Back to Living Life Faster than Ever Before
Ruth Firme-McMillen
Dec, 2016
Physicians: Elizabeth Jeffers, MD; Benjamin Gielda, MD
Ruth Firme-McMillen knew breast cancer ran in her family. That’s why every year, like clockwork, she visited her doctor to get a routine mammography. And every year the results came back the same – all clear. That was until just before her 79th birthday, when the scan showed a lump which turned out to be Stage I breast cancer.
After receiving the startling news, Ruth turned to her family for guidance.
“My niece had just went through a battle with Stage II breast cancer and suggested that I seek out the care of general surgeon, Elizabeth Jeffers, [MD], who had recently traveled to Germany to become trained on a new surgical technique for breast cancer patients.”
Upon her initial consultation, Dr. Jeffers explained to Ruth that Lakeland had recently acquired a new form of therapy for treating breast cancer using the ZEISS INTRABEAM intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) system. Up until now, the treatment had only been offered primarily at large university medical centers and research hospitals.
Although it is somewhat a complicated procedure, Ruth said she valued the extra time Dr. Jeffers took to explain everything to her.
“She went over every detail very thoroughly and was extremely patient with me when I had questions, which means the world to someone facing a cancer diagnosis,” said Ruth. “Going into surgery I was confident this was the best course of treatment for me.”
After undergoing lumpectomy surgery to remove the cancer and other abnormal tissue from her breast, Ruth became the first patient at Lakeland to undergo IORT therapy. IORT delivers a single dose of radiation directly to the lumpectomy cavity while the patient is still asleep from the surgery.
“Traditionally, after patients undergo lumpectomy, they require five to six weeks of daily radiation treatment,” said radiation oncologist, Benjamin Gielda, MD. “With this new treatment option, the single dose may replace weeks of radiation as well as improve the accuracy of therapy and help patients get back to their lives more quickly.”
Returning to her normal life is something Ruth is thankful for every day.
“I woke up from the procedure feeling no pain or nausea,” she said. “What seemed scary to me at first turned out to be a rather minimal procedure. I can’t stress enough what a miracle it was to have this type of treatment available in our area.”
While she still has to undergo follow-up diagnostics, Ruth is happy to be cancer free and back to living the life she once knew – a feat she credits to early detection.
“I encourage everyone to get a yearly mammogram no matter what,” said Ruth. “I am so thankful that Lakeland was able to detect my cancer early, which saved me a lot of pain down the road. I highly recommend our local cancer specialists and surgeons – I couldn’t have asked for better care.”