We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Megan Solinger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Megan, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.
January 19, 2015 my dad nonchalantly mentioned he thought he was having a stroke given he felt clumsy while typing. Off to the Emergency Room he went with my mom. My initial thought was that my dad being a doctor, knew too much and was seeking attention for some medical condition. This had been a habit of his my entire life. However, this time things were not attention-seeking and could not be brushed off. After scans and tests, a brain tumor was discovered. Two days later he underwent neurosurgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible and get pathology results shortly after. Friday of that same week we got the devastating confirmation that he had Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a terminal, stage IV brain cancer.
At the time of his diagnosis, I was working remotely in Richmond, Virginia and asked to move my remote location to Ridgefield, CT so I could be there for my dad and assume the caregiver role, while my mom finished out a long-term substitute teaching role. For the first few months of my dad’s recovery and treatment, I was at home with him. I watched this brilliant man, lose his ability to be rational, work, and rapidly decondition. I took him to counseling, daily radiation appointments, Medical Oncology check-ups, Primary Care appointments, picked up medications at the pharmacy frequently, prepared meals, tended to his needs as he was not able to move easily. Thank goodness I was there when he fell, to call 9-1-1.
For the few months I was in Connecticut as my dad’s caregiver, I was on autopilot. I advocated for him as it was life and death. I kept working, but was really a shell of myself and my normally, very active and social life. While I would do all of this over again to get the precious time with my dad again, I was an emotional mess. I felt so unappreciated. Caregiving felt thankless. So many lessons were learned the hard way.
Separate from Caregiving, my educational background is in Public Health. While I wasn’t doing anything health related professionally, I always was still connected to the community and a cause through volunteering. I had realized the NPO I was volunteering with at the time all this was happening, was not fulfilling, so I was on the hunt to find a meaningful volunteer position and organization. A friend of mine, who was an oncology Social Worker, told me about the Ulman Foundation and this young adult volunteer group called BOYAA (Body of Young Adult Advisors). This was it. This was the cause that resonated with me. I attended my first BOYAA meeting where a scholarship check (think one of those large checks) was presented to a young adult cancer survivor. I was in the photo that was posted on social media (of course my eyes were shut in the version they shared). A former friend reached out to me saying, “I didn’t know you were in BOYAA. I work for the Ulman Foundation.”
Shortly after that interaction, this friend and I, met up for coffee to catch up on life. The next day she texted me that the Ulman Foundation had a job opening for an Adolescent and Young Adult Patient Navigator position. I read the job description and knew at that moment, I had to have that job. I applied, interviewed, and 8 days later accepted the job offer.
I knew I wanted a career and industry change at the time my dad got sick, but knew that so much was working against me since I had a 9 plus year career in Higher Education Administration, two master’s degrees, certificates, and had to somehow get someone to look at my applicable skills, get me in front of them, and take a risk on me. I thought this transition was going to take years, but it was all about right place, right time, and who you know!
I have been with the Ulman Foundation for over 5.5 years now, in various roles because I wholeheartedly believe in their mission. Most importantly, I get to honor my dad every single day with what I do. I am motivated by helping our patients and their loved ones feel supported, in ways that I/we didn’t have when my dad was sick.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I eat, breathe, sleep helping people. Whether it was my previous career helping people become well-informed on the right educational/degree program for them, or a friend who needs help with last minute childcare, showing up to fundraisers to support friends and their passions, or patients who need a listening ear and guidance, I just want to help.
As previously mentioned, I got into Healthcare/NPO work after I helped care for my dad who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015, and ultimately passed away from the awful disease later that same year, at 67 years young.
Even the hobbies I have often relate back to my work with the Ulman Foundation, the cancer community, my local community, and patients. For example, my 9.5 year old blenheim King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, Frankie, is a therapy dog. Currently, his visit site is the Ulman House, a home away from home for adolescent and young adult oncology patients and their loved ones to stay for FREE, while receiving life-saving treatment at a local hospital. I get to reap the benefits and love of my dog everyday and wouldn’t have survived many of life’s moments without his support. While my dad was sick, I was able to bring him into the nursing home and he just knew what to do: he’d lay between my dad’s legs or next to him and take a nap. That’s when I realized that he’d be a great therapy dog. However, I had no idea how to make my dog a legitimate therapy dog, until one of my patients mentioned she was on the board of Pets on Wheels, a therapy dog NPO. The rest is history.
