Connie's Breast Cancer Story

"There was no question in my mind,” Connie says about having her surgery at Doctors Hospital of Manteca.

Connie was about to leave for a vacation in Grenada when she noticed a lump in her breast.

It had been nearly two years since her last mammogram. She knew there was no excuse for that delay; after all, she worked in healthcare. But Connie had been caught up in work and had been under a great deal of stress. The trip to Grenada was planned as a personal timeout.

But before she left, she had that mammogram. Her radiologist then ordered an ultrasound and asked Connie to return for a biopsy.

Before the results came back, Connie went into proactive mode. She met with the breast cancer coordinator at Doctors Hospital of Manteca’s Breast Health Center. There, she learned what her options would be if the result was positive. She talked with an oncologist and a reconstructive plastic surgeon.

“I wanted to know everything before my vacation,” Connie says. When the results of her biopsy came in, she took her grown daughter with her. The news: She had Stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma — the most common type of breast cancer. The size of the tumor, and its location, left no options, Connie says. She decided to have a mastectomy, followed by chemotherapy.

Based on what she learned, her choice for the surgery was Doctors Hospital of Manteca, which is certified as a Quality Breast Center of Excellence by the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers program. Connie was impressed with the hospital’s services and level of technology.

“There was no question in my mind,” she says about having her surgery at Doctors Hospital of Manteca. While a good friend had had the same surgery and follow-up treatment at Stanford University, she felt confident about receiving the “same level of care.”

Today, she is cancer-free and looking forward to breast reconstruction. She’s also urging everybody she knows to schedule annual mammograms.

“My kid were furious with me” about skipping a breast checkup, she says. Now, she knows they were right. Since she’s also learned how unpredictable life can be, she plans more trips away in the future.