♪ [music]

♪ - [Kim]

I am a mother of two. I'm married to my awesome husband, Keith, and we've been married for almost 29 years, high school sweethearts. In July of 2017, I was first diagnosed with my cancer and it was Stage 2 ductal carcinoma and it was in my left breast. When you hear that, it's the worst thing you can hear because you have all kinds of thoughts and feelings.

Because you just don't know. I have a great medical team that set forth a great plan. And we did everything that they suggested because we knew it was good for me and us. And I think it worked out great, I'm very lucky.

The plan was to do chemotherapy first to try to reduce the tumor.

- [Dr. Hatmaker]

We use this therapy to help us get a better lumpectomy. It can help us get margins that are more clear. We can remove less tissue, which will enable a better cosmetic result. It also allows us to access the biologic response of the tumor to treatment.

So that when we do remove the tumor, we can see how well our systemic therapy worked.

- During my chemo, the staff at the CBC were great. They were also very accommodating. Six of the treatments were an all-day treatment so we had family come in and out all day. The chemo that I had received worked well enough for me that I was able to preserve my breast.

And once I healed from surgery, I did radiation therapy. Radiation treatments were very tolerable because the treatment itself is very quick. When you're undergoing treatment for any sort of illness, it does affect every part of your being. I think normalcy is very critical in healing because I didn't have to make major charges in anything.

I actually worked every day. It was nice to sleep in my own bed and it was just good to have the comforts of home.

- I think that we all do better when we are in a comfortable environment. I think it has a multitude of effects emotionally, reducing stress on the patient, both financially and emotional to be able to receive care close to home. We have a full complement of the multi-disciplinary team here that I feel are all engaged and enjoy taking care of breast cancer patients. And I think that motivates all of us to stay up to date and know what the latest treatments and technologies are that are most appropriate for each patient and to tailor that treatment accordingly.

You know, patients have a lot of choices for where they want to have their care. Between the coordination of care, the skill and talent of the physician providers, and the multitude of support services that we offer, I just feel like this is the place to be.

- My journey showed me that I can be very strong. I didn't have to be by myself on my journey. I'm so grateful for everyone that I encountered and all the care that I received from Baptist Health. I was able to come home every day after a treatment and stay here to receive world-class care.

♪ [music]

♪