2018 Power of Pink

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the POWER of SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Pink

The power of

listening

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HE FIGHT against breast cancer takes place on many fronts, from state-of-the-art laboratories to ground-level mobilization. The past year has also demonstrated the importance of a fundamental social skill in the ongoing battle: listening. Last November, Paula Schneider took the helm as president and CEO of Susan G. Komen, the nation’s foremost breast cancer advocacy group. Among the changes Schneider ushered in was a renewed emphasis on focus groups, an effort to incorporate the suggestions and perspectives of breast cancer stakeholders. Sharon Laderberg, executive director of Susan G. Komen Tidewater, says listening is a deliberate effort to make the ongoing efforts to treat breast cancer more relevant and effective. “Whenever anyone has something meaningful to add to the conversation, that’s important,” she says. These focus groups are moving the compass. One of

the revelations that came from community conversations involves the support needed by metastatic breast cancer patients, whose disease has spread to other parts of the body. Advancements in medicine mean that these patients are living longer and need additional support. Laderberg noted that because of those conversations, Komen has devoted tens of millions of dollars more to help improve understanding and care for people with metastatic breast cancer. The profiles in this section offer the opportunity to listen. Included are stories of inspiration, courage and service from women whose lives have intersected with breast cancer. These stories, Laderburg says, are part of the evolving struggle. “We still need to fundraise. We still need to find a cure. But we also want to listen to you.” — Ben Swenson


Power ofto Pink Section Sponsors Special thanks to our thanks to our Special thanks our | CONTRIBUT A skilledSpecial and experienced team and an Power ofPink PinkSection Section Sponsors Sponsors Power of Pink Section Power of Sponsors Susan G. Kom CONTRIBUTORS Special thanks to our unmatched commitment to personalized CONTRIBUTORS P L AT I Ncare. UM Special Thanks to our Tidewater ˜ ˜ Power of Pink section sponsors Susan G. Komen Power of Pink Section Sponsors Susan G. Komen We meet national standards PLLLAT ATIIIN NU UM M for the Susan G. Komen Executive Direc P AT N U CONTRIBUTORS P M Tidewater Tidewater CONTRIBUTORS ˜ ˜ Sharon K. Lader Tidewater highest quality cancer care.

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PAGE 2 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | 10.07.18 | Sunday

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Manager Lisa Chacon Sara Anderso Special Events/Development SECTIONCOORDINATOR COORDINATORS SECTION SECTION COORDINATORS John Donnell Manager Lisa Chacon John Donnellan Sara Anderson SECTION COORDINATORS Sara Anderson John Donnellan EDITOR John Donnellan Sara Anderson CREATIVE DIRE SECTION COORDINATORS Clay Barbour John Donnellan Wesley Wats CREATIVE DIRECTOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sara Anderson

Cancer Specialists of Tidewater G O L DConvenient Locations Virginia Beach

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| Sunday | 10.07.18 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | PAGE 3

PHOTO BY BILL TIERNAN | FOR THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Tamie Rittenhouse with her granddaughter Madison Lietuvninkas of Suffolk.

Tamie Rittenhouse THE POWER OF POSITIVITY

T

AMIE RITTENHOUSE knows need. As director of Head Start programs for The Children’s Center, a nonprofit in Western Tidewater, she helps connect low-income parents and their children with resources that offer paths to stability. So when Rittenhouse learned in 2010 that she had breast cancer, she was well aware that among Hampton Roads’ community cornerstones are strong networks of support available to help people navigate the most daunting challenges. Rittenhouse discovered a lump in her breast during a self-exam and consulted her OB-GYN. After a formal exam, what Rittenhouse thought was just one mass turned into two. The diagnosis meant a much more intense course of treatment, but it also caused Rittenhouse to reflect. She was the mother of an 8-year-old and a new grandmother. She was passionate about her career, which helped improve lives. “In my head, I knew cancer was serious and could kill you, but in my heart I knew that death was not a choice,” she says. Her first priority was following the advice of

