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The Livingstons credit UNC for bringing them together and UNC Lineberger for keeping them together through Harriet’s battle with cancer.

Harriet and Frank Livingston have strong connections to Carolina and Chapel Hill. They met and fell in love while in school here and just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They credit UNC for bringing them together and UNC Lineberger for keeping them together through Harriet’s battle with cancer.

Harriet was first diagnosed with DCIS, a type of breast cancer, in 1992. She had two lumpectomies and underwent 6 weeks of radiation. Sadly, she had a recurrence of her cancer in 2007. Because radiation had damaged her skin so much, she had no choice but to have a mastectomy. Luckily, the tumor her surgeon removed was very small and estrogen receptive so she needed no further treatment.

Harriet has been very pleased with her treatments through the years and feels fortunate to be in the care of such caring and progressive physicians and nurses. She feels strongly that early detection through annual mammograms is so important to managing this disease and is checked and followed regularly by her physician, Nancy DeMore, MD.

Unfortunately, Harriet’s family is no stranger to cancer. Her brother, Gerry Schafer of Greensboro, has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and has had two stem cell transplants at UNC Lineberger. Gerry and his family have been very happy with his treatment at UNC and are grateful to Tom Shea, MD, for such wonderful care. He is now in remission.

In July 2009, Harriet and Frank decided to name the Gowned Waiting Room in the new N.C. Cancer Hospital. They know first hand that every breast cancer patient will enter through those doors at some point in time.

They recognize that it is a very stressful time for patients and their families and they want to make the experience as pleasant as possible.