I’ve always been physically active and love being outdoors. This is also something that the Ulman Foundation values and integrates into many of their programs, whether that be a 12-week free training program for any age survivor/patient through Cancer to 5K (in 12+ cities across the country and growing), or our week-long experiences from Baltimore, MD to Key West, FL on a bike or foot (no, you don’t do every mile) to raise money and awareness for young adult cancer, or cheering on our charity runners at the New York City Marathon. Physical Activity is that unifying piece.
I feel very fortunate to say that A) I love my job. It took me a long time to say that phrase out loud because the only reason I/we have a job and this NPO exists is because AYAs are diagnosed with cancer and have unique needs. B) This not a job, this is a career and a passion. One that I wake up everyday motivated to do. So many people work an entire lifetime at a job(s) and don’t love what they do. I feel lucky to say at 37 (almost 38) years old, that I absolutely love what I do.
It’s funny how things come full circle. While in graduate school I completed a Maternal and Child Health certificate. This is just a fancy/expensive piece of paper at the time, but now it is the reflection and foreshadowing of my passion for Oncofertility (fertility preservation). This is a very specific topic to the AYA oncology patient and community and as I’ve learned, not talked about nearly enough to patients whose fertility could be permanently or temporarily harmed from cancer treatment(s) and other factors. This is one of those topics that I will talk to anyone about, so long as they’ll listen. I contribute to the thought leadership on this topic virtually, across the country at conferences, and through articles/blogs, and podcasts.
What makes me unique besides my energy and personality, is my drive to help people. My life experience has ignited something in me to contribute to something bigger than myself, impactful, a way to honor my dad every day, and live this authentically altruistic life, that fulfills me!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Integrity and accountability helped me build my reputation. We are nothing without our integrity, and if you lose it, it’s incredibly difficult to get it back and rebuild trust. I hold my personal character to the highest standard, and in turn that has positively impacted my reputation and quality of my work. I have always been true to my word, and for patients who feel lost and helpless in the fragmented US Healthcare system, I pride myself on getting them results when they come to me for support. Furthermore, I personalized my approach and care with each patient/family member and brought up topics that were hard to broach, but vital. In several cases, my ability to have difficult conversations, for example, about fertility preservation and infertility to a newly diagnosed patient, resulted in swift decision-making, collaboration of a multi-disciplinary medical team, and successful fertility preservation, that would otherwise not have happened.
I’ve always been a lifelong learner, so I take it upon myself to indulge my curiosities with reputable content and reading. This made me even more knowledgeable and valuable to my patients and their families. Once I was recognized as a content expert, the consults, speaking engagements, and contributions started coming and have been growing ever since.
Lastly, within the Ulman Foundation, I don’t see myself as a team of one. I see myself as a representative of the organization as a whole. I don’t just want my patients or programs to be successful, but I want the entire organization to be successful, so I try to help and support other programs, expose myself to things outside of my daily responsibilities, to better understand how all things fit together.
Reputation is built not just for and by yourself, but also within the organization, community and industry.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Being in the oncology field requires a lot of resilience. More than I ever realized, until I came into this world.
This story happened before I started at the Ulman Foundation, let alone knew who they were. I was in a relationship and not happy. I was not sure why I was so unhappy: where we were living, the relationship, my job/career, a combination of things, etc. Ironically, I went to visit my parents to get some time and space for a long weekend, and that’s when my dad was diagnosed with GBM. Fast forward, to mid-March 2015 and my then boyfriend, broke up with me over the phone after nearly 2.5 years of dating. To say the least I was crushed. Devastated. Heart-broken. An emotional, sobbing mess. However, those intense feelings didn’t last long as I had much bigger and important things to focus on: my dad, who was dying. When cancer enters your life, your perspective and priorities change. Hindsight has helped me realize this, it also showed me that I was able to reprioritize my energy, emotions and love, and not feel too sorry for myself, for too long. This was a vital lesson that I lived and learned from. It’s something that I carry with me when working with patients and families, to help meet them where they are emotionally, and help them reframe, reprioritize, and change their perspective. This is resilience, and everyone has the ability to bounce back from hard things. I did it and encourage and support others as they do the same!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ulmanfoundation.org
- Instagram: @Kosmobutterfly
- Facebook: Megan Solinger
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/megan-solinger-mhs-ma-opn-cg-9068115
Image Credits
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