her doctors. She had a mastectomy, reconstructive surgery and rounds of chemotherapy. But she says another component of her recovery was just as important: maintaining a positive attitude, even in the face of a life-threatening illness. “I’m a firm believer in the power of positivity,” she said. “There’s research that proves that good attitude and outlook can improve outcomes.” One of the ways that Rittenhouse stayed upbeat was working. She scheduled chemotherapy for Thursdays, timing the treatment so that the days she was most likely to feel lousy fell on the weekend. By Monday, she was well enough to be back at work. Another important component of Rittenhouse’s healing was knowing that she was not facing cancer alone. Family, friends and medical professionals were available to help her each step of the way. Those supportive communities make all the difference, said Rittenhouse. Especially in an area like Hampton Roads, where military families might not have relatives close by who can lend a hand during times of need, there are organizations and people eager to help.

Survivors groups can also offer tips from veterans of the battle against breast cancer, said Rittenhouse. They are able to answer the flood of questions that the newly diagnosed have. In addition to her work at The Children’s Center, Rittenhouse also chairs Suffolk’s Early Childhood Development Commission, which sponsors initiatives and programs that give children advantages they might not otherwise receive. Often these families encounter the same challenges that breast cancer patients face, such as the need for income, conflicting family obligations and lack of adequate transportation. No matter how daunting the hurdles seem, said Rittenhouse, they are possible to overcome. “You have strength within you, and you need to call upon that strength, but you don’t have to do it alone,” said Rittenhouse. “There are lots of friendly and supportive people ready to come to your assistance.” — Ben Swenson


PAGE 4 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | 10.07.18 | Sunday

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PHOTO BY BILL TIERNAN | FOR THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Kim Wil iams NEVER TAKE HEALTH FOR GRANTED

K

IM WILLIAMS had missed two years. She was well aware of the need for regular breast exams. It wasn’t that she was ignoring the screenings so much as she had been too busy with work, family and church obligations. Nevertheless, her breast cancer diagnosis in 2016 was a surprise, and it taught Williams a lesson she now passes along at every opportunity: Never assume it won’t happen to you. There is no substitute for being proactive and vigilant when it comes to breast health. As long as she can remember, Williams has always taken a keen interest in leading a healthy lifestyle. She exercises regularly, speedwalking up to 6 or 7 miles a day, and rejects fatty and sugary food and drink. All this attention to healthy habits helps her enjoy her life in Virginia Beach, where she lives and holds a full-time job with Virginia Beach Public Schools. There’s also no history of breast cancer in Williams’ family, which is extremely large by modern standards. She comes from a family of 13. Her mother is one of 11. Her father is one of 10. “None of my siblings or aunts ever had breast cancer,” she says. So when she returned for a breast screening after that two-year hiatus, Williams was stunned by the news that she had something suspicious in her breast. She had not detected any sort of lump, which so many women say they feel. There was no pain. But a biopsy con-

firmed that she had breast cancer. What followed was months of heartache and worry. She chose a treatment that would not only banish the cancer from her body, but as she says, also remove the opportunities for it to return. Although the cancer only appeared in one breast, she chose to have a double mastectomy. She later had reconstructive surgery. Williams thought about what could have caused the cancer. She grew up on a farm in rural North Carolina, and used to work and play in fields laced with fertilizers and pesticides. But she and her doctors knew it was impossible to pinpoint the cause. Sometimes, cancer just happens. That’s why Williams’ experience with breast cancer has given her a new perspective, and a new mission, not just for the sake of her daughter, but for all the people she encounters in her life. “I tell my story to anyone who will listen,” she says. Live a healthy lifestyle filled with good nutrition and exercise, she tells them. Making smart choices is important. But don’t assume that breast cancer has to run in the family, or that you’re going to feel the telltale signs. There is no substitute for early detection, and there are many ways to find medical professionals who can help. “Testing often and at an early age makes all the difference in the world,” she says. — Ben Swenson

