When Melrose resident Samantha (Sam) Hammar went for her annual mammogram back in February, she wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. Her first cousin had been diagnosed with breast cancer almost a decade earlier and Sam had undergone genetic testing to find that she was BRCA negative, meaning that no genetic condition or mutation was identified. The 47-year old had been extremely busy with a full-time job, raising her twelve-year old twins with her husband and mother and staying civically active in Melrose. In fact she had even entertained thoughts of putting off the mammogram appointment until a less frenetic time.
Following her mammogram she wasn’t concerned when she received a call to come back for some more detailed imaging. “Women get called back all the time for any number of reasons,” she thought. “This didn’t seem like a big deal at the time.”
But it was during her follow-up ultrasound that she heard a sound that she will remember. “I heard clicking from the keyboard the tech was using,” she remembers. “I realized that she was measuring something on my images, and then I got a tremendous sinking feeling.” It turned out the tech was, in fact, measuring a mass in Sam’s breast.
Following a biopsy at the MelroseWakefield Hospital Breast Center in Stoneham, Sam’s worst fears were realized – she had breast cancer.
“The staff at the breast center were so wonderful,” she said. “Each encounter I had, from the front desk staff, to the radiologist who read my results, to the imagining techs to the social workers – they were all so impressive and compassionate.”
Sam’s primary care doctor connected her with breast surgeon Dr. Salvatore Nardello. “Dr. Nardello is amazing,” Sam said. “He is so knowledgeable and personable. He immediately put me at ease and I trusted him with my life.”
Oncoplastic surgery
Dr. Nardello presented Sam with an alternative to a mastectomy or lumpectomy called oncoplastic surgery, an innovative approach of marrying the removal of cancer and breast reconstruction in just one surgery.
Oncoplastic breast surgery combines the benefits of traditional cancer removal and plastic surgery. The surgeon takes out the tumor with a large lumpectomy, and then does a cosmetic breast lift or reduction to fill in the void. Finally, the doctor performs a similar procedure on the other breast, leaving natural-looking symmetry.
“When you’re told that you have cancer, your first instinct is not to care what you have to do, you just want to live,” said Dr. Nardello. “I tell patients, you may not care what you look like now, but a year down the road, you will.”
The team of Tufts Medicine breast and cosmetic surgeons, including Dr. Nardello, Dr. Abhishek Chatterjee and Dr. Sarah Persing, are known as national and international leaders in the field of oncoplastic surgery, publishing, teaching and presenting on the technique around the globe.
Sam made the decision to have her oncoplastic surgery at MelroseWakefield Hospital.
“The metro-Boston area boasts that we have the best medical care in the world, and I was proud to have had my surgery at MelroseWakefield Hospital, where I received the best clinical care in the most personalized and compassionate setting.”
Sharing her story
During this time Sam relied heavily on the people in her life who had shared their own stories of diagnosis and recovery – her cousin, her own primary care doctor and many others in her social and professional circles. “I benefitted from hearing their stories and that left me better prepared to face each step. That’s why I decided to share my own journey in the best way I knew how.”
Through her Facebook and Instagram accounts, she decided to document key steps and milestones along her journey and try to spread the message to her family, friends and followers that annual testing and mammograms are the best way to detect breast cancer.
“The responses I received on those posts from other friends and survivors really grounded me in my healing. I also wanted people who I know, love and care about to understand that they are not too busy to get their annual mammograms and this is something that they need to get done.”
Following surgery in May, Sam is back to her busy lifestyle. She remains active in many local causes, but a new one will now remain close to her heart.
“I make it a point now to urge people to keep with their regular medical appointments and tests. Please just go. Get your mammogram. Get it done. Early detection makes all the difference and can save lives. I was extremely fortunate that I caught mine early enough.”
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