Carla Richardson of Beverly on the southwest side of Chicago loves it when her grandson tells her, “You’re lookin’ fresh Nonnie!” She jokes, “This is what 77 looks like. But then again, I’m an old hippie.”

Richardson also credits her "fresh look” to her positive attitude and the consistent care she’s been receiving at OSF CompleteCare 55+. The clinic at 99^th and Western Avenue in Evergreen Park opened a year ago this month. It offers a new kind of primary care targeting older adults with ongoing health conditions who are looking for community, hands-on care and 24/7 access to real providers, not chatbots.

For Richardson, the vibe is great.

“They’re glad to see you. You don’t feel like you’re a patient. You feel like you’re going somewhere where someone really cares about you. They keep in touch with you, which is so important. I get texts from Taylor [Taylor Wen, PA, her OSF CompleteCare 55+provider] on MyChart, and it’s just an interaction that is rare.” 

Richardson was diagnosed four years ago with pulmonary sarcoidosis, and she has a history of pulmonary embolism and pneumonia. Plus, she has to be on blood thinners. Frustrated with her previous care, she tried OSF Complete Care 55+ shortly after it opened, and she’s been thrilled with her experience.

“My first experience with Taylor was just phenomenal. She was knowledgeable, patient, and she seemed like she cared. And going to doctors, sometimes you're just a patient number. And I didn't feel that here.”

Wen, a physician assistant, also sent Richardson to get a bone density scan where Richardson learned she had severe osteoporosis – so bad that she had to reduce the weight of her purse for fear it would break her wrist. Richardson is so grateful because she believes knowledge is power.

Staying connected to consistent care

Although she doesn’t consider herself computer savvy, Richardson says she’s learned to use OSF MyChart, and it keeps her connected to Wen.

“It’s easy to use, and it helps me monitor and keep up with my own health issues. I like the fact it reminds me when I have appointments coming up. I’m retired but I’m still busy.” 

Richardson remembers when doctors made house calls and says the care she’s getting now reminds her of that.

“When the doctor would come to your house with his bag. I know it was 100 years ago. But it’s so personal now, here. And you go to other places, and you’re waiting and waiting. And no one really seems to care.” 

The 6,300 square-foot clinic features 12 exam rooms and on-site labs. Sandy Valino Stock, DO, medical director of OSF CompleteCare 55+, says many people enjoy the option to connect digitally 24/7. Virtual visits make it easy to get answers to questions, especially after hours when symptoms aren’t severe enough for emergency care. Richardson says that kind of convenience could save her from long waits in the emergency department, only to be sent home with a quick evaluation and remedy.

Dr. Valino Stock says about half of the people who use the clinic take advantage of virtual visits, while the other half are seen in-person.

“Patients love the virtual concept because they don’t have to miss as much work. It’s just convenient for them,” Dr. Valino Stock shares. “Sometimes it’s a case where the patient comes into the clinic and their loved one wants to be tuned in, but they’re at work. So, they can be virtual during that visit, and they can be present if they need to be.” 

More than half of the clinic’s patients have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, one-fourth have diabetes and significant osteoarthritis, and about 10% have heart failure.

But consistent care is helping improve those conditions. For example, almost 80% of patients are now meeting blood pressure and A1c targets, up from 34% and 58% respectively.

The clinic has also seen success in increasing completion rates for screenings such as mammograms, bone density tests and colonoscopies. These preventive steps are often overlooked, but they play a key role in long-term health.

GLP1 medication management is available

As people age, weight management can also become more difficult as metabolism naturally slows. Dr. Valino Stock explains that metabolism typically declines by 1% to 2% each year after age 20. At CompleteCare 55+, more than half of patients are overweight or meet obesity criteria. This is important because extra weight on the body leads to most of the medical conditions being treated.

GLP-1 medications such as Mounjaro or Ozempic are, as Dr. Valino Stock put it, “magical” in helping people lose weight. But the GLP-1 journey requires regular check-ins and medication management.

“We see them monthly for the most part as they’re getting started on these GLP-1s. So, patients have better success at getting healthier, whether it’s controlling their blood sugars or lowering their weight and doing it in a healthy manner where they can maintain their muscle and minimize the side effects.” 

