For someone who had been biopsied and had benign lumps tested and removed regularly, Lisa Vince was shocked when she felt like this time it was completely different.
This time her lump was slightly larger than before, about the size of a marble, and came with consistent throbbing pain that burned. She immediately called her primary care physician. After a mammogram and ultrasound, Lisa was referred to Tim Ruark, MD, General Surgeon at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare for a core biopsy.
It was June 2014 when everything changed. The results were in and Lisa was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer -- about 80% of all breast cancers are invasive ductal carcinomas.
“I received Dr.Ruark’s call late afternoon/early evening. I insisted he tell me then. My heart stopped for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I froze, collected myself, thought about it and knew right then I was determined to fight this battle, stay strong for my family and friends and remain positive. Dr. Ruark was so thorough and I appreciated him taking his time to really explain everything to me.”
After reviewing her options for a potential lumpectomy -- surgery to remove the cancer or abnormal tissue from the breast -- or a double mastectomy -- where both breasts are removed -- and with her history of regular lumps in mind, Lisa decided to go with a double mastectomy.
On August 5, 2014, Lisa went in for her double mastectomy and to prepare for reconstruction, performed by Dr. Ruark and Alfredo Paredes, MD, Plastic Surgeon at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. The procedure started with tissue expanders, an empty breast implant that will be filled with saline over a period of time, this process slowly stretches your skin to allow for the implants.
“Dr. Paredes is a perfectionist. I felt so confident in his care and everything he did for me was absolutely perfect. I could not have asked for a more perfect surgical team. Prior to surgery I heard the general surgeons and plastic surgeons work well together and they really do. They make a great team.”
After her procedure, Lisa was referred by Dr. Ruark to the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center, where she met with Philip Sharp, MD, Radiation Oncologist.
“Dr. Sharp was spot on. He explained my results, told me what everything meant so I could understand. He is very personable and when I left my appointment with him I felt like we were old friends.”
It was determined during her first meeting with Dr. Sharp that she wouldn’t need radiation so he sent her upstairs at the Cancer Center to meet with her Medical Oncologist, Iman Imanirad, MD.
“Dr. Imanirad is truly amazing. He’s so knowledgeable and he knows I’m a visual learner so during my appointments he would pull my scans or results up on a screen and walk me through everything, step by step. I remember my first appointment I left feeling like he knew everything about me – it was apparent he had studied my case and didn’t miss a beat.”
Lisa continued with chemotherapy for 4 months and although she did experience common symptoms of feeling tired and lacking energy, she progressed well until one day when she arrived at work.
“I remember getting out of my car and struggling to walk from my car to the office. My first thought was the chemotherapy must have taken a toll on me, however when I started having trouble breathing, I called Dr. Imanirad. He contacted me back immediately and after hearing my condition he advised that I go straight to the ER. He wanted me to get a CT scan and have them check for potential blood clots in my lungs. Thank goodness I called him because he was right.”
Sure enough, Lisa had blood clots in her lungs. She was hospitalized for three days and put on a blood thinner for the next six months. This bump in the road put her surgical procedures on hold but Lisa continued on.
Once she was well, Lisa went in for the final surgical procedure with Dr. Paredes, where they would take out her expanders and put her implants in. Months later, she opted for Dr. Paredes to perform nipple construction and fat grafting to improve the natural appearance of her breasts.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I would be going through this. God gave me pretty cute breasts, cancer convinced me to remove them and Dr. Paredes replaced them with some pretty darn good looking ones.”
With breast cancer behind her, Lisa spends her time with the Joanna Francis Living Well Foundation and Chrome Divas Group. She looks forward taking time off to travel with her husband, George, and even looks back on her experience at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center with only positive memories.
“After I was cleared by my doctors, I would find myself going back to the Cancer Center just to sit in their outdoor healing garden. It was just such a comforting environment that I felt withdrawals and it made me happy to get that sense of comfort back. It eased my mind to know that I was never alone.”
