Ten years of helping cancer patients on the High Plains

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Family and support are the words cancer survivor Barbara O’briant uses when she talks about the Plains Regional Cancer Center.

“All in all, Clovis Cancer Center became a home away from home with the best family anyone can ask for,” O’briant said as she addressed the crowd at the center’s 10-year anniversary celebration and rededication Friday afternoon.

O’briant said the center provided her with all of the security and support she got at home when she battled cancer for the second time 10 years ago.

Now she celebrates the center’s 10th anniversary cancer free with the staff she calls family.

“They give you the support you need to maintain a positive attitude.” said O’briant.

O’briant, who was a Plains Regional Medical Center nurse before retiring, said she believes the center is vital to the area, providing a service that allows those battling cancer convenience and an outstanding staff of doctors and nurses.

link Staff photos: Joshua Lucero Sheryll Plyler, director of the PRMC cancer center, far right, speaks about the center’s staff during the 10-year anniversary celebration Friday afternoon.

The 10-year anniversary was a chance for cancer survivors and staff to reunite.

“I would love to work myself out of a job, but as long as cancer exists, we’ll be here helping patients get better.” said Sheryll Plyler, director of the center.

Plyler said the center has made it easier for victims of cancer to fight the disease while being able to maintain normal lives.

According to Plyler, the center sees 250 to 300 people per month, providing them with radiation treatments and chemotherapy that’s convenient for residents across eastern New Mexico.

“It (the cancer center) is a lifesaver,” Plyler said.