Many who enroll in OSF CompleteCare 55+ are women in pre-menopause and menopause. The outlook for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for menopause has fundamentally shifted in the past 10 years. Following major reviews, experts now recognize that for most healthy women under 60 or within 10 years of the onset of menopause, the benefits of HRT far outweigh the risks.

“If no contraindications, we can help women sleep better, have a little bit more energy, feel themselves and just continue life because life is very busy. So, if we can help a woman get a good night’s sleep, everything changes for that woman.” 

Beyond direct medical care, digital health care navigators at a “Connect Bar” in the lobby also help with insurance issues, coordinating appointments with specialists and navigating OSF MyChart and other tools to monitor their health. Events such as Tech Tuesday also allow for group sessions to address technology challenges.

Navigators also connect people with resources to address social needs such as transportation to appointments or senior centers or food insecurity. Through educational events with speakers on health topics and partnerships with local organizations, clinic leaders continue to learn more about the needs of the people they're serving.

Additionally, regular outreach efforts keep providers connected. For example, at the OSF CompleteCare 55+ clinic, any community member can access free blood pressure screenings from 10 a.m.-noon every first and third Tuesday of the month.

Learn more here about OSF CompleteCare 55+ primary care.

Video clips with Carla Richardson

Video clips with Dr. Sandy Valino Stock

B-roll-OSF CompleteCare 55+

A beloved actress from one of America’s most popular TV shows has shared the story of her breast cancer journey with the world. 

Jenna Fischer, widely known as Pam from “The Office,” announced on social media she was diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive breast cancer in December 2023.

The 50-year-old’s cancer journey unknowingly began after her routine mammogram in October 2023. She tells The Today Show’s Hoda Kotb that her doctor called with the results, saying they were fine, but that there were a few spots that were difficult to see. The doctor added that Fischer has very dense breast tissue.

Fischer went in for a follow-up breast ultrasound and received the news on her patient portal while on a hike by herself.

“I checked the portal on the hike, and that’s when I saw words like ‘invasive,’ ‘ductal,’ ‘carcinoma,’ ‘malignant,’” Fisher told Kotb. “And I was like, ‘Those words sound like cancer words.’”

Nearly one year later, Fischer announced that she completed surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and is now cancer free. She hopes by sharing her story, she can provide comfort and hope to other women receiving similar diagnoses.

Jamin Addae, MD, is a breast surgeon with OSF HealthCare. He says having dense breast tissue does not necessarily mean you have breast cancer, but it does indicate that you have a higher chance of developing the disease.

Different types of breast tissue

"Dense breast tissue is absolutely normal. Like everything else in life, there are variations of things. You don't have one thing being the same in everybody. Breasts are made of different tissues and some of them we call fatty tissues, which are plain fat. Then we have glandular tissue which is the tissue that forms all the glands that produce milk," Dr. Addae says. “Then you also have the fibrous tissue that supports the breast itself.”

Dr. Addae says seeing the combination of the three types of tissue helps determine how dense the breasts are. He recommends getting routine breast screenings once you reach the age of 40, which is recommended by the American Cancer Society.

That way if you end up having dense breast tissue, your physician may recommend additional imaging to better assess the breast if the needs should arise. Fischer’s story is a perfect example of this.

“Knowing that you have dense breast tissue makes you aware that you have a slightly increased risk than someone who doesn't have dense breast tissue," Dr. Addae says. “It also makes you aware that it's more challenging to read your mammograms, compared to somebody who just has fatty tissue or fatty breasts.”

Technology advances helping survival rates, quality of life

Dr. Addae says the number one technology helping breast surgeons do what they do are what are called localization devices.

“If it's a small, five-millimeter area of calcification, you should be able to get that area out without taking the whole breast off. But that's a big challenge and I think the localization devices have made it possible for us to have a little clip placed in that area. So, in the operating room, we're able to go exactly where the five-millimeter tumor is, only take out that area and conserve the rest of the breast,” Dr. Addae says. “There's also a lot of improvements we're having in treatments. We have better chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which we consider systemic therapy. Radiation is also improving. These have all translated into much better survival rates and quality of life for our patients, compared to 20 or 30 years ago.”

