstruction and treatments to bolster her immune system, Simpson now is cancer-free, and she is regarded as a go-to in the greater community for women in whom breast cancer recently has been diagnosed and those who are undergoing treatment. She strives to be a role model for others who may be in similar circumstances.
“As a leader in a health and well-being organization, ‘walking the walk’ is really important to me, but also, I’ve always wanted to continue to be healthy and in good shape to continue to do things with my family,” she said in a blog post. “I’ve always been diligent about mammograms and other recommended screenings, and in fact, my yearly mammogram wasn’t even due for a couple of months when I was diagnosed.”
Simpson’s commitment to her duties at WesleyLife while undergoing treatment are nothing short of remarkable and are a big reason she is being honored with a Spirit Award. But for her, it is all just business as usual. Whenever anyone would praise her dedication, she would downplay it, saying, “We all have challenges — and people don’t stop counting on me just because I have cancer.”
- It was common for coworkers to see Simpson attend Zoom calls while connected to a chemo drip.
- She kept active and positive during treatment with walks, coloring, Disney movies and dogs.
- Her advice to others in her situation? “Whether you’re not sick and have never been sick, are newly diagnosed or are in the middle of a cancer battle, live in that day, and manage that day. And if that includes eating a bag of Cheetos, then so be it!”
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. Healthcare Services Group was the Platinum sponsor of this year’s McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards and Forum. PointClickCare was the Gold sponsor, and PharMerica was the Silver sponsor. Other sponsors included Curana Health, DirecTV for Business, Easyshifts, Hireology, Reliant Rehabilitation, ShiftKey and Sentrics.
Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2024 and previous years.
