Last Christmas: NJ Breast Cancer Diagnosis Brings Cancer-Free Xmas '23

‘Twas two days before Christmas 2022 when, Wham! A benign cyst removal appointment accelerated into urgent treatment for aggressive breast cancer.

Cathy McQueen, 51, of Asbury Park, N.J., was due in for an appointment with Dr. Roshani Patel at Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) on Friday at 5 p.m., December 23, 2022, to have a benign epidermal inclusion cyst removed from her right breast.

A very common occurrence, to be sure, Dr. Patel was set to perform the quick, routine extraction procedure in the office and send Cathy home to enjoy her holiday.

But the startling revelation came when Cathy also pointed out an odd, and quickly-formed “stretching” dimple on her left breast, that she’d found on a self-check prior to the appointment. Dr. Patel called an audible and performed an ultrasound in the appointment, finding a mass in the breast that had her deeply concerned.

"I knew during the ultrasound that we needed to act immediately," said Dr. Patel, Medical Director of Breast Surgery at JSUMC. "The change that was apparent in the breast tissue in comparison to her imaging and clinical exam six months prior was not only alarming as to potential malignancy, but also as to how fast such malignancy could spread."

Despite the time and circumstances of the holidays, Dr. Patel fast-tracked Cathy’s appointment for a mammogram ultrasound and ultrasound-guided biopsy just days later—in the week preceding New Year’s Eve—at University Radiology, across the street from JSUMC.

Those tests verified Dr. Patel’s intuition that Cathy had developed an aggressive form of breast cancer that needed quick and urgent treatment, with a brave and decisive Cathy ready to roll.

"I could tell right away that Dr. Patel had a sense of urgency, thank God," said Cathy, who mirrored her doctor's energy to understand the gravity of the situation.

Cathy immediately elected to undergo a double-mastectomy, due to a family history of breast cancer. Dr. Patel performed the surgery within a month of the initial discovery.

"If, God forbid, you were ever in this situation, what would you do?" Cathy said about years of discussions and mental preparation with friends about one day facing the scenario that presented itself to her. "It wasn't the first time, or even the tenth time I'd thought about [electing the surgery], so I already knew that'd be the route that I would take."

And through the whirlwind of "sheer terror," Cathy also thanked her husband, Doug, for his immediate and unquestioned support of taking the next steps as quickly as possible to "just get [the cancer] out; just get rid of it."

The years of mental preparation and unconditional love and support of her husband and friends helped Cathy move with the urgency of the situation. It would turn out to be the quickness of the testing, diagnosis, and surgery that prevented such an aggressive strain of cancer from spreading through Cathy’s body.

"I'm proud of Cathy for her being decisive and resolute in fighting her cancer with the aggression it presented to her," said Dr. Patel. "I'm honored to work with a team here at Jersey Shore that truly appreciated the situation's urgency to meet the moment head-on."

After chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Cathy even took a personal tour of her nearest ShopRite supermarket with Dr. Patel for lifestyle tips on holistic and preventive nutrition guidance—as chronicled by writer Jerry Carino of Asbury Park Press—to avoid highly processed foods refined with added sugar and white flour.

"I can't say enough about Dr. Patel and her entire team in making themselves so available to me," said Cathy. "The care that I've received [at JSUMC] has been unbelievable."

Fast-forward to Christmas 2023.

Cathy changed her life from the top down, lost 27 pounds through walking, swimming, and Dr. Patel's nutrition tips, was deemed “cancer-free” in October 2023—just 10 months after her diagnosis—and is thankfully in the throes of this year's holiday season with a clean bill of health.

"As crazy as it sounds, cancer saved my life," said Cathy. "I was on a bad path of not taking care of myself, and I know I have to take care of my body ... It's just my way of life, now. It's how I'm living, and it's who I am."

Free from her scare on the Christmas before, Cathy is ready to ring in a cancer-free 2024.

"I'm so happy, I'm so not stressed, and I have a whole new perspective on life."