Beth Henry

Beth was nominated by her nephew, long time local soccer player, Michael Nagle, and she is a perfect example of the importance of second opinions.

In the fall of 2021, Beth, a nurse herself, went for her routine annual mammogram. As with many women, Beth had previously been told that she has dense breast tissue, which would often lead to further testing, including a 3D mammogram and ultrasound, for her regular visits. In the past she had been told she had a few “spots” that needed to be watched, but there were no blood supplies to them, indicating a low likelihood of cancer.

However, in November a new spot was seen. Initially the radiologist dismissed the spot as nothing suspicious and recommended a recheck in 6 months. Upon follow up with her primary care provider, she was then guided to be checked in 3 months and scheduled a new exam for February 14, 2022.

Beth knew in her gut that something wasn’t quite right. She felt that she could even see the look in the radiology tech’s eyes as she reviewed her scans and could tell something didn’t seem copacetic. While the tech wasn’t able to give Beth a diagnosis herself, Beth was anxious about waiting 3 months before being checked again.

But Beth didn’t have to wait long to find out if something was wrong. The Monday after New Year’s Day, Beth received a call from a different radiologist who had reviewed her chart and told her she absolutely should not wait 3 months for a follow up exam. This new spot had its own blood supply and she needed to come in ASAP. On Wednesday, Beth was back to have a biopsy and new ultrasound. By Friday evening, she was informed that her diagnosis was invasive lobular carcinoma, the second most common type of breast cancer. ILC often doesn’t present with symptoms and is only found on routine screenings like mammograms.

Fortunately for Beth, that same radiology tech who had seemed worried about her initial scan had initiated an internal review of Beth’s chart, which led to the second radiologist contacting Beth for a follow up. Her second screening showed that the spot had not grown, no lymph nodes were involved, and the cancer had not spread to her other breast. Genetic testing was then performed, which confirmed that Beth also would not need to undergo chemo treatments. Her next step was a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction and regular follow up with an oncologist.

Beth’s oldest son gets married at the end of April 2022 and she is eternally grateful to the radiology tech who quite possibly saved her life. In Michael’s words about his aunt:

She would drop everything she is doing to help family and friends.

Beth’s prognosis is excellent and we can’t wait to celebrate her with all of you!