She sees Conemaugh caregivers as ‘angels'
March 16, 2026
Debbie Pridgen believes in angels. In fact, she believes a lot of them work for the Conemaugh Health System.
As a result of their intervention, she says, a cancerous mass was discovered and removed from her colon.
Those “angels” are in the human form of doctors, nurses and technicians who convinced her to get a colonoscopy. They include her primary care physician Dr. Leonardo Amper; members of Conemaugh’s gastroenterology team, including nurse practitioner Gail Stotler; gastroenterologist Dr. Patricia Wong; and colorectal surgeon Dr. Karleigh Curfman.
Debbie, a Johnstown resident, is known as “Miss Debbie” to scores of youngsters who passed through the Cambria Head Start Program where she was a teacher’s assistant before retiring eight years ago.
While she has always loved teaching preschoolers, she abhorred the thought of getting a colonoscopy.
“But the Conemaugh staff convinced me of its importance. And I’m blessed that they did,” Debbie said.
She admits to being terrified and dreading a follow-up appointment after a colonoscopy performed by Dr. Wong, during which 16 polyps were removed and a cancerous mass was discovered. But instead, all of her fears vanished after just a few words from Dr. Curfman.
“She looked me straight in the eye and smiled, saying, ‘Don’t be afraid Debbie. We’ve got this. We’ll do this together,’” Debbie said. “At that moment, I felt that I’d be okay. She took time to explain everything. She even drew a diagram to show me exactly where the mass was located.
“Her confidence, her professionalism and her personality immediately put me at ease. There’s just an aura about her. She’s unlike any doctor I’d ever met before.”
Debbie was amazed that she was out of bed and walking the hospital hallways the day after last year’s August 25 robotic-assisted surgery.
“Because Doctor Curfman managed my medications so closely, I had absolutely no pain whatsoever – after the operation and throughout the entire recovery period,” she said. “I was shocked and very, very happy.”
Seven weeks after the operation, Debbie was on a flight to Palm Springs, California, to join her sister’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration.
“I asked Doctor Curfman if I could travel and she told me, ‘You’ve done such a great job in recovering. Go ahead, reward yourself and enjoy,’” Debbie said.
Debbie said the Conemaugh staff “treated me like royalty” throughout her cancer ordeal.
“Everyone from the doctors through to the housekeeping staff was so nice, helpful and friendly. That positivity made a world of difference to me,” she said.
“I was scared. But getting screened gave me a future. I’m living proof. Early cancer detection is your best protection. If I hadn’t gone through with it, my story could be very different.”