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Myrna (Cancer Care)
In May, when a routine mammogram revealed she had breast cancer, Myrna's reaction was normal for someone hearing this diagnosis - she cried. But after having surgery and an innovative radiation treatment at Kettering Medical Center, Myrna's tears flowed again, but for a different reason - feelings of thankfulness and relief for the expert and compassionate care she received from the KMC Radiation Oncology team.

"The whole group there was just great," Myrna says of those employees who guided her through therapy, "I never felt like I was going to radiation. I was going to see my friends at their work."

Myrna probably couldn't have felt more among friends than on the last day of her treatment. For a few days she had teased radiation staff by answering "this Friday," when they asked for her birthday, knowing they really needed her actual birth date as a patient identifier.

Recognizing they would not see Myrna on her exact birthday, the radiation team greeted and surprised her with a bag of candy and a card on Thursday. Later, they sang "Happy Birthday" to her as she received treatment. Finally, when her therapy was over, Myrna turned to find a beautiful vase of flowers from the whole Radiation Oncology team.

Thanks to the caring actions of these employees Myrna had an excellent experience throughout her treatment. Initially, like many patients, Myrna was nervous about receiving radiation for the first time. The team at KMC, however, explained the process and answered her questions and concerns about her treatment.

Pat Heffron-Cartwright, a medical physicist, planned Myrna's radiation treatment, called MammoSite®. Pat explains that MammoSite is a targeted radiation therapy used after surgery.

MammoSite therapy is exceptional because it only takes five days. Patients receive a total of 10 treatments - two each day - instead of traditional radiation's 35 treatments spread over seven weeks.

Another major advantage of MammoSite is that only the area where cancer is most likely to reoccur is treated, protecting healthy tissue.

As Myrna put it, choosing MammoSite was a "no-brainer" for her. She was even able to spend time with her daughter, who is expecting her first child, without worrying because with MammoSite, no radiation remains in the body between treatments, unlike other internal radiation therapies.

Myrna's doctors anticipate her making a full recovery. And five days of treatment was enough to make some very good friends... for life.