The best way to make an impression on Valarie Graf is to be easy with a laugh. It also helps to love Welsh corgi dogs.
The 67-year-old from Oelrichs would often wear a backpack bearing the image of a corgi to appointments at Monument Health Cancer Care Institute (CCI) in Rapid City, where she was treated for ovarian cancer.
Doug Floto, Valet at CCI, noticed her backpack and they struck up a conversation about corgis. Doug and his wife also share an affection for the breed. The corgi connection between Doug and Valarie led to a friendship. Whenever Valarie would visit CCI, she would share with Doug about her corgi, Zebulon Oscar, named in tribute to James Arness’ character Zebulon “Zeb” Macahan from the 1970s TV show “How the West Was Won.”
An Office Assistant at Chadron State College Music, Art and Theater Department, Valarie was diagnosed in September 2024 by a provider in Chadron with a very rare ovarian tumor called Sertoli-Leydig cell. The provider referred her to CCI.
That is only part of the story, though.
Valarie’s sister, Sharon, died of ovarian cancer in 1975. So Valarie had a right to be worried about her chances of survival.
Even though she knew that cancer care had advanced significantly in those 29 years, Valarie had choices to make: she could give in to despair because of her family history or she could try to be optimistic. She also had to choose between seeking treatment in Denver, as Sharon did, or entrust CCI with her care.
She chose positivity, and Monument Health.
Surgery to remove Valarie’s tumor was performed a month later by a non-Monument Health Gynecological Oncologist Judith Wolf, M.D. Valarie was also attended to by Michael J. Goodheart, M.D.
“I called my tumor Ethel. She was 16 pounds, and it was contained, thank the Lord,” said Valarie. “Ethel was attached to part of my colon, so they had to resect my colon, and I had an ileostomy, whom I called Elmer. I couldn’t take chemo until after I got rid of Elmer.”
The ileostomy is a procedure that connects the small intestine (the ileum) to a new opening in the belly. Valarie waited seven months for “Elmer” to heal and then started chemotherapy in April of 2025 — a regimen of every two weeks for around four months followed thereafter.
Her friend Anita was gracious enough to bring Valarie from Oelrichs to Rapid City for chemotherapy.
“Between my friend, Anita, and the people of Monument Health — had they allowed me to think about it negatively, it could have been very tough,” said Valarie. “But they didn’t; they were always looking forward. We didn’t look back. I mean, these people had an impact on my life.”
Valarie lists nurses and assistants, the ladies at the check-in desk, even the lab staff as having left a lasting impression upon her.
“There really wasn’t anyone that was not absolutely amazing to me or Anita. They took care of Anita as well as they took care of me,” she said. “I am just totally impressed. I never thought. ‘Oh, geez, I have to go up there and face those people.’ They just were always good and they were helpful.”
An example by way of anecdote: Rapid City Hospital Bariatric and General Surgeon, Pial Hope, D.O., saw Valarie a single time to consult on “Elmer” when the waste bag wouldn’t stay attached.
“Dr. Hope called me at home the next day. The man’s a surgeon. I used to work at Veterans Affairs with surgeons. They just never did that. And this guy called and made sure that I was okay and wanted to know if I had any questions. Just blew me away,” Valarie said.
Valarie is so enthusiastic about her experience of CCI as one team that she barely even mentions the fact they also helped her survive cancer. Point this out to her and she gives a hearty laugh before turning more thoughtful.
“I don’t know how to put this, but they help cut down the PTSD; they help cut down the stress of having that disease. Sometimes I have to think about how horrible it really was because I didn’t have to. It was almost easy to go through all this,” she said. “I lost my hair, and all that. But there were so many people that had it so much worse.”
Although she is now cancer-free, Valarie still experiences the long-term trauma that comes with an illness as serious as cancer — she cites “chemo brain” as having an ongoing impact on her memory and mental sharpness. It’s a trade-off that she’s okay with, considering the alternative. “Life is good. I tell everybody that,” she said. “We are so very lucky to have the caliber of medical people that we have so close. The quality of care is amazing and I am very thankful that they were here. Man, nobody better ever say anything bad to me about Monument Health because I will shut them down. They are exceptional people and the care they give is just top notch.”
Story by Kory Lanphear
Photos by Erika Bratten-Cianca