Patient Success Stories

Crossing Over from Caregiver to Patient

Sandy Westphal works with cancer patients every day as a cell component specialist at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center (UMGCC). It wasn't until she was diagnosed with breast cancer herself that she found herself changing roles and seeing the disease from the other side.

As a staff member of the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, I've been involved with the care and treatment of many patients diagnosed with cancer. There's a level of support and encouragement here that resonates throughout this institution, allowing our staff to care for and nurture cancer patients and their families. I've seen bonds established between patient and caregiver that continue long after the patient has completed treatment.

Not long ago, however, a diagnosis of breast cancer forced me to cross over from caregiver to patient. Suddenly I became the recipient of the nurturing.

It began one evening during a social event. As I was laughing with friends, I happened to place my hand on my chest, near the upper part of my left breast. It was then that I felt a small lump. Let’s just say, it’s not every day a girl discovers a breast lump at “happy hour.”

The next day, without an appointment, I marched into our Breast Evaluation and Treatment Program office in search of answers. Within one week, I was scheduled for an array of on-site testing: mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. After being diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, I was immediately scheduled for an MRI, CT scan, and bone scan, which indicated possible metastasis of the cancer to other areas in my body. What began as a seemingly “little happy hour lump” was now possibly just the tip of the iceberg.

Concerned about the outcome of the scans, my expert team of physicians pressed on to carefully explain the results, while continuing to collaborate with a large network of their peers. At the same time, they openly and honestly addressed my determination to avoid a mastectomy.

The on-site availability of highly innovative testing and state-of-the-art equipment provided me with the opportunity to undergo a PET scan evaluation. Just one month prior to my diagnosis, the PET scan had been approved for use in the diagnosis of breast cancers. The results of the PET scan ruled out metastasis: my “happy hour lump” was the only site of disease. My surgeon was able to perform a breast-saving lumpectomy, with follow-up chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Throughout the course of my treatment, I continued to work full-time at UMGCC. The side effects of the therapy were so mild that the course of my daily life, including maintaining my house and my menagerie of pets, was virtually unaltered. In addition, I was able to master -- if not perfect -- the art of wearing a bandanna.

Thankfully, I am now cancer free, and am managing my follow up care with ease, due to the wide range of services provided at UMGCC. I am also bandanna-free, now sporting a head of curly hair, which I can’t seem to do a thing with!

I attribute my well-being to the compassionate and caring team of skilled physicians and staff of the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center. Having been on the other side of cancer treatment -- as care receiver instead of care provider -- I have an even greater empathy for the patients I work with every day.


This page was last updated on: January 24, 2007.