“The coin is something tangible, I can hold on to it, find comfort in it, and feel the weight of it in my pocket,” said Elaine Spangler, Co-Chair of Fox Chase’s Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC). “I like the concept, like a little emotional support mechanism to forestall distress.”
Quietly and without much fanfare, Fox Chase Cancer Center introduced what promises to become a new tradition with patients. Over the last few months, the Fox Chase Challenge Coin has already been handed out to some patients, and Joel Helmke, MSHP, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer at Fox Chase, recently unveiled the coins at a PFAC meeting to solicit feedback from the group.
“Traditions can be important and profound things, from ringing a bell at the end of radiation therapy to rubbing a bronze woodchuck’s nose in the cafeteria,” said Helmke. “These acts have a powerful meaning for patients and staff alike, and we thought we could generate some of our own power among a larger audience by introducing the Fox Chase Challenge Coin.”
The tradition behind the challenge coin begins with pilots during the First World War, who would have special coins made as tokens of appreciation. As the story goes, when pilots meet at the bar, the pilot who cannot meet the challenge of laying a coin on the bar buys the first round of drinks. Over time, coins have become a facet of military culture, spilling over into the civilian world in the form of corporate mementos or collectibles.
“We see our challenge coins as more of a physical reminder that you are never alone in your patient journey at Fox Chase,” Helmke said. “We had originally considered handing them to patients at the end of a course of treatment as a notion that Fox Chase will always be with you in your journey.”
According to Helmke, feedback from PFAC members indicated that it might be more special to hand a coin to a patient at the beginning of their Fox Chase journey. He says the idea of making the challenge coin part of the patient onboarding process is being explored.
“I think I would have liked to receive this as a token that we are accepting this challenge together at the outset,” said Donna McAllister, one of the PFAC members who met with Helmke. “From day one you need positivity and support, and you need to take that with you as you go.”
McAllister has been a patient since 2014, when she was first diagnosed with bladder cancer, and a part of PFAC since 2019, becoming co-chair of the group in 2022 and now serving a second two-year term. She believes in the importance of supporting mental health through treatment and beyond.
“I live in the neighborhood, and I am at the Cancer Center all the time, but each January I feel the anxiety of returning for tests and scans,” McAllister said. “For a few moments, I’m reminded of my first visit as a patient, so I need to focus on the positive actively. I can see the coin being that physical reminder to focus.”
It is a sentiment that Spangler, who has been a Fox Chase breast cancer patient since 2022, shares. “You are looking for any sort of positivity at what really is the worst time of your life,” she said.
“For me, treatment doesn’t really end because I am in a challenge every day and it will be that way for the rest of my life,” Spangler added. “A cancer diagnosis is a marathon, but at Fox Chase, I am running with a team.”
The cancer journey, Spangler says, can be frightening at times and, in some moments, lonely. The Fox Chase Challenge Coin is a way to remind yourself that you are never really alone.
“I like the idea of having something in my hand to draw on the feeling that Fox Chase has my back,” Spangler said. “They got me, and I’m part of this amazing team of dedicated clinicians and Nobel-winning scientists.”
Being part of that team is what encourages her to volunteer with PFAC and give back in other ways, Spangler says, including taking part in clinical trials. “I like to think about what I am contributing and all the people who came before me and will come after me,” Spangler said. “This journey is difficult, but it is amazing and wonderful at the same time because I feel the love that comes through from everyone at Fox Chase.”
The first production run of the Fox Chase Challenge Coin is slightly bigger than a quarter and had been scaled down from a heavier coin to make it easier to carry every day. On the “heads” side is an image of the Fox Chase logo with the words “We Never Stop Focusing on You.” The “tails” side features the Liberty Bell and the words “We are Fox Chase, Philadelphia’s Cancer Center.”
According to Helmke, nearly 500 coins have been distributed so far.
“We want to offer this coin as a sign of solidarity,” Helmke said. “I want patients to see and know they belong to this amazing community of volunteers and caregivers. Cancer is a journey that we will all take together, and this coin should remind patients that every day is a milestone to celebrate.”