Social worker helps cancer patients during their toughest times

About 20 years ago, Irma R. Bernales got very sick. And that's all she'll say about that. Bernales' job has always been to offer comfort to others, with a hospice service in Tampa for two years, and now as a social worker in the Center for Women's Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center. She's not looking for sympathy for herself.

Still, she says, that life-threatening illness caused her to reassess who and how she wanted to help. "It gave me a bird's eye view of what it is to be a patient, high-tech medicine, the different levels of a disease and treatment and how it impacts your family and children. I became interested in working with patients with catastrophic illnesses," she says. She has learned how precious life is, how a disease like cancer can transform people, and the meaning of hope.

""Hope goes through a lot of alterations, modifications and transformations. But there is always hope," says Bernales, who lives in Wesley Chapel.

Bernales works with cancer patients from the time they are diagnosed with gynecological or breast cancers and through their treatment or end of life. She's been at Moffitt for 16 years, and assists patients and their families with everything from emotional and practical needs to administrative issues.

She also teaches patients self-advocacy and helps them arrange transportation, assistance with meals and leisure activities.

"An important aspect of cancer care is providing a way to help survivors understand the resources that are relevant and available -- and how to use them," says Bernales, who has a family history of breast and gynecological cancer on her mother's side.

The Center for Women's Oncology provides a variety of support services for patients and their families, including nutritional and psychosocial counseling, yoga classes and massage therapy. Bernales also helped created Arts in Medicine, a program that encourages patients and their families to get involved in the arts as a way to enhance their well-being. Bernales embraces the opportunity to educate women about breast cancer and early detection, as well as to advocate on behalf of the uninsured and underinsured. She's especially attuned to the challenges minority women and the poor face.

"(A social worker) has to be very resourceful," says Bernales, who has a master's degree in social work from Columbia University. "To see how poverty and lack of insurance interferes with getting access of care earlier. ... Sometimes the barriers can be insurmountable."

And Bernales is there to answer the most common question, "Am I going to die?"

"A breast cancer diagnosis is not necessarily a death sentence," she says. Every patient is different, and her talks are geared toward each patient's individual needs.

"I look at the reality of their fear and put it into context," says Bernales, who describes herself as compassionate, dedicated and caring. "We're all going to die someday, but the difference is it becomes a potential reality for someone who has been diagnosed with cancer. They all touch me because even though there are parallels, each woman's story is unique, poignant and compelling."

Bernales, who has been married 33 years to husband Jorge, relaxes by gardening, taking coffee dates with her husband and "enjoying the elements of nature."

She relies on a strong network of colleagues -- and her two grandchildren, ages 2 and 6 -- to buoy her spirits when she's had a tough day at the office.

"You can very easily burn yourself out (in this line of work)," says Bernales, a native of New York. "You have to be able to recognize your limits and know when you are in need of support."

But Bernales says every day reminds her of her commitment.

"I wish I had a magic wand to eliminate cancer," she says. "But as difficult and traumatic as it is for a patient, I've seen how struggle allows for personal, transformational growth," she says. "Women who are shy become proactive. They realize the preciousness of life and how fleeting it is, and they live life more fully."