There’s also no history of breast cancer in Williams’ family, which is extremely large by modern standards. She comes from a family of 13. Her mother is one of 11. Her father is one of 10. “None of my siblings or aunts ever had breast cancer,” she says.


| Sunday | 10.07.18 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | PAGE 5

BREAST CENT

ER

BREAST CENTER

BREAST CENTER


PAGE 6 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | 10.07.18 | Sunday

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RICK DEWIT T, MSKCCW

Valerie David GIVING VOICE TO THE PINK HULK

Heather A. Jones, MD Radiation Oncology

W

HEN FACED with stressful or aggravating situations, Dr. Bruce Banner transformed into the Hulk, a brute with superhuman strength. Like that fictional narrative of pop culture, a troublesome turn of events in Valerie David’s life transformed her, too. In 2014, 15 years after beating non-Hodgkin lymphoma, David received another alarming diagnosis. Cancer had returned, this time in one of her breasts. This second bout with the disease compelled her to transcend the role of patient, and become an advocate. That activism took on a form called The Pink Hulk. David lives in Manhattan but considers Virginia Beach her hometown. She graduated from First Colonial High School in 1986 and earned an English degree from James Madison University. She still maintains friendships and connections in Hampton Roads. In January, she visited First Colonial High School and taught students improv theater and creative writing. David’s battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the body’s lymphatic system, was a fight that she waged privately, without much acknowledgement of the treatment that she was enduring. But the breast-cancer diagnosis, which was a different form requiring a much broader course of treatment including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, spurred a change in David’s approach and acknowledgement of the disease. “I realized how empowering it was to speak up for myself,” she says. When she suspected that a specific chemotherapy drug was producing an allergic reaction, for instance, she demanded and received a change, aggressive self-advocacy she avoided the first time around. But something else changed, too. Fighting cancer a second time compelled David, a trained actress, to share her story with the world. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, David wrote and began performing a one-woman play called “The Pink Hulk: One Woman’s Journey to Find the Superhero Within.” In the hour-long performance, directed by Padraic Lillis, David leads the audience through the arc of her breast cancer, from prediagnosis to cure. Much like individuals’ fight against the disease, The Pink Hulk is at times uncomfortable and at others uplifting. “I give cancer a funny side,” said David. “It’s not just all gloom and doom. This is a play that tells people to take the bull by horns and empower themselves.” David performs The Pink Hulk in venues around the United States, and she returned in August from performances in Europe, where audience members offered thanks for publicly addressing an issue that hides behind a veil of privacy in many countries. What resonates with audience members, according to David, is that this method of communication differs from much of the other media about breast cancer. While they are immeasurably helpful, they often are also sterile and staid. The show has won multiple theatrical awards. David often hears positive feedback from audience members, many of whom are breastcancer patients or family members who convey that they see a new perspective of their afflicted loved ones. She once received thanks from a testicular-cancer survivor who connected with the idea expressed in The Pink Hulk that a cancer affecting David’s breast felt like an attack on her womanhood. David is bringing The Pink Hulk to Virginia Beach on March 9 at Zeiders American Dream Theater, and she’s hopeful that she will carry a message of self-empowerment to her hometown crowd. “We all have an inner superhero to help us through any difficulty in life,” she says.

TOGETHER: A Better Way to Fight Cancer At Virginia Oncology Associates, we know each cancer is unique and so is every patient we treat. Our team of experienced physicians and staff is dedicated to providing advanced care, innovative technology and personalized treatment options. Virginia Oncology Associates is an affiliate of The US Oncology Network, one of the largest cancer treatment and research networks in the country. This affiliation enables us to bring the expertise of nearly 1,400 physicians nationwide to the delivery of our patients’ care. PENINSULA (757) 873-9400 Hampton · Newport News · Williamsburg SOUTHSIDE (757) 466-8683 Chesapeake · Norfolk · Suffolk · Virginia Beach NORTH CAROLINA Elizabeth City (252) 331-2044

VirginiaCancer.com

— Ben Swenson © 2018 Virginia Oncology Associates is part of the US Oncology Network which is supported by McKesson Specialty Health.


| Sunday | 10.07.18 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | PAGE 7

Bo

oks

Are

In!

