Early detection, expert Beacon care team, guide patient though breast cancer journey

Bonnie Laub normally stays on top of her annual mammogram schedule. But last year, a broken arm and need to find a new primary care provider delayed her. When she finally saw her new doctor, getting her mammogram was at the top of her medical “to-do” list.

During her appointment, she began to realize something wasn’t right.

“When I got there, the tech asked if my breast was normally that size, and I said, ‘Yes,'” Bonnie recalled. “I had kind of noticed it was a little bigger, but with the broken arm, I didn’t really think about it.”

A week later, she went back for a different type of mammogram, quickly followed by an ultrasound. She was then sent to Elkhart General Hospital’s Breast Care Center for a biopsy.

Even though she accidentally went to the center on the wrong day, the staff took great care of her. She met radiologist Dr. Allison Lamont, and Eve, her case manager. “What I loved was that every single person there was genuine,” Bonnie said.

The biopsy was performed on a Tuesday. By Friday, Bonnie was able to view her test results online. “I was flummoxed,” she said. “I looked at my husband and said, ‘I have cancer.'”

Bonnie’s case manager and a radiologist had called on Monday to discuss her results. The good news was that the cancer was caught early, in stage 1, and there were no indications that it had spread.

Her surgery took place roughly a month later. “They did a great job of pushing [the surgery] through,” she said. “They were just fabulous.”

Her breast cancer navigator, Dawn, had already spoken with Bonnie and accompanied her to her first visit with Dr. Maria Rapciak, Beacon Medical Group Surgical Services Elkhart.

Bonnie appreciated Dawn’s presence, explaining that it made her feel more comfortable with the treatment process. After her surgery, she saw oncologist Dr. Muhammad Toor for follow-up care.

“It’s really nice to have somebody else who’s there, in my corner,” Bonnie said. Navigators help smooth the care process when patients have a large care team. “I could text Dawn, and she would text the doctor and get back to me right away, within the day. She’s a really calm person, and that’s wonderful.”

Bonnie was firm in her resolve to keep as much of her breast as possible. She had a partial mastectomy and, fortunately, didn’t need chemotherapy.

“Here at Beacon, we are proud to offer the most up-to-date, big-city breast cancer center care in the comforts of your own community,” Dr. Rapciak said. “Through a multidisciplinary team approach, Beacon’s breast cancer team works to come up with the most comfortable and medically sound plan to get our patients back to doing what they love most.”

In September, Bonnie was wrapping up her radiation treatments, helping to ensure that any “stray” cancer cells were eliminated. Other than having to lie in an awkward position, radiation treatments were no big deal. Bonnie just daydreamed and sometimes dropped off into a nap.

She saw her radiation oncologist, Dr. Lauren Das, Beacon Medical Group Oncology Elkhart, every Tuesday after her treatment, giving her a convenient opportunity to check in and ask questions.

Bonnie’s treatment went so well that she didn’t even want to be on her church’s prayer list.

“This was fast,” she said. “It was fixed, and I’m cancer free.”

Schedule your mammogram today

Mammography is the best tool for detecting early breast cancer. Annual mammograms starting at 40 have helped cut breast cancer deaths by more than 40 percent. Here is where you can find a Beacon location near you in Indiana and Michigan that offers breast cancer screenings. Schedule your mammogram today.