Published: September 15, 2025
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
When Paducah, Kentucky, native Michele Burgess received her Stage 4 invasive ductal carcinoma diagnosis Feb. 6, 2020, she faced the advanced breast cancer the same way she approaches everything in life — head on. As a nurse manager for an inpatient hospice unit, Michele had spent years caring for others in their most vulnerable moments. Now, she would draw on that same strength for her own battle.
Most people expected Michele to step away from her demanding career after her cancer diagnosis. After all, working in hospice while fighting breast cancer seemed like an impossible burden. But Michele saw it differently.
“Why wouldn’t I continue?” she asked herself. Her work gave her purpose, and her 10-bed inpatient unit needed her steady leadership.
Throughout her initial treatment — four rounds of AC chemotherapy, which combines drugs doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), followed by three rounds of Taxol — Michele maintained her grueling schedule. She worked midnight to 8 a.m. shifts Monday through Friday for hospice outpatient care, covering 17 counties and driving through the night. It was a testament to her unwavering dedication to her patients and her own resilience.
For nearly five years, Michele’s treatment kept her cancer stable. She was approaching a milestone cancer patients dream of reaching — the five-year mark. Then, in November 2024, hip pain changed everything.
The scans revealed what Michele feared most: Her cancer had returned, this time in her left hip and pelvis — but this recurrence came with a unique challenge. Michele had developed an ESR1 mutation (a resistance to cancer treatment), and the only Food and Drug Administration-approved medication for this specific mutation — Orserdu — couldn’t be prescribed alongside other cancer medication (CDK4 inhibitors) that she needed. Insurance wouldn’t cover the combination, because the drugs hadn’t been proven safe and effective when used together.
Michele’s local oncologist, Wederson M. Claudino, M.D., introduced Michele to Norton Cancer Institute’s clinical trial program, where an active trial would provide access to an alternative medication. Dr. Claudino would collaborate on Michele’s care with the study’s principal investigator, Laila S. Agrawal, M.D., breast medical oncologist with Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville. For Michele, this wasn’t just another treatment option — it was her best hope for continuing the life she had built.
“Joining a clinical trial was a no-brainer,” Michele said. “It’s where I needed to be.”
The clinical trial brought Michele more than an opportunity to access innovative medicine. The research schedule, which required regular visits to Louisville, transformed her relationship with her family. Instead of meeting her daughter, McKenzie, and her family every other Friday in Beaver Dam, Kentucky — to pick up her granddaughter, Nyla, for weekend visits, Michele now sees them much more frequently, since they live in Louisville.
“It’s made life easier in general,” Michele said. “We stay with McKenzie when we come up on Thursday nights for Friday appointments, so we’re saving money on hotels, but more importantly, we’re seeing the kids more often.”
The travel to Louisville also has allowed Michele to visit her son, Brandon, near Cincinnati, Ohio, more often, turning medical appointments into opportunities for family dinners and precious time together.
After decades working in health care, Michele knows the difference between good medical care and exceptional care. In joining a clinical trial through Norton Cancer Institute, she found something that had been missing from some of her previous medical experiences: the feeling of being truly seen and heard.
“When they’re with me, I know that I’m seen; I know that I’m heard,” Michele said about both Dr. Claudino’s team and the clinical research team. “I have been in some offices where you just leave knowing they didn’t hear a word you said. I’ve never felt like that leaving this office.”
Dr. Claudino keeps up with Michele via text or call.
“He checks in on me and wants to stay updated on the clinical trial,” she said.
This attention extends to her entire family. When McKenzie accompanies her to appointments or when her husband has questions, the same courtesy and respect is shown to them. It’s a level of comprehensive care that leaves the whole family feeling supported and informed.
Now, just about six months into the clinical trial, Michele’s most recent scans brought welcome news: nothing new, nothing growing, everything stable.
Even as Michele faces new challenges — a tremor in her hands and balance issues that are being investigated — she approaches each day with the same determination that has carried her through her career and cancer journey. She continues to work, continues to care for her hospice patients and continues to fight.
Her story is one of resilience, family and the power of clinical research to provide hope when standard treatments fall short. For Michele, participating in the trial wasn’t just about accessing innovative medicine — it was about reclaiming her life and spending precious time with the most important people in her life.
“I feel like I’ve got more eyes on me and my health in general,” Michele said. “I feel like my care has just been made better by having this team added to my care team.”
In the world of cancer treatment, hope often comes in unexpected packages. For Michele, it came through a clinical trial that didn’t just address her needs — it brought her closer to her family and gave her the comprehensive care she deserved.