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Patient and Physicians Take Quick Action to Conquer Cancer
After a routine mammogram last
November, Nancy Zawicki of Lake
Como learned she had a spot in
her right breast that needed additional
investigating. Nancy, an active grandmother
of seven who enjoys reading spy novels,
taking walks on the boardwalk, and
volunteering at the State Health Insurance
Program (SHIP) with the Monmouth
County Office on Aging, was not going to
let this diagnosis slow her down.
"The news was alarming, as I had a
benign cyst on my left breast several
years ago," explains Nancy. "I didn’t
want to waste any time so I had a needle
biopsy done right away." The biopsy
results determined that Nancy’s cyst was
malignant and she knew exactly whom
she wanted remove it: Cynthia Kocsis,
M.D., a surgeon at Jersey Shore University
Medical Center.
Dr. Kocsis was more than happy to
oblige. "The Zawicki family have been
patients of mine for years," adds Dr.
Kocsis. "It is a comfort for a family to have
someone to rely on, someone you trust
when you are faced with a medical issue
and I am honored that the Zawicki family
has that confidence in me."
"Our hope is to conserve the breast,
when possible. So the sooner the cancer
is detected, the better chance we have for
survival," says Dr. Kocsis. "Early detection
also increases the patient’s odds of a full
recovery." In Nancy’s case, the cancer was
detected early and Dr. Kocsis was able to
perform a lumpectomy instead.
After recovering from the lumpectomy,
Nancy turned to Jonathan Briggs, M.D.,
director of Radiation Oncology at Jersey
Shore, for the next step of recovery. "I did not waste any
time starting my radiation,"
explains Nancy. "I
wanted that cancer out."
Quick and efficient,
but compassionate, is
how Nancy describes
her radiation treatments
at Jersey Shore University
Medical Center.
"Dr. Briggs and the staff
at Jersey Shore were so
pleasant," remembers
Nancy. "Dr. Briggs is an
exceptional doctor who
really cares about his
patients, and the staff is
there to help you in any
way that they can."
"We perform a 3-D
planning session with
each patient to map
the areas we are going
to treat," explains
Dr. Briggs. "This allows
us to pinpoint exactly
what areas of the body
will be affected by the
radiation and protect the
areas that should not."
In Nancy’s case, she
received 33 treatments, each lasting five minutes.
"I was literally in and out of the hospital
in 15 minutes for my daily treatments and
back at my desk working the next morning,"
says Nancy. Throughout the process, Nancy
says her goal was to get in, get out, and
get on with her life. "With the help of my
amazing physicians and the team at Jersey
Shore’s Radiation Department, I was able to
do just that."
 – Jamie Ferlanti
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Keep Your breast health in check. Each of Meridian’s hospitals offers comprehensive breast health care,
including education and programs for high-risk women, mammography, diagnosis, treatment, and counseling.
Call the Meridian Health Line at 1-800-560-9990 for a physician referral.
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