Breast Cancer Survivor Kimber McCool: Early detection is lifesaving when it comes to breast cancer
10/17/2023
JOHNSON, Ark. (Oct. 17, 2023) – It wasn’t uncommon for Kimber McCool to receive a callback after her yearly mammogram. Like many women, she has dense breast tissue which can make it more difficult for radiologists to spot abnormalities on a screening mammogram.
“That day I had a sense of peace when I’m normally anxious,” McCool said.
After her mammogram she learned an ultrasound was needed. Once it was finished, Dr. Michael Flick, radiologist at Radiology Associates, P.A. (RAPA), let her know they needed to do a biopsy. McCool agreed and got dressed thinking she would be scheduling the procedure for another day. That’s when Northwest Breast Imaging Center Supervisor Lisa Nims stated they could do the biopsy right away because the doctor had an opening.
She had the traditional biopsy done where the patient lies face down on a table with special holes in it to perform the procedure. Then technologists compress the breast to pinpoint the biopsy location and tissue samples are collected.
“The staff there are like family – so gentle, and they explained everything well as they went along,” she said. “The only thing is, you have to turn your neck in a certain way and it’s not comfortable.”
On her 64th birthday, the day after her biopsy, Dr. Flick called McCool but she was busy and didn’t answer. He called again the next day – on a Saturday – the morning of her granddaughter’s birthday.
“I called back and he said they found something and it was Stage 1 HER2 positive breast cancer,” she said.
Because it was her granddaughter’s birthday, McCool was surrounded by her family including her husband, Mitchell, her six kids, 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. One of her daughters, a son and a daughter-in-law are registered nurses and they immediately started researching.
“My late husband died of cancer, so I’ve been on the cancer block before,” McCool said. “When I got diagnosed on Feb. 6, 2021, I knew I had to get my body ready for what it was about to go through.”
After the biopsy, her first order of business was to see a surgeon and follow up on what to do next which included an MRI. Nims and the team at Northwest Breast Imaging Center at Willow Creek recommended the breast cancer gene test, or BRCA. The results of the BRCA test would determine McCool’s treatment. Fortunately, the test was negative – but the MRI yielded something suspicious in her left breast.
Dr. John Meadors, interventional radiologist at RAPA, performed the biopsy along with a team of nurses who treated McCool like family providing support and encouragement throughout the procedure. After the biopsy, McCool’s next step included a lumpectomy and four weeks of radiation followed by treatment with an anticancer drug.
But her journey wasn’t over there. At her six month mammogram something was spotted in her breast. Then six months later, around January 2023, Dr. Meadors told McCool she’d need another biopsy. This time her husband joined her and she was able to utilize the new upright breast biopsy technology at the breast imaging center. Thankfully, it was just a calcification.
McCool said the new technology is comfortable, especially for people who can’t move around much or who might struggle getting on and off of the table.
“It was a whole different experience,” McCool said. “I’m in there with the new equipment and I sit in the chair and they roll me over to the machine. It was quick, it was easy, it was painless. It was more like getting a mammogram. I was like, ‘OK, that’s it?’”
For McCool, yearly mammograms are essential, “With me, it’s a no brainer. As women, and with cancer being the epidemic it is, if you want to live to be 100 and see your grandchildren and great-grandchildren you need to do everything possible to be sure you stay healthy.”
She also advises others to “make sure it’s a 3D mammogram. I read 3D is better for people with dense breasts and most places have it. And wherever you go, make sure you get the latest technology because my cancer shouldn’t have been found. ”
Being proactive about her health has been beneficial for McCool as she incorporated a healthy diet and exercise into her daily life and sought strength from her faith before and after her battle with cancer.
“What I eat is important and how it will affect my body and my health,” she said. “What’s good about exercise is when you’re going through cancer, everything is going through your head and you need to get outside, listen to music, do something and not immerse yourself in the details of the diagnosis. Focus on the positive and spend time with friends and family not the doom and gloom. You can change your attitude and your environment so you’re healthier mentally and not dwelling on what-ifs.”
And while callbacks can be scary, McCool offers some insight from her own experiences.
“When this last callback happened, because it was more concerning to me, I looked at the statistics – it’s amazing how many callbacks are not cancer,” she said. “The statistics show that it probably won’t be positive. If it is – that’s not bad, it’s good because you caught it early. It’s not a life sentence. For me it’s not been a problem, and they treated it at the earliest stages. Information is lifesaving and early detection makes cancer less scary because you can deal with it, and it’s what saves lives.”
To learn more about mammograms or breast care at Northwest Health, visit https://www.northwesthealth.com/mammography-diagnostic-imaging.
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