HER SURVIVOR STORY Sanford Marketing Executive Shares Her Journey with Breast Cancer

Aroutine mammogram took Judy Green from being an advocate for women’s health to someone working toward her own survival story.

Sanford’s Vice President for Corporate Communication was diagnosed this spring with breast cancer. Since the day she started this journey, she’s been humbled and inspired by the way colleagues, friends and breast cancer survivors have reached out to support her.

“One of the emails I received after people started hearing about it said, ‘you’ve become part of a sisterhood and there are many sisters who are survivors,” says Green. “I never thought I’d be part of this sisterhood, but I’m so thankful for it.”

Screening for life

Green wants to encourage other women to take the time for screening tests. She feels fortunate that she was able to have her cancer diagnosed at an early stage, which has improved both her prognosis and treatment.

“My wish for women everywhere is that they carve out the time in their busy lives to make it a priority to get screened,” Green says. “Taking care of your health is far more important than another meeting or anything else we have on your schedule.”

Green was getting ready for a family trip to celebrate her 25th anniversary with her husband, Scott, when she went in for a routine mammogram and ended up having three biopsies. While she was still on vacation, she got the phone call that cancer had been found in her right breast.

“The diagnosis of cancer, the word itself creates fear, but then you decide that you’re going to survive this,” Green said. “There is no question about whether I’m going to make it. I’ve simply got to get through the journey.”

Getting better

Green had a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous cells, followed by her first session of chemotherapy in April.

She told friends and colleagues and began to make plans as to how she would balance career, family and the medical care she needed.

Her 23-year-old son Ben had weeks earlier told his mother that he planned to shave his own hair off alongside his mother as a sign of support. So when her hair began to fall out two weeks after she started chemotherapy, the entire family went later that day to Green’s hairstylist.

Green had her hair shaved off first and then her son stepped into the stylists’ chair. While she wasn’t highly emotional that day, she remembers shedding one tear and wiping it away as her husband and daughter Allison stood by, everyone participating in the solemn event.

“It was a pretty powerful and big moment for us as a family,” Green said. “I’ve been so blessed to have their support every step of the way.”

Green has one more round of chemotherapy to complete this summer. She’ll begin radiation treatments in August. Her care at Roger Maris Cancer Center has been nothing short of amazing, every step of the way, she says.

“From mammography to surgery, I’ve had the best care possible,” she says.

Showing support

Throughout the whole process, she’s been floored by the way her family knows just the right way to help out –phone calls, notes and visits to raise her spirit. As she worked hard to keep life as normal as possible, her co-workers did things both little and big to show Green that they cared.

“We all walk around during our lives and say, ‘hey, how are you?’ everyday,” Green says. “I’m now at a place where people ask that and it’s real, a genuine extension of care and support.”

Green says she feels fortunate that she’s been able to keep up with the routine and people who love her, focusing on what is important. Her religious faith has been an inspiration and helped her make it through her treatment.

And the survivor stories she hears everyday strengthen her resolve to beat this disease. She knows that soon she’ll be sharing her tale of survival, too.

“Every story gives you hope,” says Green. “It gives you a sense that you’re not alone, that you can do this and make it. I know I will.”

Stroke in Women: What You Need to Know TIME IS BRAIN

If you think being a woman reduces your risk of stroke, it’s time to think again.

W hile men used to be at a higher risk, the American Stroke Association reports women now suffer 60 percent of the strokes in America. Each year, 425,000 women have a stroke and 80,600 die.

“ We’ve changed how we look at stroke in women,” says Dr. Ziad Darkhabani, a new interventional neurologist at Essentia Health-Fargo who specializes in treating stroke patients. He uses high-tech imaging and tiny catheters to reach and treat blood clots in the brain.

W hy women are suffering more strokes isn’t clear. Dr. Darkhabani points out that age is one of the biggest risk factors and women simply live longer than men. Estrogen, once considered a protecting factor for women, now appears to increase risk based on the higher rate of stroke in women on birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy, he says.

K ey to saving lives and reducing the debilitating impact of stroke is prompt diagnosis and expert treatment, says Dr. Darkhabani. Time is critical, he explains, because research shows the first three to four hours

Stroke Warning Signs

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg – especially on one side of the body

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding

• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

• Sudden severe headache with no known cause offer the best opportunity make a difference in a patient’s outcome.