~ The Virginian-Pilot Presents ~

THE CAVALIER Reclaiming a Virginia Beach Icon As part of our coverage of the renovation of the Cavalier, The Virginian-Pilot will take you on a photographic journey from the beginning in 1926 through the renovation of this iconic Virginia Beach landmark on the hill. This high-quality, hard-cover book will showcase photographs from the Pilot and Cavalier archives as well as numerous public and private collections. The rich history of the Cavalier is linked to leaders and personalities who have shaped our nation and culture throughout the last nine decades. Photographs tell the hotel's amazing story and bring into focus the impact it has had on our region and beyond. This limited edition commemorative book will cover the Cavalier's construction, opening day, its heyday and famous guests, the military takeover during WWII, through its recent renovation and grand reopening!

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PAGE 8 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | 10.07.18 | Sunday

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PHOTO BY BILL TIERNAN | FOR THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Francina Harrison

HELPING OTHERS IS A CALLING

A

DAY AFTER receiving a round of chemotherapy, Francina Harrison, pulled off something of a coup. The Virginia Beach resident and self-styled “career strategist” broadcast a livestream video message alongside Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Snagging an interview with a favorite Hampton Roads native son was quite an accomplishment, especially given her health, but for Harrison it was just something she had to do. Harrison owns The Career Engineer, which helps clients enter the labor market, rebrand themselves or transition to another career. Keeping a busy calendar with the work she loves was not a necessity while she fought cancer. It was a calling. “My motto has always been ‘Don’t Get Anxious – Get Prepared,’ ” says Harrison. “That came full circle in 2016.” Her breast cancer diagnosis came as a surprise. A mammogram she scheduled prior to surgery for another issue revealed a suspicious mass, which turned out to be stage III triplenegative breast cancer, a serious diagnosis requiring aggressive treatment. “My oncologist said, ‘We’re going to throw the kitchen sink at you,’” Harrison says. That ended up including five months of chemotherapy and a month-and-a-half of radiation therapy. Doctors told her to expect things to change. And they did, most visibly in the loss of her hair. She even heard that she would likely not be able to continue working as she had. But to Harrison, her work was her passion, and so she continued to pour all her strength into what she knew: helping others with their careers. “Stage III cancer is no joke,” she says. “But with extreme positivity and daily prayers, I was able to continue.”

CANCER SPECIALISTS OF TIDEWATER

We care for you like those we love

“My motto has always been ‘Don’t Get Anxious – Get Prepared, That came full circle in 2016.”

Dr. Craig Franzman Emily Britt, FNP-C Dr. William MacLaughlin Dr. Samuel Adediran

The nausea, fatigue and soreness that accompany chemotherapy, which she called her “boogaloo juice,” were draining, but she always found a way to stay focused on her work, even if it was as simple as updating social-media feeds or talking to clients on the phone. And when she felt well enough to move around, she did so, donning a scarf or wig and going about her business. “I didn’t act like I was dying of cancer,” she says. “I acted like I wanted to live.” Harrison says that aside from the first-rate medical care she received, she relied on the support of her family and that of her fellow parishioners at FavorNation Church in Chesapeake. Being able to lean on the people closest to her made all the difference, she said. Harrison hopes that other cancer patients understand the remarkable power of staying upbeat and busy with whatever occupation they find meaningful. “No one wants to be a member of this club,” she says. “But if you find yourself here, please remember that it’s doable. Things get better when you believe that you can overcome this.”