Dr. Addae adds that oncoplastic surgery, which includes combining plastic surgery techniques that improve cosmetic appearance in breast cancer surgery have also led to an improvement in aesthetic outcomes and quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

Ways to decrease the risk of breast cancer

-          Stop smoking

-          Decrease the amount of alcohol you drink

-          Maintain a healthy weight

-          Eat healthy

-          Be physically active

-          Breastfeed

-          Know your family history

-          Avoid hormone replacement therapy

Factors that increase the risk of breast cancer

-          Female at birth

-          Older age

-          Immediate family member has or has had breast cancer

-          Genetic mutations

-          Hormone replacement therapy

-          Early onset of menstrual cycle (before 12 years old)

-          Late menopause (menopause after 55 years)

-          Dense breast tissue

-          Smoking

-          Alcohol

-          Post menopausal obesity

-          Physical inactivity

-          Never breast-fed

-          No full-term pregnancies

-          Radiation treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Video Interview Clips

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, says Heather Thompson. And she would know. Thompson is a breast health navigator at OSF HealthCare, helping patients navigate appointments, insurance and more. And Thompson is, herself, a breast cancer survivor.

But what many in the cancer space might not realize, Thompson says, is that breast cancer can affect men. It’s rare, with 1% of men statistically getting it, Thompson says. But it’s worth knowing how to spot, prevent and treat it.

“There can be severe cases. A lot of times, men don’t notice things or worry about things like women might,” Thompson says. “The cancer is there longer and has a chance to metastasize [spread] and get into their lymph nodes. A lot of times, men will get gynecomastia. That can cause swelling in the breast tissue and a mass.” Those gynecomastia masses can limit a man’s ability to feel a cancerous lump, delaying care.

Breast cancer basics

Genetics (i.e. a family history of cancer), alcohol use and smoking all put you at a higher risk for breast cancer.

So do men need to do monthly self-checks and get mammograms like women are told to? Not always, Thompson says. You should talk with your primary care provider about a plan, especially if you have a family history of breast cancer. That plan could involve genetic testing or blood work to check estrogen levels (since estrogen feeds cancer cells). But day to day, Thompson says to just keep an eye on your breasts. Look for inverted nipples, lumps, redness or achiness.

“Men really do not require regular screening or imaging for breast tissue. That is not in the American Cancer Society guidelines or any other guidelines,” Thompson says. “However, men should monitor their bodies for anything irregular. Then, get it addressed right away. Don’t wait. You might be in that 1%.” Thompson adds that if any type of cancer spreads, it can be fatal.

Treatment for male breast cancer typically involves a mastectomy, or the removal of breast tissue, Thompson says. This could be after cancer is found. Or it could be preventive if you’re at high risk, like the case of actress Angelina Jolie.

“There’s not much tissue that a man has,” Thompson points out, allaying fears that your chest will look significantly different. She says you won’t have a nipple, and your chest will be flat. But that’s about it. “We will still test those lymph nodes during surgery to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread.

“After that, there’s special testing called oncotype,” she adds. This looks at the likelihood of cancer returning. “If it’s a high score, those people sometimes have to have chemotherapy or radiation.”

Changing minds

Thompson knows men can be apprehensive about seeing a doctor in general. But when breast cancer enters the conversation? She’s heard things like “I’m not a woman. I don’t need to worry about that.”

At OSF Moeller Cancer Center in Alton, Illinois, where Thompson works, she sees one to two men per month come in for imaging. Most, she says, are cases of gynecomastia that can be managed by the person’s primary care provider. But some do hear the words “It’s cancer.”

“I tell them they’re not alone,” Thompson says. “Other men have gone through this. We have a roadmap to treat it.”

Learn more

Read more about cancer care, specifically breast cancer care, on the OSF HealthCare website. Cancer care at OSF includes the OSF Cancer Institute in Peoria, Illinois.

Interview clips

Related stories

Read other breast cancer stories on the OSF Newsroom
Read breast cancer stories on the OSF blog

A federal panel recently advised women get a mammogram every other year starting at age 40, rather than 50.

