Janice

In 2013, at the age of 60, Janice Leaf considered herself healthy. She exercised regularly, ate well, and went in for annual checkups. It seemed she was doing everything right. except she wasn’t. “I had always been a little freaked out by mammograms,” she said.

Conflicting reports from the media and other sources left her confused about the safety and effectiveness of mammograms. Although she understood the importance of the exam—especially with her family’s history of breast cancer—she had not received a mammogram in three years. Instead, she went to a naturopathic provider for thermal imaging, which, in theory, detects abnormal heat in the breast that can sometimes indicate cancer.

“One year the thermography showed that my left breast was hot. I went back a year later, and the exam was abnormal again,” she said.

Janice knew she should make an appointment for a mammogram, but life as a grandmother, mom, wife and employee at a local school district kept her busy, so she delayed. That’s when she received a call that would change her life.

“Inland Imaging called because they noticed I hadn’t been in for a mammogram in a while and they asked if I wanted to schedule one, so I did,” she said. “I was so impressed. That call made me feel like they really cared about me.”

Janice’s mammogram detected a lump in her right breast, not in her left, as the thermography had indicated. It was cancer. She immediately received a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, followed later by a mastectomy for peace of mind. Fortunately, the cancer did not spread to her lymph nodes, and she recovered quickly.

“Because they caught and removed the cancer so soon, I didn’t have to have chemo, which would have meant a longer recovery and put another whole dark cloud over our home and family. Had Inland Imaging not called me, I don’t know if I would have scheduled the mammogram for a while, and I think my story might have turned out much differently,” she continued. “I am over-the-top thankful that they made that call.”

Now an advocate for regular mammograms, Janice urges her friends and loved ones—including her two grown daughters—to make their health a priority.