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| Sunday | 10.07.18 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | PAGE 9

PHOTO BY BILL TIERNAN | FOR THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Lisa Chandler

TURNING A CHALLENGE INTO MOMENTUM

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HE LIST of volunteer commitments that Lisa Chandler has made through the years reads like a directory of local professional and community service organizations. Over some four decades, Chandler has assumed positions of leadership in more than a dozen nonprofits, ranging from Norfolk-based ForKids to the Old Dominion University Real Estate Foundation. And that’s to say nothing of her day-to-day work as executive vice president of Chandler Realty. But when Chandler received a request five years ago to sit on the board of directors of the Tidewater affiliate of Susan G. Komen, she felt a special urge to oblige. She is a breast-cancer survivor, and the chance to serve in that capacity offered the opportunity to leverage her professional and personal experience to help neighbors going through the same struggle she once did. In 2008, Chandler sought medical attention after she discovered a lump in her breast. Initially,

doctors suspected the mass to be a fluid-filled cyst, but eventually they diagnosed cancer. Throughout the next year, Chandler had surgery to remove the mass and underwent four months of chemotherapy. She had a mastectomy, followed by reconstructive surgery. Nine years later, she remains cancer-free. And for most of that time, she has been on the Komen board of directors. The organization is a national breast-cancer support, advocacy and fundraising group that allows local affiliates to raise money for the community to provide services and resources that patients and their families need, such as transportation to doctor’s appointments, proactive education and grants to regional breast health initiatives. Because Susan G. Komen is a national organization with broad priorities, the good that it does at the local level can sometimes be overshadowed, according to Chandler.

Chandler readily acknowledges that she was fortunate to have the means, along with a broad network of devoted family, friends and doctors, to help her face the challenges of her breast-cancer diagnosis and treatment. But she is well aware that there are people throughout Hampton Roads without such strong support. She said that the work of Susan G. Komen Tidewater is critically important to providing that aid. “A lot of the money that is raised here is used by your neighbor or my neighbor who doesn’t have the funds to access the services they need,” she said. Chandler said that serving on the board was a way to take what was a challenging experience in her life and turn it into positive momentum that does good here in Hampton Roads and elsewhere. — Ben Swenson


PAGE 10 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | 10.07.18 | Sunday

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PHOTO BY BILL TIERNAN | FOR THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Tracey Dedicatoria, front, with her “Life Matters” coworkers. From left: Sylvia Rivas, interpreter; Teressa Downing, office service specialist; Cheryl Revell, RN Public Health Nurse; Laurie McShane, WHNP Jackie Borden, Health Technician; Amy Giddens, office services specialist. “Life Matters” is an extension of the Eastern Shore Health District’s “Every Woman’s Life” program.

Tracey Dedicatoria HELPING THOSE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

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RACEY DEDICATORIA knows well that the middle is sometimes a bad place to be when it comes to paying for cancer treatments. Uninsured and low-income women in Virginia have the benefit of cervical and breast-cancer screenings thanks to a Virginia Department of Health initiative called Every Woman’s Life. Laudable as the program is, Dedicatoria, who coordinates the program for the Eastern Shore Health District, knows there are still people missing out because health care costs are out of reach. Dedicatoria leads a team of public-health officials who have implemented Life Matters, a program that provides services for district residents who earn too much to qualify for Every Woman’s Life but not enough to obtain care on their own. Dedicatoria, a 20-year resident of the Eastern Shore, says economic and family challenges present hurdles to obtaining the health insurance needed for routine cancer screenings such as mammograms. Some residents work two part-time jobs instead of one, which can help them scratch out a living, but usually leaves them uninsured. Dedicatoria also sees people raising grandchildren who sacrifice adequate healthcare because family obligations take precedence. Others may have health insurance but lose it during the process of cancer diagnostics. Life Matters serves people whose income is less than 300 percent of the poverty level, women who are under 40 in need of a baseline mammogram and older women who can’t afford required copays of Medicare. Even men, who can get breast cancer, are eligible for the program. The goal, says Dedicatoria, is to make early detection as accessible as possible and thereby save lives. “Too often women go to an ER with a lump or sore so bad they can’t deal with it anymore,” she said. “Those are very serious cases, and there are a lot of invasive procedures that follow.” Dedicatoria says the program takes referrals from medical professionals and she and colleagues in the Eastern Shore Health District offices also field calls directly from individuals who feel they might benefit from services. This year, the Tidewater affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a national breast-cancer advocacy group, provided a Community Impact Grant to provide funding for Life Matters. Education is among the most important components of the program. Getting the word out at religious and community institutions has proven successful in finding new enrollees. Life Matters guides people from screening to diagnosis and beyond, if necessary. “We are here for the entire continuum,” she says. “No one is going to be left all alone.” — Ben Swenson

