A calling
Her work at the cancer center is more than a job
BY AMBER SMITH
Her big brother looked at Mandye Blair after learning he had weeks to live. Lung cancer had spread to his liver, brain and pancreas. “If you were just told you were about to die,” he asked her, “would you be happy with your life?”
Michael Blair passed away a few weeks later, in March 2019, at age 36. Mixed with her grief, Blair kept coming back to his question.
She was working long hours running an Italian restaurant with her husband and raising their young son. She was busy and did not mind the work, but she did not feel fulfilled.
“I decided to make a huge life transition and come to the Upstate Cancer Center,” she said. “After he passed away, I knew that I was meant to be here. There was something about being here that I needed for my own healing process.”
Blair has worked at the cancer center for three years now, handling referrals for patients who will be new to Upstate. She helps gather all their medical records in advance, so their first visit is productive. She can relate to their nervousness about needing cancer care, and she builds relationships.
“I never thought I would leave our restaurant. My son has grown up in those walls,” she said, explaining that she still helps out with payroll and other things as needed. “But this is a totally different type of fulfillment. I really, truly love my job.” She thinks of her brother when she enters the cancer center—and when she sees a tiger.
Before he died, she asked Michael for a special sign that would tell her he was still with her. Some people choose cardinals. Michael chose a tiger.
“Michael, tigers don’t just walk down the street. When am I going to see a tiger?” she protested. But he stuck with tiger.
Recently her son, now a teen, was admitted to the hospital for some testing. Together they decided to pass the time with Wordle, a word-guessing game. Blair said she knew her brother was with her when the first answer was T-I-G-E-R.
This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of Cancer Care magazine.
