Even though she didn’t feel like it, Dot Efferson forced herself to go in for her mammogram.
It may well have saved her life.
In June, the 79-year-old Baton Rouge resident decided that she’d put off her routine breast exam long enough. “After facing other major health challenges, I was tired and had decided I’d just quit going,” Dot said. “I hadn’t had one in four-and-a-half years.
When she eventually made it in, doctors detected an abnormality. Dot wasn’t initially surprised, assuming it was related to a previous accident she’d suffered, but she was shocked when a subsequent biopsy revealed the cause to be cancer.
“It turned out to be stage 1A breast cancer,” she said. “I was called about it on June 15 and went into surgery on July 7.”
Stage 1A breast cancer is the cancer in a very early form, with an excellent prognosis if caught and treated early. However, as with her initial reluctance to go in for her mammogram, Dot said she initially “didn’t want” to go through surgery and radiation treatment, prescribed by her Mary Bird Perkins oncologists.
However, wise words from a concerned neighbor, and pressure from her son, convinced her otherwise.
“My son is based in Switzerland, and he wasn’t happy about my not wanting to get the treatments,” she said. “He said, ‘it’s not stage 3 or 4 or anything,’ so I changed my mind.”
Dot was attended to by Mary Bird Perkins radiation oncologist Dr. Divyang Mehta and medical oncologist Dr. William Varnado, while the surgery to remove the tumor performed by Baton Rouge General surgeon Dr. Everett Bonner at Baton Rouge General’s Bluebonnet location on Picardy Ave.
The location was perfect for Dot – only a hop, skip and a jump from her house, meaning minimal travel time and distance throughout her treatment process, which included three weeks of post-surgery radiation therapy. Mary Bird Perkins and Baton Rouge General have partnered since 2022 to bring their combined expertise to cancer patients throughout the region.
Dot’s last treatment was on September 15 –where she rang the bell, to a round of cheers, at the Baton Rouge General Bluebonnet location – and she is now in recovery. As someone with previous experience in hospital settings, she said her care had been “second to none.”
“I’ve had a lot of doctors throughout my life,” she said. “And I can say, unquestionably, that the people at Mary Bird Perkins and Baton Rouge General – the surgeons, doctors, everyone involved – are the best you can find anywhere. They’re the most compassionate people.
“Getting mammograms and following through with treatment is very, very important.”