And the American Cancer Society estimates that in 2023, nearly 300,000 women in the United States will learn they have breast cancer. About 43,700 women will lose their life due to the disease.

The headlines are reminders to know your breast cancer risks. While many risks are out of your control, there’s just as much you can control, says Heather Thompson, a breast health navigator at OSF HealthCare.

Major risks you can control

• Active lifestyle and healthy eating: Thompson puts it plainly. If you eat junk, you’ll feel like junk. And any exercise will give you more energy and burn fat. Fat produces estrogen, which feeds cancer cells.

“You want to make sure you’re well-maintained with your weight, even after menopause,” Thompson says.

• Taking hormones: This impacts your ovaries, reducing or adding estrogen. Whether you’re at a routine appointment or you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, talk to your provider about what hormones you’re taking.

“We don’t encourage people who are having menopause symptoms [like hot flashes] to take hormones,” Thompson lists as an example. “We encourage other things to help treat those. It eliminates those estrogen cells increasing.”

• Alcohol and smoking: They are a risk for any type of cancer. But Thompson says one drink per day can increase a woman’s breast cancer risk by 12%. Alcohol is sugary, and that’s a fuel for estrogen.
   
• Night shift work: Thompson says our body expects to sleep when the sun goes down. Night work throws that off.

                “You’re getting artificial light all night. That changes the melatonin that the body naturally makes,” Thompson explains. “When your melatonin is off, it increases estrogen.”

                If you don’t work the traditional day job, see if you can work different shifts so you are not up all night all the time.

Risks you can’t control

• Age: Thompson says women generally develop breast cancer at age 50 and above. 
   
• Family history and genetic mutations: A family history of breast cancer puts you at a higher risk. Thompson says the higher risk is often seen on the person’s mother’s side of the family. For example, your mother and her sister (your aunt) may have breast cancer, and so you’d need to talk to your provider about your risk.

              Some women diagnosed with breast cancer and who have a family history may undergo a genetic test.

“Those tests can tell us if this is something being passed down from generation to generation,” Thompson says.

• Reproductive history: Young women who develop menstruation before age 12 and women who go through menopause after age 55 have an increased risk.

“That gives them a longer time with their ovaries working. They’re producing estrogen,” Thompson says.

• Dense breast: More tissue and less fat mean a dense breast and an increased cancer risk, Thompson says. Usually, the younger you are, the denser your breast is. The density of your breast is something that will be noted on every mammogram result. Thompson says mammogram technology is getting better at finding cancer in dense tissue. An early diagnosis may mean a better outcome.

Takeaways

Make sure your health care provider knows about your circumstances so they can decide on the best preventive care, like a different schedule for mammograms. Some of the information to have handy: a family history of cancer and any physical change you noticed during your monthly breast self-check.

Learn more about breast health and breast cancer care on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips

Previous coverage

A breast cancer survivor's toolkit
Say yes ma'am to the mammogram
FDA dense breast rule promotes earlier cancer detection
A woman's battle with breast cancer
Prevention of breast cancer starts with awareness

“I found a lump.”

It’s the unsettling phrase providers sometimes hear from women when they are performing their monthly breast self-check for cancer signs.

But lumps are not the only thing to watch for, says Heather Thompson, an OSF HealthCare breast health navigator who is herself a breast cancer survivor.

Signs to know

Each month, keep these in mind.

• Lumps, the most talked about sign.

“A lot of women, especially younger women, have very dense breasts. Sometimes it feels like a bag of rice with little bumps. That’s just the tissue,” Thompson says. “When you feel a hard nodule, fixed in place or sometimes mobile, you definitely want to get that reviewed.”

• Skin changes. This could be an orange peel skin appearance, flaky skin, irritation or a new dimple.
   
• Unexpected release of fluid or blood from the nipple. For example, if you are not breastfeeding, a nipple discharge would be unexpected.
   
• Unexpected inversion of a nipple.
   
• One breast larger than the other, or generally, any unexpected change to breast size.
   
• Any new pain in breast area.
   
• Tenderness, swelling, pain or lumps under your armpit. This is one some women may overlook since it doesn’t deal with the breasts.

“Your lymphatic system drains to armpits,” Thompson explains. “So, if there’s anything going on in the breast, it’s going to show up in your armpit eventually.”

