ABOUT

Caregivers share their experiences supporting a loved one with neuroendocrine cancer, including navigating treatment decisions, managing uncertainty, balancing caregiving responsibilities, and caring for themselves along the way. Through candid conversations about challenges, lessons learned, relationships, resilience, and hope, this session offers valuable insight into the realities of the caregiving journey.

Interested in hearing the patient perspective as well? View our July 2025 webinar, Living with NET: The Patient Perspective: Living with NET: The Patient Perspective.

SPEAKERS

ALYSE KEFELI

Caregiver

Alyse Kefeli lives in Rhode Island with her husband and works as an Information Technology Program Manager in the financial industry. She enjoys gardening, cooking, biking, playing pickleball, walking by the ocean, and spending time with family. She is also active in her faith and values the sense of community and support it provides.

Alyse's daughter, Serra, was diagnosed with a metastatic neuroendocrine tumor (NET) that originated in the small bowel at just 32 years old. Since then, Alyse has supported Serra through two major surgeries, ongoing treatment, and the many emotional and practical challenges that come with living with NET. Along the way, she has found strength through education, faith, and connecting with other caregivers.

Alyse is a member of the Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation's monthly Caregiver Support Group, where she meets with fellow caregivers to share experiences, learn from one another, and offer mutual encouragement. She hopes that sharing her family's journey will help other caregivers feel less alone, better informed, and more hopeful as they navigate life with NET.

Patient & Caregiver Journey - Sara & Quintin

CYNTHIA MUELLER CROCKER

Caregiver

Cynthia Mueller Crocker lives in Houston with her husband, Charlie, where they gladly trade icy winters for Texas heat and humidity. After caring for and advocating for both of her aging parents, Cynthia stepped into Charlie’s NET journey with compassion and hard-earned perspective. 

While neuroendocrine cancer was new to her, she found education, connection, and support through LACNETS, now NCF, in 2020 and has been an active part of its weekly support groups and monthly caregiver groups ever since.

Her professional background is in organization and talent development, where she has found great satisfaction in recognizing potential, identifying opportunities, and creating strategies to support the success of organizations, teams, and individuals. 

Charlie and Cynthia share a love of college football and happily count football season as “the best time of the year,” especially when cheering on Charlie’s Crimson Tide and Cynthia’s beloved Texas Longhorns. But their favorite seats in the bleachers is the front row cheering section as they watch their large, coast-to-coast family grow and thrive!

SHANE PETERS

Caregiver and Advocate

Shane has been walking alongside his mother through her neuroendocrine cancer journey that started in 2020 with a diagnosis of stage four pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor that had already spread to the liver. 

Shane hopes to continue to give back to the NET community by sharing all he’s learned through his mother’s experiences with lanreotide, surgeries, embolizations and PRRT.

Watch "The Strength of Support: the Shane and Ilka Peters Story."

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Watch Shane and his mother share their NET journey.

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Read Shane Peters' blog post 'Scan Results: To Check or Not to Check'

MODERATOR:

HEATHER DAVIS

Director of Community Engagement

Heather was a medical advocate and caregiver for 12 years for her mother, Shaunie, who was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer in 2012. The efforts required to navigate and manage a rare disease, with complications of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, motivated Heather to shift her 20-year marketing career to patient engagement. After learning from and volunteering for LACNETS, she was pleased to join the LACNETS Team in the Fall of 2022. 

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Heather is passionate about supporting those affected by NET. She aspires to bridge the information gap between patients, physicians and healthcare resources. Spending time with her nephews, friends & family brings her levity and joy. 

Watch Heather and her mother share about their experience with PRRT.

The opinions expressed by the guest presenters, as well as the questions asked by the audience, have not been created or suggested by the Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation or the sponsors of this program. The Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation does not endorse or promote any of the views, opinions or information provided in this presentation. Audience members should not rely on the opinions or information expressed by the guest presenter and should seek guidance and direction from their own medical advisors regarding any choices they make about their health or treatments.

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