Catheryn Sarno (pictured above) had felt the small lump below her clavicle bone. She assumed it was a strained muscle from strenuous yard work. That is until she had her routine mammogram.
Stacie Kemper, a mammography technologist at Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center, noted the lump and flagged further testing. Catheryn was then diagnosed with breast cancer and began a treatment plan.
“I had a lot of faith in my doctor,” Catheryn shares. “Dr. Nicole Nelson,medical director of radiology, was great about answering my questions. Once I had the prognosis, it was caught early and treatment was a great outlook. I wasn’t worried about myself, but I did worry about telling my mom.”
Shortly after talking to her family, Catheryn sought the treatment that made most sense to her. Together, with her care team at St. Rita’s Medical Center, whom she called her “superpower team of women,” Catheryn decided surgery was the best way to battle her cancer.
“Every single person I encountered at St. Rita’s stood out,” Catheryn recalls. “From the person who wheeled me from one room to the next, to the surgery team, to the nurses who came in and took vitals and put the IV in, the check-in folks – every single person was excellent. Everything was so well done at St. Rita’s, down to the little details like the welcome white board sign in my room.”
Without the expert care Stacie Kemper provided during Catheryn’s initial routine mammogram, Catheryn notes that her journey may have been much different.
“I always try to be thorough and caring with all my patients,” Stacie shares. “Thankfully, we perform breast exams on our screening mammogram patients, and I was able to detect the lump on Catheryn. I’m so glad she received excellent treatment from our team at St Rita’s.”
Catheryn also credits Stacie for attentiveness to details and being on her game that day.
“Stacie saved my life,” Catheryn states. “I’m fully recovered and doing great just five months post-surgery. Stacie will always be my angel. She saved me from so much by putting me on the best path I could have been on.”
Now, when she goes to her check-up appointments, Catheryn is reminded of the kindness and care given by the tremendous team at St. Rita’s Medical Center.
“I absolutely love St. Rita’s,” Catheryn says. “I speak highly of St. Rita’s. Every single person I encountered was exceptional. The St. Rita’s staff is like family to me. I will never be able to thank everyone for all they have done for me. I hope each person there knows how much they matter and make a difference in the world – thank you.”
With breast cancer, early diagnosis is key. Learn more about breast cancer as well as the mammogram services we offer at Mercy Health.