When and how

Thompson recommends women pick a date each month for a self-check and stick with it. The first of each month, for example. This way, you can put it on your calendar, and it’s easy to remember. And, she says the feel of your breasts will change as days go by. But, choosing the same time each month gives you a baseline feel and helps avoid false positives. Thompson also advises making your chosen date a week after your menstrual cycle ends.

Thompson says many women find it convenient to examine themselves in the shower. Regardless of where, she says a good technique is to move your fingertips in a circle from the outside to the center of the breast, pressing down and feeling for abnormalities. Then, do the same under each armpit. And also, glance in the mirror for a good look at visual signs, such as one breast larger than the other.

Some women have a trusted adult, like a spouse, also feel their breast for a second opinion. Others may take photos during their self-check to show their provider. Both ideas are acceptable, Thompson says.

“When you go to the doctor, they can look at the picture. If the abnormality has changed or gone back to normal, then we know it’s nothing to really worry about. But if the issue has increased in size or looks worse, it’s something to be concerned about,” she says.

What happens next

If you find something concerning in a self-check, call your primary care provider or OB/GYN right away and explain what you found. Thompson says the provider will likely order a diagnostic mammogram, an outpatient procedure at a doctor’s office. The radiologist should read the results on the spot. If a closer look is needed, you may undergo an ultrasound, another way to image the breast, or a biopsy, which takes a tissue sample for testing.

It's important not to panic, Thompson stresses. If you have severe pain or an abscess, you should go to the emergency department. But for abnormal findings on a self-check, that’s not necessary.

“If you go to the emergency department with a lump, they’re going to send you home, and you’re going to have to go through the process of calling your provider.

“Breast cancer is not going to change that drastically in three to four weeks,” Thompson adds. “It’s not going to make that big of a difference. However, you want to get yourself scheduled and be proactive. Don’t say ‘Oh let me watch it for a few months and see if it changes.’”

But do keep track of any changes between when you make the appointment and appointment day.

Why it’s important

Thompson says a monthly self-check goes hand-in-hand with regularly scheduled mammograms as the most important ways to prevent breast cancer. You should talk to your primary care provider or OB/GYN about what mammogram schedule is right for you.

“Typically, we do a mammogram every year to get the breast image,” Thompson says. “But during the year, things can develop that you don’t notice. Some things can develop very quickly.

“By doing a monthly exam, you learn your body. You know how it feels,” she adds. “Each month you may say ‘Well I didn’t remember that there last month.’ So you can address it right away.”

Early detection is key for a better outcome. Conversely, unchecked breast cancer is a major killer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates about 43,700 women will lose their life to the disease in 2023.

Learn more

Read more about breast health and breast cancer on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips

B-roll

Related stories

OSF HealthCare Newsroom breast cancer stories
OSF HealthCare Blog breast cancer stories

It’s important for women to keep track of health screening recommendations. Early detection of issues like breast cancer can mean a better outcome.

Since everyone’s situation is different, you should talk to your health care provider about what screenings are right for you and when to get them. But Deena Brown, a board-certified family nurse practitioner at OSF HealthCare, says there are a few screenings every woman should know.

• Breast cancer: Brown says women aged 40 and up should talk to their provider about a yearly mammogram that looks for breast cancer.

For adult women of any age, mammograms should be combined with monthly breast self-checks. Brown suggests doing a self-exam a week after your menstrual cycle. If you’re no longer menstruating, you can choose the same day each month (the first of the month, for example) to help you remember. You should feel for changes or other abnormalities like lumps, bumps, one breast being larger than the other, any nipple discharge and swelling or soreness under the armpit. Make an appointment with your provider if you notice any of those changes.

• Cervical cancer: Brown says cervical cancer screenings typically begin at age 21 and occur every three to five years.

“Those screenings involve a pap smear, which takes a cell sample from the cervix and looks for any abnormal cells that need to be addressed,” Brown says.

• Osteoporosis: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says osteoporosis is a bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decrease or when the structure and strength of bones change. This can lead to a decrease in bone strength and an increased risk of bone fractures.

