Growing up, I knew that we had a history of breast cancer on both sides of my family. I had some doctors tell me that I really didn’t need to worry about my Dad’s side since, “Breast cancer can’t be passed down through the father’s genes”.
I asked for mammograms starting in my mid 20’s but was turned down and told that I should wait until after I had my first child. Again, I was told not to worry about my Dad’s side. But my father’s mother died at the age of 37 from breast cancer, and both of his sisters had breast cancer in their mid to late 20’s. One of them died from it at age 29 and the other had a mastectomy and survived.
Last year at the age of 41 I had my yearly mammogram. This time I was called back in for some magnified images of calcification they had noticed. I was told to come back in six months. I did so, and nothing much seemed to have changed. So I was told to come back again in six months for my usual yearly exam and if all looked good we would go back to the “once-a year” routine.
I was having some issues with my insurance, so I almost didn’t schedule my yearly mammogram. Then Inland Imaging called me — thank you Inland Imaging for being persistent with me!
This time Dr. Arnett examined the images and sat me down for a conversation. He told me he wanted to send me in for a biopsy. He said that if it was anything at all that at this point I shouldn’t be too alarmed since there are many things that can be done and we probably would be catching it at a very early stage. I appreciated this encouragement tremendously. He emotionally prepared me for the first step of my journey.
I was scheduled for my biopsy on a Monday. But the preceding Friday I received a notice regarding my insurance again. In a panic, I called Inland Imaging to see if I should postpone my biopsy. Instead, the scheduler gave me some options and some phone numbers to call for programs that could possibly help me. The first number I called qualified me. My exam and biopsy would be covered. So once again, Inland Imaging stepped in and kept the ball rolling forward for me.
That Monday I went in for my biopsy and the next day I received a phone call from my Primary Care Physician – it was cancer! And yes, they had caught it very early and that was very good news!
I was then sent on to the wonderful people at Cancer Care Northwest. After evaluating my family history and all the treatment options, it was decided that a bilateral mastectomy would be the best course of action for me. There were too many indicators of a genetic component — on my Dad’s side of the family!
As we went through the process of consultations and examinations, an order was placed for genetic testing to be done. I tested positive for the BRCA1 gene. Now, my family history made sense! My chances of having breast cancer were anywhere from 60-87% with BRCA1.
Because of the people who work at Inland Imaging who care deeply for those they encounter each day, I was found! I’m not so sure I would have been diagnosed so early on if it hadn’t been for their persistence and support. Because of them, my children will not have to go through what my father experienced at the age of 14 when he lost his mother to breast cancer.
And so now you know why it is with deep emotion and appreciation that I say, “Thank you, Inland Imaging for making a difference in my life!”