Knowing how to check for breast cancer with a self-exam can be an effective way to be aware of any changes in your breasts, but isn’t a replacement for an annual screening mammogram or a clinical breast exam. Breast self-awareness is a way to improve overall breast health and make it more likely you will…
Finding a lump in her breast was something Heather Kleisner didn’t have time for in her busy life. But when she did, the meetings, conference calls and event planning on her calendar quickly changed to doctor appointments, surgery and a treatment plan. Heather had experienced this once before. A small lump discovered in 2015 during…
Helping patients with cancer live more comfortably often can weigh heavy on Rikka S. Foster’s heart and mind. As a medical assistant at Norton Cancer Institute Women’s Cancer Center, Rikka helps care for patients who have breast cancer and some who are in palliative care. According to Rikka, she wants to be there for every…
Parents always want to pass on good things to their children: wisdom, advice, family recipes. Wanda Anderson has modeled strength and resilience for her daughter as they both receive treatment for breast cancer. First diagnosis In 2008, when she was 46, Wanda felt lumps in her breasts. Having just lost her job, she had no…
Four years ago, Sara Westerman was diagnosed with breast cancer. She chose treatment that included a double mastectomy with reconstruction. While preparing for surgery, Sara discovered pillows designed for patients who have this surgery. Sara’s mom, Betty, is a retired home economics teacher and promptly created a version of the pillow for her daughter’s recovery….
Rhonda Cash calls herself a breast cancer “thriver.” She practices self-care by giving back to her community and shares comforting gifts with cancer patients going through treatment. “I want other cancer patients to be as blessed as I am. I want them to have that little something special that they can use more than once,”…
At Norton Healthcare, we believe annual mammograms are one of the most important forms of self-care a woman can practice. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual reminder to do a self-check for signs and symptoms, schedule a mammogram and keep in mind those who are fighting breast cancer or have lost their lives…
Laura Chamberlin first noticed a lump in her breast when she was a graduate student living in Seattle, Washington. She mentioned it to her primary care doctor, who told her not to worry. “She said, ‘You’re young. You just have dense tissue,’” Laura recalled. After moving to Louisville a year later to work as an…
In 2017, Kimberley Marek received a call after her mammogram, letting her know that something had come back abnormal. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Since she has dense breast tissue, she had experienced this call before, but the follow-up had always produced a normal result. Not this time. This time it was…
Sexual health is important for any adult’s well-being, but patients with cancer face a new set of challenges when it comes to sexuality. Laila S. Agrawal, M.D., breast cancer oncologist with Norton Cancer Institute, is spearheading efforts to develop a sexual health clinic at Norton Healthcare. “The World Health Organization says that sexual health is…
Swollen lymph nodes and the COVID-19 vaccine have been an issue for many, but the harmless side effect is causing alarm as some mistake the temporary underarm lump for a tumor. Swollen lymph nodes are a normal vaccine side effect, as the body produces antibodies against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Lymph nodes are a…
Perhaps you put off cancer screenings over the past few years. Delays of just a few months in detecting various forms of cancer can make treatment more difficult and reduce chances of survival. Here’s a guide to tests that can detect cancer and who should get checked when. Breast cancer Mammogram — an X-ray of…
Select an appointment date and time from available spots listed below.