Yearly mammograms are a priority for Karen Hofer. But during her screening in May of 2023 she got some unexpected news.
“I got a call and said they needed to do an ultrasound, so I went in and did the ultrasound and a couple days later they called me and said we need to do a biopsy,” said Hofer. “I went from mammogram to being told that I was positive for cancer, invasive ductal carcinoma.”
That diagnosis left her with a lot of questions about what she should do next. Fortunately, the team at Avera was there for her every step of the way. That included Cari Price, RN, who is a breast navigator.
“A breast navigator gets to walk with the patient through their cancer journey, that starts from their initial diagnosis through survivorship,” said Price. “In my role, I called her on the phone and just explained a little bit more in detail, gave her some education.”
“It was just like they answered every question that I had and kept me informed, let me know what they were doing,” said Hofer.
Her case was also presented at the multi-disciplinary tumor board to help determine the best treatment option.
Treatment for Breast Cancer
“That’s a group of experts, specialists, medical oncologists that focus just on breast cancer, radiation oncologists, surgeons, pathologists and radiologists who review the case, then they give us treatment recommendations and we follow through on that,” said certified nurse practitioner, Christopher Nelson. "Because she was an early stage breast cancer, she had a lumpectomy and radiation therapy.”
Karen had her surgery and did radiation in Aberdeen, meaning she didn’t have to travel far for her treatment.
Compassionate Cancer Care Close to Home
“I didn’t have to find a place to stay, I didn’t have to leave the day before or those kinds of things, I came in, I drove myself on the morning of my surgery and then had my family meet me here so that they could take me home,” said Hofer.
“If we can keep our patients here in Aberdeen or close to that area, that’s very important,” said Price.
“At the cancer center here we really have a comprehensive system for patients, especially with breast cancer patients. They can get most of their care here, a lot of the time all of their care here, everything from screening to diagnosis to treatment and then follow up care can happen here in Aberdeen,” said Nelson.
Importance of Yearly Mammograms
Karen is now in remission. She credits that to prioritizing her mammograms each year.
“To have that history of doing mammograms and doing them consistently is so important, make sure you get your mammogram, make sure you get them early, make sure that you follow up every year,” said Hofer.
Karen will continue to follow up with her care team.
Learn more about breast cancer services.
