JULIE COWDIN'S STORY
Breast Cancer Survivor Impressed with LMH Treatment
These days, Lawrence resident Julie Cowdin doesn’t worry as much about how clean her house is or whether the laundry is done. She’s more interested in spending time with her child, eating dinner with her husband and shopping with her mother.
“You figure out the things that are really important and the things that aren’t,” Julie said.
A year ago January, Julie was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. The American Cancer Society predicts 40,580 people will die from breast cancer this year in the United States alone. But Julie will not be one of those people. Thanks to extensive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Julie is recovering from the disease.
“It’s been a long year,” Julie said. After her diagnosis, Julie had surgery to put in a port for chemotherapy. After that, she had eight cycles of chemotherapy once every two weeks. During the chemotherapy, physicians diagnosed Julie with being genetically predisposed to have breast cancer.
On her birthday last year, May 24, Julie had a bilateral mastectomy, hysterectomy, TRAM flap reconstruction, port removal and lymph node reconstruction in a nine-hour surgery at LMH. Six weeks later, she had 28 radiation treatments. Two weeks after that, she began oral chemotherapy to safeguard against recurrence.
Thanks to extensive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Julie is recovering from the disease.
The LMH difference
During her chemotherapy, one of Julie’s coworkers brought in an article from the Wall Street Journal that addressed what it referred to “cutting-edge” services. But when Julie read the article, she announced to her friend that she had been receiving such services for three months at LMH.
“It was happening right here in Lawrence,” Julie said. “I was so surprised that people thought this was something that couldn’t be done here, and that I would have to go elsewhere to get more specialized care. I can’t imagine getting more specialized care than what I’ve received here.”
One of the services that impressed Julie most about LMH was the weekly Breast Cancer Tumor Conferences. Every Monday, a comprehensive team of physicians – surgeons, plastic surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists and oncologists – assemble to discuss every new case of diagnosed breast cancer at LMH. “It’s such a group effort,” Julie said. “Where else can you go and have your case heard by 18 doctors at one time? Nowhere I that know of.”
While Julie was undergoing chemotherapy for the breast cancer, she was able to be diagnosed with the genetic mutation, have counseling, and have all the surgery all at the same time. The new LMH Breast Center, which opened in late December, helps coordinate breast care even more.
Dr. Sharon Soule, who is an oncologist at the LMH Oncology Center, is Julie’s physician. “Because everything was done in a timely fashion, she was able to have all of her surgery at once, which decreases her chances of having cancer in the future,” Dr. Soule said. “This is why having coordinated breast care is such a good idea.”
The LMH difference
The American Cancer Society estimates 275,380 new cases of breast cancer will occur this year in the United States among women. In the Lawrence community, only 30 percent of the women who are eligible for mammography screening are taking advantage of the service at LMH.
Today, Julie is alive because she went to LMH for a breast examination. “The advice I would give to women is to learn everything you can about this disease,” Julie said. “The resources are there. There are people who are willing to help. I want to raise awareness among my peers. This isn’t an older person’s disease. You don’t have to be 40 to have this happen to you. You have to be knowledgeable.”
Thinking positive
Dr. Soule said that Julie kept a positive attitude throughout her entire treatment. “I have a lot of respect for Julie and what she’s been through,” Dr. Soule said. Julie was able to work throughout her chemotherapy, only missing days she had active treatment.
Julie credits her physicians for her attitude. “I wasn’t given the choice about whether to be optimistic,” Julie said. “My first physician, Dr. Andersen, said we were going to make it through this, and that was that. The level of confidence the entire team had is what made it possible for me to get through.”
Julie also said that her family supported her through everything. “They were wonderful,” Julie said. “They were there 100 percent: going to the doctor with me, doing research on their own, finding out anything they could find out. My five-year-old daughter even wears a Lance Armstrong bracelet.”
What’s next
Julie smiles when she thinks about what is next for her. “A lot of people ask the
question, ‘what has cancer changed about your life?’ But the real question is, ‘what hasn’t it changed about your life?’” Julie said. “Now I have some freedom to figure out where I’m going to go from here. There are so many things before that I thought were important, and now they are so insignificant. My family is what’s important. I go more out of my way now to let people know that I think about them and care about them. I want to be sure they know that.”
For now, the house and the laundry can wait.
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