D r. Darkhabani stresses that you should not wait if you think someone has symptoms of a stroke (see box below). If possible, choose an emergency room at a hospital such as Essentia Health-Fargo that has a dedicated stroke team and specialists trained in rapid diagnosis and intervention.

A stroke is caused by a blood clot or hemorrhage in a vessel in the brain. Deprived of oxygen and nutrients, brain cells begin to die. At the same time, nearby vessels try to take over and saving them through prompt treatment can make the difference, Dr. Darkhabani explains.

“ Our goal is to open a vessel as soon as possible to restore those nutrients and oxygen and save brain tissue,” says Dr. Darkhabani. “Opening the vessel gives the patient the best chance possible to improve.”

A s an interventional neurologist, Dr. Darkhabani uses high-tech imaging and a tiny catheter to reach a clot in the brain. There he can directly deliver an effective clot-busting drug called tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), or use special tools attached to the catheter to remove the clot.

P atients who suffer an ischemic stroke (caused by a blood clot) are routinely treated with tPA through an intravenous line if they can be treated within four hours of the onset of symptoms. However, that’s only about 3 percent of patients. Dr. Darkhabani explains the window for his interventions can extend up to eight hours and there is a better chance to open large vessels.

“ The burden that stroke places on both the patient and family is significant and can be devastating,” says Dr. Darkhabani. “I often see people on their worst day of their lives. I know how important it is for family members to understand what has happened and how important it is to give them emotional support.”

D r. Darkhabani recently joined Essentia Health and is currently the only interventional neurologist in North Dakota. Stroke patients seeking this specialized care no longer need to be transported to the Twin Cities or Billings, Montana for treatment.

Total Hip Replacement Requires Total Team HER PERSONAL BEST

Sweat glistening on her forehead, Anne Conway reaches over and increases the resistance on the triceps machine. She completes 20 reps, then moves to the next station. Her goal?

“Do this without perspiring,” she said laughing. A year ago this longtime Fargo educator never imagined a total hip replacement could lead to a new lease on life.

“Exercise was never even in my vocabulary,” said Conway. “This whole experience pushed me into a totally different way of thinking…”

Overcoming fear

Conway’s need for a total hip replacement followed years of rheumatoid arthritis -- an autoimmune disease. Even when wellmanaged, RA can eventually wreak havoc with joints.

“Last spring I recognized I was walking funny -- like a duck, but I didn’t know why,” said Conway. She was referred to Dr. Andrew Hvidston, orthopedic surgeon at Sanford Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Fargo.

When Dr. Hvidston showed her an X-ray of a healthy hip joint compared to her own, she saw the problem.

“I knew surgery was the right answer, but that didn’t stop my mind from going wild,” she said. “I was 59 at the time and wondered -- is this the beginning of the end? Will all my joints need to be replaced? Is it time to write my obituary? I have a huge imagination.”

Dr. Hvidston’s experience and his explanation of the surgery reassured her life was not over. She also learned that surgical expertise sets the stage for the next important steps.

Optimal results real generally are excellent, with some complications.

Conway’s successful surgery took place last June at Sanford South University. “They get you moving right away,” she said. “It’s a little like graduating from high school and receiving luggage from your parents. It’s their way of saying, ‘Go on now, have a good life.’”

Beating the blues

For Conway, the “good life” needed a boost.

“Initially I was a little depressed and didn’t feel like exercising,” she said. “That’s where my physical therapist Jennifer Iverson really made a difference. Always professional and always kind, she wouldn’t allow me the luxury of feeling sorry for myself. She kicked my butt and motivated me!”

Twice-a-week outpatient PT led to increased strength and mobility. But Conway gained something more: inspiration to lead a more active, healthy life. She’s already lost 71 pounds.

Reaching higher

Today Conway exercises at Sanford Family Wellness Center. Iverson designed a program, then sent it to the Wellness Center trainers.

“I ask them questions, but they ask me questions, too,” said Conway. “They show me how to push harder, but safely.”

Feeling more energetic than she’s felt in years and moving better, Conway looks to the future with a new mantra: “Keep trying, keep moving, keep pushing. If it’s important to you, do it!”

Sanford Orthopedics & Sports Medicine -- for the everyday competitor in all of us. [AWM]

WRITER: JANELLE BRANDON | REBEKAH SICKELS PHOTOGRAPHY