Breast Cancer— When a diagnosis changes everything.
"A process that often takes weeks is
reduced to hours,so
patients can move ahead with treatment and
get on with their lives.”
— Sheila Lemke, MD, Oncologist and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine,
Division of Hematology/Oncology
One day early last year,
44-year-old Tula was
looking forward to a day
with only two commitments:
kindergarten
registration for her
son and a routine
mammogram for
herself. “I expected
nothing,” she
remembers.
“ Then BOOM! They
told me I had cancer.”
Tula was absolutely stunned.
“
I started going from appointment
to appointment. Doctor to doctor.
Treatment to treatment – lumpectomies, chemotherapy,
mastectomy,” says Tula. “I felt that I was
on a ride, with no time to process. All I knew was
that this was a battle I had to win.”
Six weeks after her diagnosis, Tula was referred
to Dr. Sheila Lemke, an oncologist at University
Hospital, where cancer care ranks within the top
six percent in the nation, according to the
American College of Surgeons’ Commission
on Cancer.
“
I’m so glad Dr. Lemke is my doctor,”
says Tula. “The diagnosis really hit me
only after the chemotherapy and surgeries
were over. Dr. Lemke assures
me that this ‘aftershock’ is common.
She always has time to discuss my fears.
There is such warmth to her.” Today, with
treatments behind her, Tula sees Dr. Lemke
every three months.
Meanwhile, Dr. Lemke and her colleagues are
working to streamline the unsettling process of
cancer diagnosis and treatment planning. In one
afternoon, and in one location, patients can now
consult with an entire team of specialists,
including a medical oncologist, radiation
oncologist, breast surgeon, genetic counselor
and a coordinator. “
"At University Hospital, cancer care ranks within the top six percent of cancer programs in the nation."
