Enjoying Life Again: Watertown Couple Benefits from Palliative Care from Rainbow
Enjoying Life Again: Watertown Couple Benefits from Palliative Care from Rainbow
by Kenyon Kemnitz
Mike and Becky Yenser renewed their vows in October 2023.
Out of all the husbands in the world, Becky Yenser is grateful she gets to call Mike hers, even though sparks didn’t exactly fly between the two when they first met. After their first meeting, Becky didn’t think they’d see each other again.
“I was looking for a job and went to Y’s Way,” Becky said. “I didn’t know how to read a ruler so I chose not to work for him, even though he said he would teach me. But when I became a bartender, he started coming in, and we finally went on a date.”
Now they’ve been together for 28 years and married for 18. They have two children, Krista, and Stuart, and four grandchildren (Braydon, Amelia, Makayla, and Max).
Any challenge Mike Yenser is about to face, he knows he’s more likely to get through it because of his wife. They’re stronger together and both are determined for him to beat cancer.
Mike knows what it’s like to have the motivation to succeed. Almost 40 years ago, he had a dream of starting a small carpet cleaning business, and brought his brother, Dan, along on his journey. They accomplished that goal, and soon they had a thriving and well-known full-service flooring and carpeting store on their hands, eventually opening three locations in Watertown, Lake Mills, and Oconomowoc. In 2017, a growing need for more space prompted a move to the old Karma building on Milford Street in Watertown. Mike’s wife, Becky, joined him by starting her own business, Ladybug Adventures Childcare, in the same building in September 2020.
Getting caught up in the daily grind of work and the onset of COVID-19 caused Mike to postpone seeing a doctor for a physical. He had pain in his hip, but assumed it was from all the years of demanding work and physical labor. But then the pain only got worse.
“It reached a point where I was taking a lot of ibuprofen and I thought I probably needed a new hip,” said Mike Yenser.
Mike had a feeling something was wrong. After completing a Life Line Screening, he made an appointment with his doctor, who referred him to an oncologist. Following multiple tests, he found out in April 2023 that he had metastatic prostate cancer.
“I went on social security around that time, and it was my birthday,” Mike said. “Then all of a sudden, it’s ‘welcome to the real world.’”
Mike’s sudden cancer diagnosis caught the couple off guard and was heartbreaking and overwhelming. A flood of emotions followed, including shock and confusion, as well as many tears. Knowing you can lose the person you love most in your life and may never see them again puts everything into perspective. Doctors don’t know for sure how long Mike has left to live. It could be months or years. His cancer is Stage IV and has spread to his bones and lymph nodes.
Mike started two rounds of hormone therapy to stop the growth of cancer cells. Not long after, chemotherapy and radiation treatments were also introduced. That left him feeling drained and unable to do much.
When Mike’s doctor told him about Rainbow, he immediately thought he wasn’t ready for hospice.
“I thought hospice was where you go to watch people die,” Mike said.
But after initially saying no, Mike and his wife had the doctor set up an appointment with the respected local, independent, and non-profit provider. They soon learned Rainbow offers a lot more than just hospice to families and their loved ones in southern Wisconsin. In early 2024, the organization rebranded to ‘Rainbow Community Care’ to help others better understand that multiple services are available at Rainbow to support patients and families throughout the entire aging journey, not just the end-of-life. One of those services is called Rainbow Supportive Care Management, a community-based palliative care program for patients and caregivers who are struggling to manage the burdens associated with advancing chronic illness.
Like hospice, palliative care provides patients with relief from the physical symptoms associated with their illness, while improving their quality of life. It helps them plan for what might lie ahead. Unlike hospice though, palliative care can be provided along with aggressive, life-prolonging treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.
“Even though our palliative care program has been around since 2016, many patients and families, and even some healthcare professionals still struggle to understand the difference between hospice and palliative care,” said Rainbow Nurse Practitioner, Shauna Lambrecht. “More education is needed.”
That confusion leaves many patients unwilling to ask questions and assume that palliative care means end-of-life care. But for those living with a serious illness, it can make a world of difference.
Even though Mike remained optimistic about his cancer journey, he became more focused on anticipating his death.
“Becky and Mike were canceling plans due to the “what ifs,” said Rainbow Social Worker Melissa Meboe. “We all go through our lives with goals and a vision for our future. But, when you’re handed a terminal diagnosis, it causes you to pause and develop a new understanding of a future where you do indeed have some control over.”
Soon Mike and Becky had the entire Rainbow palliative care team looking out for them, consisting of nurse practitioner Shauna Lambrecht, nurse case manager Joani Robertson, and social worker Melissa Meboe.
Before the couple turned to Rainbow, Mike hadn’t been sleeping much, was losing weight, and lying around all day, leaving him unable to work. Radiation treatments had helped alleviate the pain in his hip but then he developed pain in his ribs and stomach.
“It always hurt when I went to the bathroom and even coughed or sneezed,” Mike said.
Rainbow connected the Yensers with Elks Lodge in Watertown to get a hospital bed Mike could use to sleep in the living room because he was too weak to make it up the stairs to their bedroom.
Shauna provided recommendations to Mike’s oncologists for symptom management and then prescribed some medications for him. Rainbow’s palliative care team doesn’t assume the role of a patient’s primary care provider, instead it collaborates with that person. Rainbow got Mike on a better schedule and more organized with a daily pill box to make sure he was taking the right dose of medicine at the right time.
