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Say Yes To The Dress, My Oncologist, and the Perfect Glacier Wedding

Val Jones

"When I walked through the doors of Texas Oncology in early November of 2011, freshly diagnosed, and with very little time to process what was happening, a sense of urgency, fear, and some pretty out-of-the-ordinary, out-of-control feelings flooded my brain."

Val Jones
Breast Cancer

By Val Jones

I’m no stranger to big news. On October 31, 2011, I got the biggest news of my life, and like every cancer patient, word of my breast cancer diagnosis left me spinning out of control. When I walked through the doors of Texas Oncology in early November of 2011, freshly diagnosed, and with very little time to process what was happening, a sense of urgency, fear, and some pretty out-of-the-ordinary, out-of-control feelings flooded my brain. I’d always been “the girl with the plan” and suddenly, I found myself reeling and completely plan-less.

To say I was panicked is, quite simply, an understatement. But the very first meeting I had there with my oncologist, Dr. Debra Patt, set the tone for my cancer experience. That visit left a tremendous first impression on me, and I instinctively knew I was in good hands. My treatment, like everyone else’s, had its ups and downs, and Dr. Patt helped me navigate the potholes and emerge beautifully from it. And so it made total sense to invite her to participate in my latest big news - I landed a spot on TLC’s insanely popular show, Say Yes To The Dress.

You’ve probably caught an episode of SYTTD, but in case you haven’t, it’s a heartfelt show set in Kleinfeld, a world renown bridal boutique, in New York City. Brides come from all over the US, and even the world, to shop there. Each is assigned a consultant, and after listening to each bride’s criteria for the perfect gown, Kleinfeld delivers. To say they treat brides like royalty is an understatement. And who doesn’t like a heartfelt story, or even a little wedding drama, after the end of a long day? SYTTD is both entertaining and uplifting, and so when they asked who I wanted to bring for by bridal entourage, it was a no-brainer.

I quickly emailed invitations to Dr. Patt and the rest of my cancer care team: my plastic surgeon, Dr. Elisabeth Potter; my lymphedema specialist, Angela Wicker-Ramos; my compression supplier and fitter, Hilda Eisele; and my dear friend and cancer support, Lisa Davis. Dr. Patt emailed me back immediately with a “Sounds fun! Yes!” Always supportive, it still blew me away that she accepted. Why? I suppose it’s probably because I have such tremendous respect for her. Intelligent, compassionate and a frontrunner in the breast cancer community, SHE said yes to ME. Wow.

The result? A simply amazing experience that I will treasure forever.

It’s very difficult to articulate the feelings I felt standing before these extraordinary women in Kleinfeld. Right now as I’m writing this, I’m having to channel my inner Dr. Patt, always so eloquent and articulate, to avoid the cliche phrase “it was a dream come true,” because, well, it was a dream come true. These women have been my seatbelt for the past six years on the bumpiest roller coaster ride I’ve ever braved. They’ve kept me in my cart on some pretty corkscrew twists and turns and have kept me from tumbling out on some pretty serious stomach-in-my-throat, heart-outta-my-chest moments. I’m sure you can understand why I’d want to share this joyful moment with them.

The best part of this whole SYTTD episode? The production crew followed us to Alaska when my now husband, Jack, and I tied the knot - on top of a glacier. You read that right. We exchanged wedding vows atop an icy wonderland, and it’s all on the episode.

I’d like to personally invite you to see SYTTD this Saturday, January 13th, at 8pm EST / 7pm CST. You’ll get a true glimpse of why Dr. Debra Patt is so special, and why I chose her to share this once-in-a-lifetime moment with me.

Photo credit TLC.

The information included in this testimonial is based on one patient’s unique experience and is not intended to represent all patient outcomes or expectations.