Brown says women over age 65 should be checked for osteoporosis. The NIH says the screening is typically a simple X-ray, and it should be done every two years.

“If the bone density is low, we can initiate treatment with medication to help increase the strength of the bones,” Brown says. “This helps prevent future fractures and debility for women.”

• Colon cancer: Screenings starting at age 45 can help detect colon cancer and other serious issues. A once-a-decade colonoscopy involves a doctor using a tube and camera to check for polyps or cancer in your colon and rectum. Another option is to take a stool sample at home, send it to a provider and they will look for abnormalities. Talk to your provider about which option is best for you.

How things can change

Brown says some women may need these screenings more frequently or earlier in life based on a family history of a disease or your own history.

“It’s all individualized,” she says.

“There are these screening recommendations, but we like to take a personalized approach to care and help address issues as soon as we can.”

In other words, seeing a doctor isn’t just about treating chronic conditions. It’s about preventing them too. And screenings are the best way to do that.

For more on women’s health services, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips

Related stories

A breast cancer survivor's toolkit
Say yes ma'am to the mammogram
FDA dense breast rule promotes earlier cancer detection
Don't relax when it comes to annual cancer screenings
HPV vaccine: Taking a shot at cervical cancer
Osteoporosis: Be proactive rather than reactive
Colon cancer and young people: Trust your gut
Staying the course for a colonoscopy

As technology advances, so does the treatment for breast cancer.

For several years, OSF HealthCare has used 3D mammography at a number of its screening sites to help detect cancer. Also referred to as breast tomosynthesis, 3D mammography helps detect breast cancer earlier than 2D mammography, particularly for women with dense breast tissue.

The 3D mammogram is done alongside the traditional 2D digital mammogram. The X-ray arm sweeps in a slight arc over the breast and takes multiple images instead of one straight-down picture. Then, a computer produces a 3D image in one millimeter slices, which provides better visibility for the radiologist to see breast detail in a way never before possible.

Jason Davis, MD, a radiologist at OSF HealthCare, says this newer technology has been a game changer into breast cancer detection.

“There were still some components of sensitivity we were missing from women with dense breasts,” Dr. Davis says. “The 3D mammography really helped that. Just going from digital mammography to 3D mammography was a really big leap. It helped us look at breasts in sections. It’s almost like looking at a CT scan. It helped with cancer detection in all women, but it helped a little bit more with women with denser breasts.”

Advances in mammography can be credited with detecting 80% to 90% of breast cancer in women without symptoms. During his time working with OSF HealthCare, Dr. Davis has seen mammography technology change greatly.

“We have come a long way since film-screen mammography, which is where someone takes an X-Ray and they print out a picture. Then the picture is hung and the radiologists read it that way.  We went from there to digital mammography and now we have 3D mammography.  This tool, along with artificial intelligence, computer-aided, detection has significantly increased breast cancer detection,” Dr. Davis adds.

Across Illinois and in Michigan, OSF HealthCare offers breast health resources. It’s recommended that women over 40 should speak with their health care provider on when the best time is to begin yearly mammograms.

When it comes to getting a mammogram, Dr. Davis says there are “no wrong answers.” He adds if there are only 2D mammograms offered in your area, it’s still best to speak with your doctor and get checked if advised.

Video Interview Clips

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that has many thinking about the disease that afflicts hundreds of thousands in the United States each year.

People like Cathy Keller. When she visited the ribbon cutting for OSF Moeller Cancer Center in 2019, she had no idea she’d be using the services two years later.

Now, the 66-year-old Godfrey resident is telling other breast cancer patients: you can get through it, too.

“You have to roll with the punches,” Keller says.

The numbers

Heather Thompson is a breast health navigator at Moeller Cancer Center and was with Keller from the beginning. She, too, is a breast cancer survivor.

Thompson says one in eight women will develop breast cancer. Older people are at a higher risk than younger, but younger people typically have more aggressive cancer.

“A huge, huge problem,” as Thompson puts it.

Thompson explains that woman make hormones, especially estrogen, all their life.

“A lot of the hormones in [a woman’s] body are like a fuel to a cancer cell,” Thompson explains. “When you get an abnormal cell, estrogen in our bodies fuels that cell and produces and produces. And you get a mass. And then you have breast cancer.”