“We added medications, removed some, and adjusted some,” Lambrecht said. “Writing down each medication helped get things in order, and the chart we provide shows the name, dose, purpose, color/size of the pill, and when to take it.”
“My pain level was all messed up because there were no specific guidelines as to when (or when not) to take the pills,” Mike said. “I was trying to figure it out all by myself and ended up not being able to do any of it.”
Now six months later, Mike has found relief from the pain.
“It helped a lot and got him on track,” said Becky Yenser. “When he was managing the pills on his own, he was more confused.”
The Rainbow palliative care team talked with the Yensers about their goals of care and what an improved quality of life would look like for them. Rainbow then supported them as they tried to progress and achieve those objectives.
“The team collaborates after each patient visit to update one another and communicate needs, as well as the patient’s physicians,” Meboe said.
Mike and Becky are pictured with Rainbow's palliative care team of Joani Robertson (nurse case manager) on the left, Shauna Lambrecht (nurse practitioner), back right and Melissa Meboe (social worker) seated to the right of Becky.
Joani has helped with care coordination and makes check-in calls to assist with prescriptions/refills. Rainbow’s Registered Dietitian Heidi Hartz has also given Mike nutritional support, including suggestions on how he can regain some of the weight he lost during his cancer treatments.
Melissa has been a source of emotional support for both Becky and Mike, a much-needed outlet to help them navigate everything.
“It was a tragedy for me,” Becky said. “I didn’t know if I was coming or going.”
“I encouraged them to talk openly about how Mike’s diagnosis has impacted their lives and facilitated discussions about their hopes, fears, wishes, and goals,” Meboe said. “When talking has been difficult, I’ve simply shared the silence with them. Our team has provided them education about his condition, treatment choices, and what they might anticipate in the future.”
The stress of the situation was taking its toll on Becky too. She was providing care for her husband, looking after her aging mom, and still working 40 hours a week running her own childcare business. Now she has learned to find a good balance in her life, so there is less time to think about the unknown. They have used Rainbow’s 24/7 RN call line to ask questions or share concerns and that has helped ease their worries.
“It’s nice because I know that if I do need to talk to someone, I can just pick up a phone and make a call,” Becky said.
Mike’s quality of life has greatly improved. He’s able to do more things and is getting more enjoyment out of life again. When the palliative care team visits these days, they find Mike working outside in the garage and he has a list of projects that he would like to complete in the next few months. Recently, he restored an old picnic table and has plans to build a greenhouse.
“Now there’s hope,” Mike said. “I don’t have the pain I lived with for years. I feel better today than I did two years ago when I got up and went to work. There wasn’t anything good to look forward to until now.”
“When we first met Mike, we came up with a goal for him to just walk to the mailbox and back,” Lambrecht said. “He wasn’t getting off the couch at that time, and he needed to go outside and get some fresh fair. The last time I was here though, he was making a toolbox. That alone is an enormous difference and has helped him live life.”
Mike is back to sleeping in his own bed again and looks forward to spending more time with his wife and family. His mood has improved as well.
Mike and Becky love spending time with their four grandchildren.
“He’s more himself now,” Becky said. “Before he was more groggy, sleepy, and took meds here and there hoping it would help him. After Rainbow came, now we have this timeline of what he can do, and his strength and attitude are better.”
Mike and Becky can now look forward to each new day, whether that’s enjoying the summer at their Watertown home or sneaking away for weekend getaways.
“He is able to live a meaningful quality of life,” Lambrecht said. “He has so much hope and our program has helped him live well and prepare for the worst.”
Mike is aware that continuing his treatments is unlikely to provide a simple fix or cure for his cancer. But with the help of Rainbow, he knows he doesn’t have to suffer anymore and is hopeful for the future and more prepared.
He has completed an Advance Directive, a legal document that provides instructions for the medical care Mike wants or doesn’t want, and it names a healthcare agent who can make decisions for him if he is unable to communicate his own wishes.
“It’s a challenge some days, but I think we’re doing the best we can,” Mike said. “Palliative care doesn’t mean you are dying. I had friends who have struggled, and I wish they could have had the support that we have. Simple things like going to the bathroom, eating, and taking medication - Rainbow can help with that. You realize your lifestyle is changing and you’re not sitting on the stool for 15 minutes hoping for the best. Your body is starting to function, you’re thinking more clearly, and able to get up the steps.”
Becky has been by Mike’s side every step of the way and having little or no pain has changed his outlook for the future.
“I think I’ve become a better person, a better man, than where I was heading,” Mike said.
Mike and Becky renewed their vows in October 2023. Treasuring special moments together has helped them cope with everything. Celebrating both the small achievements and milestones has been key.
“The caring between us now is a little different,” Becky said. “He has more time for me, and I enjoy that. We are self-employed, so we were always going our separate ways and now we spend more time together. Things we had missed years ago, we now have.”
Mike isn’t about to give up on himself because Becky isn’t giving up on him.
“He’s my forever love,” Becky said. “‘They always say, do you have a hero?’ He is my hero. When I’m feeling kind of empty and sad, he’s like ‘knock it off. We’re going to be okay, we got this.’”
