CHI Franciscan

SHE THOUGHT THE sudden and burning pain she felt may have been a ruptured muscle. The pain ultimately went away, but after some encouragement from her husband, Mike, she went to get a mammogram, even though she'd had a normal one just eight months before. The mammogram came back clean, and Kathy's primary care physician encouraged her to do an ultrasound as well. The ultrasound revealed a 1.7 cm tumor near the surface of her skin. Kathy describes the tumor as "black and ugly, with arms and legs. It looked evil, the way you would think cancer looks." Kathy is no stranger to this condition, having lost both her mom and grandmother to breast cancer. She had been actively involved with Komen Puget Sound: racing, walking, serving on their board of directors and as board president — doing anything she could to help end this disease. Now, faced with her own diagnosis, Kathy had to do everything in her power to put breast cancer behind her. A long- time member of the health care field, Kathy knew what she needed in a care team and selected a number of CHI Franciscan providers for her treatment. Kathy opted for a bilateral, or double, mastectomy, despite being a candidate for less extensive surgery. The biopsy showed her tumor to be triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), and the final post-op pathology report revealed that three more tumors had gone undetected. TNBC is difficult to treat because of what it lacks: estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR) and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2). These three types of receptors drive the majority of breast cancers and, as a result, established therapies that target these receptors are ineffective against TNBC. After her double mastectomy, Kathy immediately transferred to CHI Franciscan Health's St. Joseph Medical Center and began hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a medical treatment that allows a person to breathe 100 percent oxygen while in a pressurized chamber. This treatment was recommended to heal a lack of circulation that occurred under her right breast. Thanks to this intensive treatment, the circulation to her right breast returned. Following hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Kathy began a 22-week course of chemotherapy followed by six weeks of radiation therapy, both at CHI Franciscan Health's St. Francis Hospital. This experience has been a roller-coaster ride for Kathy, both terrifying and rewarding. She has received so many blessings along the way, learning a great deal about herself and others who have faced similar obstacles. "It's way easier to be the person with cancer than be the person who loves the person with cancer," Kathy said. She believes that healthy living, daily exercise which includes hot yoga almost every day, being surrounded by love and a positive attitude are significant components of her wellness journey. The thought that it might be breast cancer never crossed Kathy's mind when she felt an excruciating pain in her right breast in November 2015. Kathy spent nearly three decades working as a nurse and then hospital president at St. Clare Hospital. She had just accepted a promotion with CHI Health, part of the national health organization Catholic Health Initiatives, and was planning a move to Omaha, Nebraska. KATHY BRESSLER'S CHI FRANCISCAN CARE TEAM • Carolina Salcedo-Wasicek, MD General and breast surgery • Todd Willcox, MD Plastic and reconstructive surgery • Saif Kasubhai, MD Medical oncology • Krystal Morales, RN Radiation oncology • Rose Bell, PhD, ARNP-c, OCN Medical oncology • Patricia Wolfrom, RN, EAMP Integrative oncology • Janis Fegley, DO Family medicine • Paul Mitsuyama, MD Radiation oncology Not affiliated with CHI Franciscan: • Laura James, ND, FABNO Naturopathic oncology SHE THOUGHT THE been a ruptured muscle. The pain ultimately went away, but after some encouragement from her husband, Mike, she went to get a mammogram, even though she'd had a normal one just eight months before. The mammogram came back clean, and Kathy's primary care physician encouraged her to do an ultrasound as well. The ultrasound revealed a 1.7 cm tumor near the surface of her skin. Kathy describes the tumor as "black and ugly, with arms and legs. It looked evil, the way you would think cancer looks." Kathy is no stranger to this condition, having lost both her mom and grandmother to breast cancer. She had been actively involved with Komen Puget Sound: racing, walking, serving on their board of directors and as board president everything in her power to put breast cancer behind her. A long- time member of the health care field, Kathy knew what she needed in a care team and selected a number of CHI Franciscan providers for her treatment. Kathy opted for a bilateral, or double, mastectomy, despite being a candidate for less Taking on Triple Negative est Ccer: Kathy Bressler's Story Mike and Kathy Bressler time member of the health care field, Kathy knew what she needed in a care time member of the health care field, Kathy knew what she needed in a care allows a person to breathe 100 percent oxygen while in a pressurized chamber. This treatment Kathy Bressler holding her granddaughter chifranciscan.org /// CHI FRANCISCAN HEALTH 3

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