HealthEast® Quality Data
“Since my cancer diagnosis, my smile is my suit of armor.”
HealthEast® Cancer Care patient Noreen Dillon
When Noreen’s doctors found a suspicious spot on a mammogram, the threat of breast cancer was particularly intense. “My mom had passed away from breast cancer only six months before,” remembers Noreen, “and the spot on my mammogram was deep into my chest wall, exactly in the same place where they first found my mother’s cancer. In some respects, I was glad she was no longer here to know I had breast cancer, because it would have torn her apart.”
The following weeks and months were a test of Noreen’s inner strength. “I reminded myself that my mom was a strong woman, and that I was as well and that I could face this too. And everyone at the HealthEast Breast Care Center at St. John’s Hospital was so warm and comforting from my biopsies through my lumpectomy. They knew my mom’s story and understood.”
It’s not just the personalized aspects of care that have given Noreen a deep sense of peace when with a HealthEast caregiver—it’s the actual physical touches that have made a difference. “Even the anesthesiologist gave me a hug when I was lying there, getting ready for my surgery. The most incredible thing was the little touches from nurses and technicians that would fill me with so much comfort.”
Noreen also worked with a patient navigator at St. John’s to coordinate a path through treatment. These specially trained oncology nurses help individuals understand the diagnoses and medical treatments they face, offer scheduling aid, and provide access and information about additional resources. “Nancy, my nurse navigator, was extremely kind. She stayed with me the whole time when I first came in for the stereotactic biopsy.” Nancy helped Noreen tap into HealthEast’s Cancer Care team as needed, including the help of a psychotherapist, genetics counselor and more.
After surgery, Noreen required radiation treatment. “I had microcalcifications all over my chest, and the radiation route was an alternative to doing a double mastectomy. For seven weeks, every day I faced this machine that attacked my cancer, leaving me swollen and in pain. The experience left me wondering if this machine was against man, or the best friend a girl could have.”
“I would sometimes be so heartbroken and tired because of what I was facing, and then when I walked into the Radiation Clinic, everyone from the receptionist to the technicians to my doctor were so comforting and warm, they made it seem like almost nothing. My radiologist oncologist, Dr. June Kim, was incredible. She went out of her way to help me, sitting with me when I was scared and in tears. And the radiation did get rid of the clusters and any remnant of the tumor.”
At the end of March, Noreen came to a realization at a follow-up checkup: Mammograms would never be the same as the previous ones before being diagnosed. “I felt a lot of anguish—it was actually difficult for me to schedule my checkup, because I just didn’t want to know if the cancer was back. The hugs and smiles I received with my checkup were much needed. It’s just another example of the wonderful care I continue to get at St. John’s.” Another way Noreen keeps forging forward: Keeping in mind that she has a powerful weapon in her smile. “My strength, my being comfortable inside, staying peaceful and content: When I smile, all these things come to me.”
