Sally Johnson was looking forward to smooth sailing through 2023. After she and her husband moved into a newly built home in Dana Point, she was ready to nest and relax. However, as we know, life doesn’t always go as planned.
“I have a history of cancer on both sides of my family,” said Sally. “My doctor strongly recommended that I have breast MRIs annually, in addition to 3D mammograms.”
In January, from her MRI, a MemorialCare Breast Center radiologist suspected early-stage breast cancer, confirmed through a biopsy.
Sally shared her story at the annual member luncheon of Beauty In Grace, our women’s giving circle, back in March.
The event featured a guest panel that included Sally, Saddleback Medical Center CEO Marcia Manker, breast radiologist Samantha Kubaska, M.D., and Medical Director of Breast Surgical Oncology Amy Bremner, M.D.
This year Beauty In Grace raised more than $110,000 for breast MRI technology at the Sarah & Taylor Nederlander Breast Center in the new Women’s Health Pavilion.
“MRIs help us detect and plan treatment by showing us the size of a tumor and accurate location,”
said Dr. Bremner. “They can also be helpful in diagnosing breast cancer through MRI-guided biopsy.”
Dr. Kubaska stressed the importance of having breast images read by a dedicated breast radiologist.
“For the past 20 years, I’ve only read breast images,” said Dr. Kubaska. “At our Breast Center, we only have fellowship-trained breast radiologists reading breast images, and we have the experience to detect cancer at the earliest stages.”
Sally underwent surgery a few weeks after her diagnosis, and recently finished radiation treatments. Today she is looking forward to planning weddings for her two daughters.