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Breast Cancer
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Jane Tervooren - Family Risk Assessment Program participantJane Tervooren knows all too well how precious life can be. As the marketing director of one of the largest fertility practices in New Jersey, she watches women who struggle with getting pregnant and who want nothing more than to experience the miracle of childbirth. She also knows how fragile life can be after losing her mother and grandmother too soon to ovarian cancer. |
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Jean ClarkAs an agent for a major insurance company, Jean Clark knows the importance of being a patient advocate. When Jean noticed a lump in her breast in 1998, her doctor told her it was a symptom of arthritis. Jean was skeptical, so she fought for further testing and pushed for more answers. |
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Nancy Barton"When asked to share my experience as a breast cancer patient at Fox Chase Cancer Center, it was apparent that I was doing so from a unique perspective," explained Nancy Barton. When Nancy discovered the lump in her breast in April 2001, she had worked as a nurse at Fox Chase for 12 years. |
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Judith BernsteinA long time resident of Ambler, Judith Bernstein, was enjoying a blessed life. She has a devoted husband, Arnold, a son, a daughter and beautiful grandchildren who are the love of her life. She had been diagnosed with numerous squamous cell skin carcinomas that were successfully removed. But there is much more to Judy. |
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Gina Conners"In 1997 I was 42 years old, married, living on a horse farm and in excellent health. I had a good job working as a contractor for a large Philadelphia corporation," explains Gina Conners. The last thing Gina was thinking about was breast cancer. She had a baseline mammogram when she was 40 and it was fine. |
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Kim HagerichMoving half way across the country with 2 small children for her husband's new job can be stressful for some, but Kim Hagerich took it in stride. Kim and Todd settled into a friendly family-oriented neighborhood in a northern Philadelphia suburb. Kim quickly made many friends by getting involved in a book club, mother's group and preschool. She and her husband wanted a third child, and based on her fertility history, she began taking progesterone (a hormone that is connected to pregnancy). Not soon after, Kim found a lump in her breast. |
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Carol HessAt age 43, Carol Hess is just about as busy as a mom can be. The mother of 2 toddlers, Carol enjoys running, photography and gardening. While holding down a full-time position working for the Department of Defense. "For 26 years I have worked for the Navy as an Engineer Technician. Our department is responsible for the launch and recovery systems for aircraft used on an aircraft carrier," explained Carol. |
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Carol KratzerCarol Kratzer worked in the Benefits Department at Pilgrim's Pride for more than 19 years. As part of her job responsibility, Carol arranges for the Fox Chase Cancer Center mobile mammography van to visit her company each year. She explained, "They offer free mammograms to our female employees. This includes me, along with the spouses of our male employees and our retired employees. The challenging part is getting 20 women to sign up. It is like pulling teeth." |
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Novella LyonsNovella Lyons was well aware that women who have immediate relatives with breast cancer are at increased risk of developing the disease themselves. So when her mother died of breast cancer, Novella knew that breast cancer was a real threat. |
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Nancy McGarveyDuring the night when most people are fast asleep, Nancy McGarvey is on her feet, caring for newborn babies at one of the area's busiest hospital delivery rooms. "I have loved being a nurse for the past 20 years," said Nancy. During her 39 years of raising 4 children, many of the healthcare decisions revolved around them. |
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Shari PescatoreIn 2002, Shari Pescatore's husband, Mark, accepted a new job in another state. Together, Shari and Mark made the decision to move their family from New York to Pennsylvania. Shari was like many other moms in her situation. In preparing for the move, she scheduled routine doctor appointments on Long Island so they would not feel pressured to find new physicians right away. |
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Norma SnyderIn 1991, Dr. Mary Daly, a medical oncologist at Fox Chase Cancer Center, created the Family Risk Assessment Program, to research the genetic risk of certain types of cancer. In order to get the program off the ground, she needed to recruit participants in the program. |
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Linda Stockman-VinesFamily Risk Assessment Program ParticipantLinda Stockman-Vines considers herself lucky. She has been closely monitored by the doctors at Fox Chase Cancer Center since 1993, but does not have cancer. Instead, Linda has a strong family history of cancer and wants to do all she can to avoid getting cancer if she can. |
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Julie SwitzkyIn June 2007, Julie Switzky missed her yearly mammogram appointment. The Fox Chase mobile mammography van happened to be at her office. "I called and they fit me in the very last day the van was in Upper Providence. In fact, the girls there said they would stay late to see me because they were booked," Julie recalled. |