{"id":27034,"date":"2021-05-07T17:13:01","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T17:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmshub.wpengine.com\/?p=343252"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:14:56","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:14:56","slug":"medical-assistant-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-while-volunteering-as-patient-for-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/medical-assistant-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-while-volunteering-as-patient-for-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical Assistant Diagnosed with Breast Cancer While Volunteering as Patient for Training"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Laurie Zoll has always been fearful of mammograms and hesitant to get any form of radiation. She didn\u2019t think it was necessary, since there was no history of breast cancer in her family. But now she\u2019s encouraging other women to get mammograms<\/a> after being accidentally diagnosed during a training session at work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was hard-headed\u2026I was one of those people that thought I was invincible, didn\u2019t think it could happen to me, and that\u2019s not how it goes,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Laurie, a medical assistant, volunteered to help her colleagues learn a new breast ultrasound machine that had just arrived at their office. Coworkers performed an ultrasound<\/a> on her for practice, and they were shocked when it actually turned up a tumor.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Adobe Stock\/serhiibobyk<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cWhen I first saw it, of course, I was stunned. Here we are working with volunteers, and here we find a cancer right away,\u201d says Dr. Jerrold Weiss<\/a>, director of CIMA Breast Center. \u201c(She\u2019s) very lucky that we found it early, and the chances are that her prognosis would probably be very good. Hopefully, it will stimulate women who are mammogram deniers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now Laurie believes her volunteer work may have saved her life and hopes her story will convince other women to get screened regularly. Dr. Weiss says her cancer could easily have gone from stage I to stage IV very quickly if it hadn\u2019t been caught so early.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to have Dr. Weiss. I\u2019m glad he brought that new technology, especially for women who have dense breasts,\u201d says Laurie.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Adobe Stock\/Gorodenkoff<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Because the cancer was caught early, Laurie was able to go through radiation treatment and become a survivor. She will have to have a three-month and six-month checkup, followed by annual checkups after that. But for now, she\u2019s entirely cancer-free<\/a> and back to living her life.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt can happen to anybody, even though you think it [can\u2019t], so just take that time out\u2014it doesn\u2019t take very long to get a mammogram. Take that time go out there and make that appointment, because if I hadn\u2019t done what I did, who knows where I would be,\u201d says Laurie.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Adobe Stock\/familylifestyle<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The brand-new survivor intends to continue sharing her story and advocating for mammograms and other breast cancer screenings. She hopes she can save other women\u2019s lives<\/a> with this work.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Breast cancer symptoms include more than just lumps. Please remember to perform self-checks monthly on your breasts and to report to your doctor anytime something seems \u201coff\u201d about your breasts, especially if the symptom only occurs in one breast. Regular screening also helps catch cancer early and could save your life.<\/span><\/p>\n

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