{"id":115118,"date":"2020-10-29T09:53:36","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T13:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=115118"},"modified":"2026-05-08T10:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T14:57:21","slug":"ucf-nursing-instructor-uses-her-cancer-battle-to-teach-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-nursing-instructor-uses-her-cancer-battle-to-teach-students\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Nursing Instructor Uses Her Cancer Battle to Teach Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Sunday, November 29, 2020, Joyce DeGennaro passed away. She leaves behind her loving husband Darren and two young children. To continue her legacy, mourners may make a gift to the Joyce DeGennaro Memorial Scholarship<\/a> at the College of Nursing.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Joyce DeGennaro \u201903 \u201909BSN \u201913MS<\/strong> is using her own personal fight against breast cancer to provide UCF students with rare, real-world learning opportunities.<\/p>\n

A UCF nursing<\/a> instructor since 2013, DeGennaro regularly incorporates aspects of her cancer treatments into her coursework. These include recordings of invasive medical procedures and frank conversations about her health status.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything from my chemotherapy ports being accessed to my lungs and stomach being drained of fluids have been a topic for in-class discussion,\u201d says DeGennaro, who often records medical procedures with her cell phone as they are being performed on her, for the purposes of presenting them in class. \u201cAs a professional nurse, I can walk the class through each procedure, allowing them to ask questions about the process along the way. Also, I can provide my students with a safe, welcoming environment to ask personal questions to a Stage-4 cancer patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeGennaro\u2019s evolution as a teacher and her ongoing battle with cancer began June 23, 2015. While getting dressed for work, she discovered a tender lump in her right armpit. DeGennaro\u2019s worries were heightened by enlarged lymph nodes above her right clavicle, an ominous combination of signs. Immediately, she suspected breast cancer.<\/p>\n

During her commute to UCF that morning, DeGennaro made the decision to turn her cancer fears into a teaching moment. She revealed her concerns to the class and opened a discussion on breast cancer warning signs, allowing students to examine the lump under her arm and above her clavicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last few years, I\u2019ve found that life is what you make of it, and I have chosen to make this aspect of my life a truly meaningful and impactful learning experience for my students.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAt that particular moment, it wasn\u2019t about me or my own health. It was about my students having a rare educational moment, something that they would probably never get to experience again inside of a classroom setting,\u201d says DeGennaro, who called that class session one of the most meaningful of her career. \u201cIn the last few years, I\u2019ve found that life is what you make of it, and I have chosen to make this aspect of my life a truly meaningful and impactful learning experience for my students.\u201d<\/p>\n

A biopsy and a CT scan soon confirmed that DeGennaro had an aggressive form of breast cancer, which had metastasized into her lymph nodes. The next five years would be comprised of chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy, four recurrences and more than 60 rounds of radiation therapy.<\/p>\n

DeGennaro is one of more than three million women currently living with breast cancer in the United States. It is the second most commonly diagnosed form of cancer among American women. About 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop an invasive form breast cancer at some point in their lives. This year alone, there will be an estimated 325,000 newly diagnosed cases.<\/p>\n

Annually, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is held in October to recognize those who are battling the disease as well as to increase awareness, promote testing and honor the memories of those who have passed.<\/p>\n

DeGennaro is now in remission, but there have been indications that the cancer has returned. She has learned to take life one day at a time. In addition to her religious faith and family, DeGennaro says teaching has been a source of comfort and strength throughout her ordeal. Currently teaching all of her classes remotely due to COVID-19, she takes pride in the fact that she has never missed a class session at UCF.<\/p>\n