University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 5, No. 2/1996 Drifts don't deter home-care nurse As the Blizzard of '96 thrashed northern Delaware with blinding snow and gale-force winds, Meg Maley, Delaware '86, crept along deserted roads in a four-wheel drive vehicle that struggled through the growing drifts. Wrapped in several layers of clothing and armed with a snow shovel, she was committed to reach the homes of cancer patients who needed medical attention. When she arrived at their doorsteps, patients reacted with gratitude and amazement. "A couple of them were astounded," Maley says. They must have been new patients, because anybody who has known Meg Maley for long knows this about her: She cares deeply about her job and the people it touches, and nothing-not even two feet of snow-can stop her from fulfilling an obligation to a patient. Such unflagging dedication has enabled Maley to succeed in a business that many people didn't give much of a chance in 1989. Just three years after graduating from the University of Delaware with a bachelor's degree in nursing, Maley founded Oncology Care Home Health Specialists. With offices on Main Street in Newark, Del., Oncology Care provides high-quality, specialized care to cancer patients who choose to battle their illness at home instead of in a medical institution. Meg operates the business with her husband, Bill Maley, Delaware '84, '86M. Bill left a career in banking at J.P. Morgan Inc. to join Oncology Care as financial director nine months after it was founded. "It was a big leap," Bill says. "I was doing the books in my off hours from the beginning, but it just grew so fast." The couple met at the University in 1986 and were married a year later. As business partners, they complement each other, with Meg concentrating on employees, scheduling and patient care and Bill bringing a banker's eye to the balance sheet. "We get along great, living together and working together," Bill says. "Our roles are clearly defined." Oncology Care is capitalizing on a national trend for outpatient and long-term care. But, unlike most home health-care agencies, it specializes in cancer patients, offering them a full range of services, from skilled nursing and physical therapy to bereavement counseling and referrals to community resources. Maley began the business-one of only a handful like it in the nation-with five employees. Today, Oncology Care employs the equivalent of 25 full-time staffers who serve an average client base of about 80 patients. Two of the company's key employees are Mary Zimny, Delaware '83, '87M, clinical specialist; and Bill's sister, Kara Maley, Delaware '87, office manager. From the beginning, the business built a reputation as one that would consistently go above and beyond to meet patients' needs. Not only do its employees take great pains never to rush a visit, they also do the extras, dressing in costumes to visit homebound patients on Halloween and arriving with armloads of food on Thanksgiving. The company's efforts don't go unnoticed. "The caring is really something," says F. Eugene Thomure, one of Oncology Care's patients. "I'm not always nice, but they sent me a Thanksgiving turkey dinner and came out and sang Christmas carols with the kids." Susan Mulvihill, clinical manager at Delaware Clinical and Laboratory Physicians, says Oncology Care also made a major difference in the life of her mother. "Meg's group is different," Mulvihill says. "My mother and father are like two new people. My mother is comfortable at home, and my father knows he has good-quality care for her." Caring for cancer patients may be a calling. "The cancer nurse is a different breed. By nature, you have to be upbeat, and there's a real feeling of fulfillment," Maley says. The Maleys maintain a close relationship with UD by involving students in their business. Nursing students assist Oncology Care nurses as part of a six-week rotation schedule. Also, business administration students have conducted field work at the company. Perhaps even more than technical skills, Delaware students learn that success in life means finding a career you enjoy and pursuing it with passion-the kind of passion that takes you into the middle of one of the worst snowstorms of century. "There were some patients we just had to get to," Maley says. "Some had chemotherapy running, some needed morphine. It can be frightening to think you're alone." When Meg Maley's on the job, that's never a worry. -Marylee Sauder, Delaware '83