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Saturday, October 11, 2014 • Page 1B

What you may not know could save your life

Reaching for hope

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For the Leader When it comes to breast health, breast radiologist Ajanta Patra, M.D., believes knowledge is power. Fellowship-trained in breast radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, Dr. Patra provides a full range of screening and diagnostic mammography services as an affiliated breast radiologist at the Memorial Hermann Breast Care Center at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital located in the Heights. She works closely with her patients to ensure a positive experience and quick turnaround on procedures and results. “Women who come to the Breast Care Center for their annual screening mammogram have the advantage of knowing their results will be read by a dedicated breast radiologist and that they will receive highly personalized care,” said Dr. Patra, who graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in diagnostic radiology. The full range of services at the Breast Care Center includes digital mammography with the most advanced computer-aided detection system, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, stereotactic breast biopsy and ultrasound-guided needle biopsy. “We bring women who receive news of an abnormality on a screening mammogram back for a more advanced follow-up exam within days,” said Dr. Patra, who personally reviews the results with women called back for follow-up. “We’re very sensitive to the fact that this is a frightening time when women want answers fast. I’m often the first doctor a woman sees if she has an abnormal finding on a mammogram so I feel that it’s important to spend time with her, either explaining that it’s nothing to worry about or helping her through the next steps.” Although the breast cancer gene has received much media attention, only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are caused by genetic problems. Two genes – BRCA1 and BRCA2 – are the most common genes responsible for hereditary breast cancer. “Women in the general population face a 12 percent risk for breast cancer over their lifetimes,” Dr. Patra said. “Normally, BRCA1 and BRCA2 keep cells from growing out of control. But women with defective copies of these genes have a much higher chance of developing breast cancer, often before the age of 50. Breast cancer related to genes is most common in families who have multiple members with the disease. But not every woman See Services, P. 2B

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Photo by Christina Martinez Shirley Cato, a cancer survivor and long time volunteer for Reach to Recovery, adjusts a one of the wigs that is offered to patients by the American Cancer Society.

Garden Oaks resident: survivor, advocate and support system for breast cancer patients By Christina Martinez christina@theleadernews.com Garden Oaks resident Shirley Cato says she never paid much attention to her health or nutrition until after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and then later diagnosed with lung cancer and a second breast cancer diagnosis. Cato says early detection and having annual screenings are the reason she will get to celebrate her 79th birthday this year at Christmas, and many more to come. “I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in my late 50s,” Cato said. “I never paid much attention to breast cancer, nutrition or health. I was just busy with life. When I was in the hospital with my first breast cancer surgery, I got a visit from two ladies from the Reach to Recovery program with the American Cancer Society. They really impressed me. It was something that I wanted to do.” Twenty years later, Cato can be found in the American Cancer Society Reach to Recovery office at Memorial Hermann Northwest off of Ella Boulevard, helping women much like herself a few years back. The program is an outreach initiative for breast cancer patients to meet with breast cancer survivors to help with resources in their time of need. Much of those resources consists of beautification products like wigs, scarves, mastectomy bras, prostheses, knitted hats or comfort pillows, which the pillows and hats and are handmade by St. Rose of Lima in Garden Oaks. Along with beautification resources, patients get to meet with someone who has walked their same path

and share and listen to stories that might provide hope. Volunteers offer resources and information provided by the American Cancer Society and are trained in fittings for wigs, the prostheses and mastectomy bras. Before these resources were readily available at Memorial Hermann, Cato recalls back to when she first started with Reach to Recovery. Cato says she would visit patients in their home, because catching the patients after surgery in the hospital was so difficult. “It was nice to be able to go into their home and visit with them,” Cato said. “All of the ladies were always so gracious. Everyone I have ever visited has been gracious. Now that I am older, I love the resource center. I live close and come down mostly once a week. We have everything right here at our disposal. When we were visiting in homes we would have to go down to the Richmond office and take a bag and fill it with our literature, bras, everything that we needed to go and make that visit. Now it’s right here at our fingertips.” Cato finds that sometimes doctors might be too busy to explain the answers to questions that the patient might forget to ask, or even not know to ask. “Sometimes doctors are busy and they don’t always have time to explain,” Cato said. “I had one lady that I visited tell me that her arm was numb. She didn’t know that those nerves in her arm had been cut and that her arm was going to be numb. Mine is still numb from my surgery over 20 years ago. Little things like that can be very helpful when we

meet and talk to patients.” Bits and pieces of knowledge that Cato has personally dealt with is something she enjoys sharing. Something Cato enjoys even more is seeing the transformation in the women she fits for wigs, prostheses or mastectomy bras. “When you fit one of the ladies with a wig or with a bra, you can just see their transformation in their face,” Cato said. “It’s just evident. They feel beautiful again, and they look good in their clothes. That alone is really great.” Cato had to pause before continuing, as emotions of joy got the best of her. “The ladies are so courageous,” Cato said. “They can’t help but inspire me. Because they are all so positive. It’s amazing. Young or old and they just have a positive attitude. I think sometimes just seeing us, when we aren’t crying anyway, the way they are is encouraging. I think it gives them hope to get through. If we can just touch in a small way to give them hope. I’ve felt very comfortable doing it and I’ve never once looked back or regretting not doing it. It’s just something that I do.” As Cato celebrates her 79th birthday this year, she is reminded everyday of how important health, nutrition and annual visits are. Now, Cato is an advocate and leader for living a healthy lifestyle and helps women see and understand choices she overlooked years ago. Shirley Cato is a standout volunteer for the American Cancer Society, a healthy leader in the community and a support system for women to lean on when they need it most.

Common bonds: How the power of friendship is helping one woman in her fight against cancer By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com For over thirty years, Liz Spillars and Rosie Busa have called each other friends. The two first met in the mid-1970s while living in the same apartment. Both Busa and Spillars recall fond memories of their time spent living near one another, particularly Busa who met her late husband while living there. “They were always out having parties around the pool,” Busa said with a laugh. Even after the years passed, both Spillars and Busa made sure to keep contact with one another.

Photo by Jonathan Garris Rosie Busa (left) and Liz Spillars (right) have plenty of fond memories and experiences to share with one another over the course of their 30 years of friendship. Both women say their friendship has been strengthened greatly during Busa’s fight with breast cancer.

Busa would go on to move across the country, and kept in touch with

Spillars through occasional greeting cards around the holidays and other

conversations. “We’ve always talked about doing things, but we just never had the time or the money,” Spillars said. “We both had our families and our lives but we always said hello to one another over the years.” After returning to the Houston area, Busa reconnected with Spillars, who has been working at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital for nearly 15 years and is currently a mammography technician. Each year, Busa requested Spillars to help with her mammogram. Last year, their lives took an unexpected turn when doctors found Busa had breast cancer. Spillars See Bonds, P. 2B

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