Going in for a routine mammogram is part of good preventative care; it’s a part of life, to help sustain life. On Nov. 9, 2005, Judy Rieck was like many women age 57 going in for her yearly exam. She hadn’t really considered herself as a candidate for the disease, as no one in her family had ever had breast cancer and she had no major risk factors. But that day Judy was given an ultrasound when something didn’t look quite right on her mammogram. A radiologist then ordered a biopsy during the same visit. It was then that Judy had a feeling the news might not be good.
As soon as the results of the biopsy came in two days later Judy received a call at work. “I remember it quite well,” Judy said. “I’ve worked for the same attorney for 14 years so we’ve become close friends. When the call came with the diagnosis of breast cancer, she hugged me and I cried.” Recalling the experiencing of sharing the news with her husband, her 32 year-old daughter and 31 year-old son still stirs emotions for Judy. “I think human nature makes you think the worst when you're told you have the "C" word, but having a strong support system helps get you through,” she says.
Treatment began quickly for Judy. With her husband scheduled to have total knee replacement surgery, the St. Francis Cancer Center worked with the Rieck’s to schedule a time that would be best for their family. “They were so compassionate and caring with everything we had going on,” she says. At the end of November, Dr. Jill Jillsrud performed a successful surgery and removed two cancer-free lymph nodes, luckily. After surgery, Judy’s oncologist, Dr. Joseph Leach, recommended Judy have an OncoPlanTM test which helps identify breast cancer patients who will likely benefit from chemotherapy by predicting the aggressiveness of a patient's tumor and the relative risk of the disease recurring following surgery. Based on test results, Dr. Leach recommended Judy have both radiation and chemotherapy. “I’m very thankful that Dr. Leach recommended this test. It showed I needed chemo and I’m not sure I was going in that direction.”
Judy kept working during her chemotherapy treatments. “I didn’t want to stay home and feel sorry for myself,” she recalls. Although it was an emotional, nauseas-filled and exhausting time for Judy, her family’s support, a deep faith, along with her extended church family’s cards, hugs and well-wishes made all of the difference. Not to mention her husband’s gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and the nightly notes he left on her pillow. When Judy’s hair started to fall out, her family had a hair-shaving party, where they all donned nylon caps and ate cake proclaiming, “I’m too sexy for my hair.”
Judy offers high praise for Dr. Leach and the staff at St. Francis, saying, “Dr. Leach is a wonderful and understanding man. He would always spend as much time as you need with him, answering every question you had, no matter how many times you had asked it before.” During her 33 days of radiation, the encouragement of the nurses, their smiles and unwavering support was a constant for Judy. A resident of Shakopee, she is also thankful that the Cancer Center is located so close to home, which eliminated a long-distance drive for treatment before heading to work.