Thompson says those breast cancer tumors can develop over time.

Alejandro Sanz, MD, is a surgeon at OSF HealthCare in Alton who specializes in breast cancer. He says around 233,000 U.S. residents hear the words “You have breast cancer” each year. Around 40,000 people die annually from the disease.

Expect the unexpected

Keller got her diagnosis in April of 2021, followed by a lumpectomy the next month. In June, she wound up under the care of Manpreet Sandhu, MD, and James Piephoff, MD, oncologists at Moeller Cancer Center, for chemotherapy and radiation. Keller says she knew she would get the best care at Moeller.

Keller’s first round of chemotherapy produced the serious allergic reaction known as anaphylactic shock, and at that point she wanted to quit, as the treatment was preventative. But Dr. Sandhu advised against that.

“She took it upon herself to find a chemo that would not affect me at all,” Keller says.  “And it didn't. The way it was delivered was very different from the way the first chemo was delivered. I didn't have to take the Benadryl. I didn't have to take the steroids.”

To put it a different way: Dr. Sandhu “went to bat for me,” Keller says with conviction and a slight tear in her eye.

 But Keller wasn’t out of the woods yet. Midway through the new type of chemotherapy, she began to suffer neuropathy, or nerve damage that typically results in loss of feeling in your hands and feet.

 Dr. Sandhu proposed a simple solution.

 “I would hold on to little Ziploc bags of ice,” Keller explains. “And they put them on my feet so that the smaller vessels would constrict a little bit so I wouldn't get all that chemo right back down in there.”

The life hack worked long enough to earn Dr. Sandhu’s OK to end that particular treatment.

Keller’s lesson in all this: Expect a bumpy road, but know you have to stick with your cancer treatment. And trust that your providers are doing the best for you.

 Dr. Sanz says providers will hold up their end of that commitment, too.

 “There's a lot of information involved. Patients can get confused about it. So I take care of that. I try to spend a lot of time with my patients explaining this. Going through the images,” Dr. Sanz says.

“A lot of my patients have never seen their own mammogram,” he adds.  “They’ve never seen their own tumor. How does it look?”

Find support

Keller says not only was she not going to battle cancer alone, the disease wasn’t going to interrupt her routine. She worked out with a kettlebell weight. And Keller and a friend still walked the hills near Keller’s home twice a week, sharing laughs and stories.

She got support from her biological family and work family. One female student at Alton High School, where Keller works, told Keller she temporarily lost her hair due to a serious infection.

“If she can come to school and have her peers see her with her short hair now, knowing she had long hair earlier in the year, I don't have to wear my wig anymore,” Keller says. “So I saw her two or three days after I started wearing my regular hair, and I told her, ‘You are my inspiration’.”

Watch your health

Dr. Sanz and Thompson want women to commit these numbers to memory: Start getting a yearly mammogram at age 40. If you have a family history of breast cancer and get an order from your primary care provider, you can start as young as 30.

“Screening is the best tool we have at this moment in order to decrease the mortality of cancer,” Dr. Sanz says.

Thompson adds that unless you’re approaching end of life care, there’s no reason to stop getting the yearly breast checks.

“Women who are thriving and are doing well and have the chance of living the next five years, by all means get their mammogram,” Thompson urges. “Because we can give them that five years by saving them and finding and diagnosing and treating right away.”

Thompson says monthly self-checks of your breasts are equally as important.

“Any woman of any age should do a monthly check. Pick a day out of the month. I want to do it on the first. I'm going to check both breasts,” Thompson suggests. “That way you know your breast. You know how they feel. You know if you have lumpy breasts or not. And so if something changes, something seems abnormal, something feels different, then you get it checked [by a health care provider].”

 Dr. Sanz is all-in on both types of breast checks, too. That’s because 80 to 90% of the patients he sees who are later diagnosed with breast cancer don’t present any symptoms like breast pain or skin abnormality. Rather, they are in Dr. Sanz’ office because a mammogram caught something.

Learn more about breast cancer prevention and treatment on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview Clips - Cathy Keller

Interview Clips - Heather Thompson

Interview Clips - Dr. Alejandro Sanz