Middle school art teacher Katy Lewis was just 26 years old when she found out she had stage 2 breast cancer. She recalls the moment she received her cancer diagnosis.
“How could this be?” Katy recalls asking herself. “I’m too young and lead a healthy, active lifestyle.”
Katy said she formed a close bond with the care teams at an Ascension St. Vincent Cancer Center while receiving treatment, including chemotherapy and surgery.
Katy Lewis is a middle school art teacher and breast cancer survivor.
“The nurses and doctors went above and beyond to make that connection and to make me feel like I wasn’t just a sick patient in that chair,” she said.
Katy said she always enjoyed sharing stories and getting to talk with the nurses and doctors whenever she would come in for treatment.
“I was treated with care and compassion, and something they gave me was hope,” she said.
When she returned to school with the news that she was cancer free, Katy’s students had decorated her classroom, assembled banners in the hallway and showered her with cards.
“You could hear all 600 of them yelling, screaming and cheering,” she said.
Providing more options and committed to helping protect patients while in our care
Ascension St. Vincent hospitals, ERs, oncology clinics, and facilities have strict precautions in place for the safety of patients in our care:
- Staggering appointments and limiting people in waiting rooms to allow for proper social distancing
- Continuing to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Screening patients, visitors, doctors, nurses and care teams
- Extensively cleaning and disinfecting all areas more often
- Virtual waiting rooms to keep family members and loved ones connected
- Virtual appointments and surgical consultations
Some of our oncologists have added virtual visits. Through an online video chat, a doctor can listen, learn about the patient’s current health concerns, answer questions and work with each patient on a personalized care plan. This may be an option for some types of appointments so that seeing a doctor from home is easier.
Compassionate, personalized cancer care at every step - with a trusted healthcare partner
At Ascension St. Vincent, doctors and care teams support you with compassionate care. Our doctors listen to understand you and your health needs. Then, they work with you on a personalized care plan that may include radiation and rehabilitation therapies, precision medicine, chemotherapy or supportive care. And if surgery is needed, our doctors specialize in minimally invasive and advanced procedures.
Ascension St. Vincent is now scheduling cancer screenings, including mammograms. Care teams recommend annual mammography screenings starting at age 40, or possibly earlier if you have a family history of breast cancer or a genetic predisposition to breast cancer. If you’re not sure when your next mammogram should be, call your doctor. Ascension St. Vincent doctors, nurses and care teams are fully prepared for your safety in our care.
Schedule a mammogram at Ascension St. Vincent. Or find a doctor.