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| Sunday | 10.07.18 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | PAGE 11

COURTESY OF MARK OLMSTEAD

Diana Olmstead A TEACHER TO THE END

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HERE ARE lessons learned in the classroom, and there are lessons learned in life. Diana Olmstead taught both. When Olmstead died of breast cancer in July, she had influenced thousands of students as a teacher in Virginia Beach and left a devoted group of family and friends to mourn the passing of an irreplaceable matriarch. Olmstead lived her life, and faced her own mortality, with virtues that form the bedrock of civil communities. Eva Melatti had a close friendship with Olmstead for more than three decades, and for most of that time, the two were teachers at Salem High School. Melatti said Olmstead was without question one of the school division’s best teachers – firm but caring, maintaining high expectations without being overbearing. And she was sharp, having strong command of English, literature and writing. Teachers submitted Olmstead’s name for Salem’s Teacher of the Year numerous times – Melatti alone did it four times – only to have the unassuming Olmstead turn down each nomination. The proof of Olmstead’s excellence was there in the numbers; her students regularly scored well on Advanced Placement tests and other measures of achievement. But numbers alone didn’t define Olmstead’s life, according to Melatti. Her aptitude in the classroom, excellent as it was, didn’t capture all of Olmstead’s accomplishments. In addition to instruction, she carved out time to address all the extracurricular machinations that help usher students through high school, serving on committees and proofreading college essays, for instance. What’s more, Olmstead was a devoted wife, mother to her two sons, and grandmother. She kept family close by and gladly hosted holiday gatherings. Olmstead was a pet lover, too, and was particularly fond of pugs. Her cancer diagnosis – triple-negative breast cancer, an especially rare and serious form – came as unsettling news. Yet Olmstead chose not to retreat from her active life and the reality of her cancer, but instead to face it with resolution and grace. “She didn’t let cancer get in the way of how she was going to live her life – fully, presently and joyfully,” said Melatti. “She was a role model.” Olmstead kept her sense of humor throughout the ordeal of treatment, said Melatti. Few people knew the pain she endured and she actively avoided eliciting pity or sympathy. Olmstead simply kept on going, teaching for two of the four years that she battled cancer. And that, according to Melatti, was as potent a lesson as any that she delivered in the classroom. “Even during this last harrowing chapter in her life, she taught us to be better by demonstrating the most powerful display of fearlessness, bravery, courage, will, and stamina that I have ever seen.” — Ben Swenson

20 minutes could give you more time with the people you love the most

“She didn’t let cancer get in the way of how she was going to live her life – fully, presently and joyfully.”

Schedule your mammogram today. Scheduling a mammogram once a year can help you detect breast cancer, treat it and beat it. Call (757) 398-2316 to schedule your mammogram at the location most convenient for you. Hampton 664

- Eva Melatti

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Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center 100 Kingsley Lane, Suite 306 Norfolk, VA 23510 Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View 5838 Harbour View Blvd. Suite 210 (Millie Lancaster Women’s Center) Suffolk, VA 23435

To learn more about breast cancer prevention and our imaging locations, visit BonSecours.com/Breast.


