“It brought everything to light for me”: Covington Breast Cancer Specialist Program patient tells her story

With the launch of Mary Bird Perkins’ new Breast Cancer Specialist Program in Covington, the Cancer Center is once again bringing the best possible care to its patients, close to home.

The comprehensive program is something of a one-stop-shop. Offering state-of-the-art imaging, advanced breast cancer surgeries, pre-operative education, radiation therapy, medical oncology and comprehensive follow-up care, it has everything patients need in close proximity.

No more traveling to Baton Rouge or even, as could be the case, as far afield as Houston. That’s good news for patients based in and around the Northshore area like Amina Gillard. The Covington local began her breast cancer treatment with Mary Bird Perkins earlier this year, and she’s since been blown away by the standard of care provided by the program’s experienced doctors.

“There are so many good people there,” she said. “The treatment I’m getting is just super, and everyone’s treating me so kindly, so nicely.”

Sadly, Amina already some experience of what it was like to go through breast cancer treatment. Her sister recently passed away from the disease, with the experience prompting Amina to examine her own health more closely.

“It brought everything to light for me,” she said. “The cancer eventually went to her bones. It scared me. I thought, ‘I don’t want that’.”

Though she’d had a mammogram several years ago, which had revealed calcification, a more recent checkup showed cancer in both breasts. After learning the news, her primary care doctor recommended Dr. Vera Hendrix to carry out the necessary surgery.

After talking to Dr. Hendrix, any initial fears she may have felt were soon calmed. The surgery went off without a hitch.

“She was so thorough, so precise,” she said. “I felt pretty much nothing, there was very, very little pain. Dr. Hendrix said to me, ‘you’ll be able to go out to dinner afterward if you want to,’” and she was right.”

A recent checkup revealed she was in the clear, with no sign of any remaining cancer. Over the next few weeks she’ll be undergoing a bit of preventative radiation therapy part of the Breast Cancer Specialist Program – just to make sure she’s in the best possible health going forward.

“Really, they’ve all been so marvelous to me,” Amina said. “They treat you like family, making you feel like one of their long-lost friends, and they also do a terrific job.”

For Dr. Hendrix, the program marks an important step in patient care.

“A comprehensive breast program is an integral part of any breast cancer care,” she said. “It affords the patient a succinct and thorough experience, where they can have a multidisciplinary team at their fingertips to coordinate their treatment. With our group of highly-trained specialists and other healthcare professionals, we’re dedicated to seamlessly prioritizing personalized treatment plans in a collaborative atmosphere.”