Patient Spotlight: Suzanne
Suzanne, a breast cancer survivor and associate professor of political science at Capital University, learned about cancer early in her life. Before she was born, her maternal grandmother died of breast cancer and ten years ago her mother was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. For six weeks she lived with and cared for her mother. Around this time Suzanne was in her mid-forties and had already had two needle biopsies for calcifications that were benign.
Ten years later, at age 57, a mammogram indicated an abnormality that led to her own cancer diagnosis. Based on her family history and results of her needle biopsy, Suzanne elected to have a total mastectomy. Thankfully her tumor did not invade her lymph nodes, giving her a lower chance of recurrence.
Early detection gave Suzanne favorable odds for recovery, but she credits Mount Carmel’s physicians, nurse navigators and many support services for putting her back on track, keeping her on the road to recovery and connecting her with a community of survivors.
“What I learned is that a community of cancer survivors connected with a community of caregivers is the best possible support structure for recovery from cancer,” she said. “That’s exactly what I got at Mount Carmel.” |
