NO TIME TO SPARE
PIH Health Nurse Navigator Helps Breast Cancer Patient Jump-Start Aggressive Treatment Plan
When 58-year-old Mary Torres’ routine mammogram showed something suspicious, she was shocked and concerned. She needed to take quick action but didn’t know where to start. Thankfully, Mary had access to a PIH Health nurse navigator—a specialized health care professional who helps patients navigate complex and often confusing diagnoses, treatment plans, and recoveries. Within two weeks, Mary’s nurse navigator had already coordinated her biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Once breast cancer was confirmed, the nurse navigator quickly scheduled Mary’s genetic testing and an initial appointment with Lisa Wang MD, PIH Health hematologist/oncologist. This speedy coordination was exactly what Mary needed.
“We discovered that Mary had triple-negative breast cancer, a highly aggressive cancer that can only be treated with chemotherapy,” said Dr. Wang. “This was a complicated case and we had to act quickly and strategically. We immediately put her on a complex regimen—immunotherapy combined with a six-month course of chemotherapy. Our plan was to shrink the tumor before we removed it surgically.” With the nurse navigator’s proactive work, all of Mary’s treatments started within six weeks of diagnosis—offering Mary great relief and peace of mind.
Six months later, Mary had a mastectomy and the cancer had disappeared with this combination therapy. She is now completing her maintenance course of immunotherapy for the next six months. The nurse navigator helped schedule every surgery, consultation and follow-up appointment along the way.
“I love the fact that PIH Health has nurse navigators,” said Mary. “I was blown away by how fast they were able to move me through the process. They took care of scheduling all of my appointments— I didn’t have to figure out who to call and what to do.”
Today, Mary is on her journey to recovery and feeling great. She’s back to enjoying life with her husband, a retired fire-fighter, and her family. “From the doctors to all the nurses, I never had one bad experience with PIH Health,” she said. “I tell everyone how amazing it is.”
Schedule your mammogram today at PIHHealth.org/Mammogram or call 562.906.5692
