I’ve had loved ones who had breast cancer, but never expected I would have it. This all changed in the winter of 2021, not long after the birth of my first child. My initial diagnosis was stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) which a second biopsy revealed to be stage 1A DCIS. My final pathology, after surgery, resulted in the diagnosis of invasive breast cancer. If you’re thinking my cancer was detected early, you are correct. This is the foundation of why I share my story.
Upon returning to work after maternity leave, I received a reminder about AtlantiCare’s “Know Your Numbers,” a program that encourages employees to get regular health checks and screenings. I knew I was due for some. As a new mom and a nurse in the middle of a pandemic, I had much on my plate. But something told me that I needed to do this. I set up a time with my primary care provider, William Berlin, D.O., AtlantiCare Physician Group Primary Care Plus. Dr. Berlin was proactive and thorough. He wanted me to have a full physical. Seeing that I was approaching my 40th birthday, he also asked me if I had had a mammogram. I had not, so he ordered one. That mammogram led to my diagnosis, followed by surgery to remove the cancer.
This past August, the day after my daughter’s second birthday, I began a course of chemotherapy at AtlantiCare’s Cancer Care Institute, which has locations in in Cape May Court House and in Egg Harbor Township, which is where I had my treatment.
I remember thinking at my daughter’s birthday party how much we had to celebrate. My husband and I are so grateful to be her parents. And we found my cancer early. That might not have happened if I hadn’t followed AtlantiCare’s Know Your Numbers guidelines and, subsequently, gotten my mammogram. Through the first part of my breast cancer experience, I took away many valuable lessons that I passionately share with others:
· Remember that you could be the one. Cancer can strike anyone at any time. I was barely 40 and didn’t know of any family history. There is power, and comfort, in being prepared for the possibility.
· Get your screenings and have regular health checks—all of them. From blood pressure and cholesterol checks to cancer screenings and physicals. Make a calendar of all recommendations for your age, and if you don’t know what they are, ask your healthcare provider.
· Mammograms and other age and risk-based screenings can save lives by detecting cancer in its earliest stages when treatment is most effective.
· You need a primary care provider. Be loyal in keeping appointments and be open and honest with them and other members of your care team.
· If your employer offers wellness check incentives, take advantage of them. AtlantiCare’s programs to support employee wellness led to the mammogram that saved my life. I’m proof of how important these programs are.
The second part of my journey started with my surgical consult and surgery. It continues now with treatment and will carry on throughout my life. Many insights I’ve gained during this time center around where I chose to get my care. Cancer hit me “close to home” and that’s where I’ve stayed to conquer it—surrounded by my strongest support system made up of my family and my AtlantiCare family. You often hear about “world-class” care in this city or that part of the country. There is tremendous value in getting care where you live. The AtlantiCare team has provided me exceptional, compassionate care. Having my caregivers nearby spared me from the exhaustion of travel and allowed me to keep working. I was also able to be present for and enjoy my daughter’s first two years of life.
I gained emotional strength because people with whom I share a community are caring for me. For example, I immediately trusted my AtlantiCare breast surgeon James Frost, M.D. He understood my disease and how to best treat it, and he understood me, my environment and more. He told me to consider him to be my health spouse because he was going to be with me and care for me for the duration. I’ll see him every six months for five years, then annually for the rest of my life. I find great comfort in knowing that he and I will maintain a strong relationship and communicate openly. Should a problem occur, we will address it early. Shortly after my surgery I texted Dr. Frost from a coffee shop just to say I was feeling great. I wanted to share that with him in the moment—rather than during my next visit.
Getting care in my community also allowed me to continue working—which for me is one of the best medicines. My AtlantiCare family has been incredibly supportive and flexible in scheduling shifts around my treatment. I’ve learned that I don’t have to do it all, that it’s okay to ask for help on hard days. My work family wants to help. My job is to accept that help and be stronger for it.
A final lesson I share is that you have to take care of yourself first, then you can take care of others. As a nurse, a mom and a wife, I am wired to care for everyone else before myself. The reason I can continue to do all this today is because I gained the upper hand on cancer by getting my mammogram and sticking to the treatment plan. I am here to raise my daughter with my husband, to care for patients, to mentor new nurses and more. This year I mark National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by sharing my story and to help others survive cancer, enjoy their loved ones and celebrate their lives.
To learn more about AtlantiCare’s breast health and breast cancer services, visit atlanticare.org/breastcancer.