PAGE 12 | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | 10.07.18 | Sunday

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S E N T A R A

C A N C E R

N E T W O R K

SENTARA COMPREHENSIVE BREAST PROGRAM As a woman, you face a unique set of healthcare needs over

called back for follow-up imaging tests and biopsies to confirm a

the course of your lifetime. Part of helping you stay as healthy

particular area is of concern.

as possible includes complete breast care to help identify any

We also work quickly to identify any abnormalities in your

problems early.

mammogram and in many cases will have results to your doctor

With the Sentara Cancer Network Comprehensive Breast Program,

within only a few days. In most cases, if your results are abnormal,

you benefit from:

follow-up evaluations and biopsies occur within seven days of

• Multi-disciplinary, experienced care teams with specialized focus

your initial screening test. You don’t have to wait around to know if

on breast cancer care • Access to cutting-edge technology to find your breast cancer sooner with advanced treatment options • Integrated healthcare team coming together during weekly breast cancer conferences to create a personalized treatment plan

there’s a problem, and treatment can begin immediately if a breast disease or cancer diagnosis is confirmed.

Supporting You Every Step of the Way Whether you’re interested in genetic counseling to assess your breast cancer risk, or you need help coordinating your doctor appointments,

• Proven results and outcomes to treat your breast cancer

Sentara is with you every step of the way. We have patient navigators

• Dedicated nurse navigator and support services

who help you through every step of the process, and are there to

• Convenient locations, access to online mammogram scheduling

support you and your family with any challenges you may face.

and extended hours to ensure we fit within your busy schedule • Access to advanced research and clinical trials for new cancer therapies • A nationally accredited program by the National Accreditation

If a breast cancer diagnosis is made, you’ll have access to monthly breast cancer support groups at multiple Sentara hospital locations throughout Hampton Roads. These support groups, led by clinical nurse navigators, connect you with other women who know what

Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). This organization

you’re going through. We also offer a Facebook support group, which

recognizes breast care centers that achieve and maintain the

allows you to connect digitally to a group of more than 400 other

highest standards of care for women with breast diseases

women who have experienced a breast cancer diagnosis.

“We partner with each woman to create a care plan that is

Your well-being is important not just for you, but for all the people

personalized to meet her unique needs,” says Dr. Jennifer Reed,

in your life. The Sentara Cancer Network Comprehensive Breast

s ur gi c a l on co lo g i st w it h S en ta ra S u rg e r y S pe c ia li st s . “ A

Program offers total breast care to help diagnose and manage

multidisciplinary team of dedicated breast health specialists

breast diseases early, so you stay as healthy as possible. Regardless

collaborates with the patient to determine the best individual

of your diagnosis, we help you heal with innovative treatments,

course of treatment and make the process as easy and

personalized care and connection with other women who have

comfortable as possible.”

been affected by breast cancer.

Early Detection Means Better Outcomes One out of every eight women in the United States will be

Dedicated to Providing Women with High-Quality,

diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. Sentara focuses

Personalized Care for Breast Health

on early screening and detection using innovative technologies to catch breast cancer early. For most women, this means annual mammograms beginning at age 40.

Women can trust that when they choose Sentara Comprehensive Breast Centers, that they will benefit from the wide range of services offered, including:

“At our breast centers, women benefit from advanced technology, such as 3D Mammography and breast-specific gamma imaging, for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer,” says Dr. Keith Newbrough, radiologist at Sentara Healthcare. Many of our breast centers use advanced 3D Mammography to find breast cancer sooner, and more easily than ever before. And because of 3D mammography’s accuracy, many women avoid being

Individualized Treatment & Advanced Technology

Online Scheduling & Extended Hours

Experienced Care Team

Dedicated Breast Cancer Navigators & Support Groups

To schedule your annual mammogram, visit sentara.com/Mammogram or call 757-736-0040


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