Highlands-Cashiers Hospital radiology department encourages frequent mammograms
With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the radiology department at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital encourages residents to get regular mammograms to catch breast cancer early.
Lori Smith, MBA, RT (R) RDMS, RDCS, RVT, Regional Manager Radiology/Imaging, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019.
“Mine was not invasive,” Smith said. “You have so many thoughts going through your head whenever you hear that diagnosis, but at first, I was scared. I was worried about my family. You think about the extent of this and what you are going to do. I couldn’t tell you all of the thoughts I had.”
Smith found a lump on her breast during a routine mammogram.
“If I had not had the mammogram, I would have been in trouble,” Smith said. “They saw something during the mammogram and sent me to get additional imaging. They couldn’t really confirm what they were looking at. I had to get a biopsy after that, and it turned out to be inconclusive. They then decided that I needed an MRI.”
The doctors confirmed that Smith was in stage zero, before a cancer becomes invasive.
“There are grades in pathology,” Smith said. “One being normal with a few cells, two is medium and mine was three, which was all abnormal cells, but it wasn’t invasive. The important thing is that I went to get my routine mammogram and because of that, it was caught very early.”
Smith said for every person going through a cancer battle, having a good support system is important.
“Having a support system is a very important factor when you’re going through this,” Smith said. “It is truly hard to go through this by yourself. There are so many components to cancer care. You have to make sure that the right hand knows what the left hand is doing when it comes to the hospital team.”
Having the new 3D mammography machine at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital is something Smith said is revolutionary for rural medicine.
“With the 3D mammography machine, you are going to get all of the details scanned,” Smith said. “The important thing about that is you will have all of the news right away. You won’t be waiting for a call saying that you have to come get another mammogram. It is a great tool to have in such a rural community.”
Meg Ham’s mother is a 33-year breast cancer survivor.
“Getting a mammogram is something that is so easy to do,” Ham said. “The pain does not outweigh the benefits of catching breast cancer early. My mother caught it early and survived.”
For more information about breast cancer, visit nationalbreastcancer.org. To schedule a mammogram, call 828-883-5021.
- By Christopher Smith