Going the extra mile leaves patient forever grateful

When you’re facing cancer, a random act of kindness from anyone can feel like you’ve won the lottery. But when the act comes straight from your doctor during the holidays, it’s even more powerful.

In October 2022, Suzanne Ruch had a tumor in her breast removed, which conclusively determined she had invasive carcinoma. The married mom, who became a grandmother that same fall, also made plans to have lymph nodes removed. But after the unexpected retirement of her physician, she needed a new doctor. In stepped Dr. Mindy Bowie, a fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist and one of greater Baton Rouge’s most well-respected breast surgeons. Dr. Bowie recently joined the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center team.

“I felt so fortunate to get in with Dr. Bowie,” Suzanne recalled.

With just one week’s notice in late November, Dr. Bowie proceeded with the removal of Suzanne’s lymph nodes and the installation of a chemotherapy port. The surgery was precise and successful and, to this day, Suzanne marvels at how tiny the scar is. But throughout the Thanksgiving holiday, Suzanne recalls that something didn’t feel right.

“On Thanksgiving Day, that area under my arm was filling up, and then it got to be the size of a golf ball,” she said. “It started to look red and purple, and I thought, ‘oh, God, it’s Thanksgiving night. I really don’t want to have to call Dr. Bowie. But I did.”

Suzanne says Dr. Bowie answered immediately. She called out a prescription for Suzanne and made plans to meet her the next morning to drain the wound.

“I said, ‘I’m sure you have plans, it’s the holidays,'” Suzanne said. “And she said, ‘just meet me there.'”

The two met at Dr. Bowie’s office, where Dr. Bowie drained and treated the wound, heading off what could have been a serious infection.

“I apologized again for interrupting her holiday and she told me, ‘my number one concern will always be my patients, and knowing you had this brewing we needed to be on top of it. I’m not going to send you to an ER somewhere to have it drained. It’s my responsibility to do that,'” Suzanne said.

Years earlier, Suzanne had attended a talk Dr. Bowie had given at her church about breast cancer prevention. It was a topic Suzanne took seriously. Her sister died at age 43 of the same type of breast cancer she has now.

Indeed, Dr. Bowie is known for her commitment to early breast cancer detection and innovative treatment techniques. Her specialties include Hidden Scar breast surgery, nipple-sparing mastectomies, breast biopsies and oncoplastic breast surgery. 

While Dr. Bowie has a well-established reputation for providing her patients with exceptional care, it’s her humanity that Suzanne will always remember.

“That just spoke volumes to me about her character,” Suzanne said. “It gave me such peace of mind.”