Cancer Center Taking The Wait Out Of Treatment
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes. That's a fact reported by the American Cancer Society. But women who've tested postive say there's another fact no one talks about. It often takes weeks before their treatment begins. A new cancer treatment center in North Texas hopes to reduce that wait and the anxiety that goes with it.
Linda Bunch has had breast cancer before. She understands the time it takes for her chemotherapy treatments. She doesn't understand why it takes so long for a diagnosis and treatment plan. "It's scary. You want to know what's wrong and you want to know the extent," Bunch said.
Now, Careity Breast Care Center, with its western decor at Huguely Hospital, has a remedy for the wait. Once a patient is diagnosed with a malignancy, the goal is to have them see all their doctors within two or three days.
"You're sitting there with three physicians: surgeon, oncologist, radiologist," Beverly Branch explained. Branch is the Vice President of the Careity Foundation, the foundation that raised the money for the center. One of the team doctors is Dr. Shadan Mansoor. She said, "Once the doctors consult, they can all talk and the patient will have everybody at the same table."
"And they have the chance to sit there and ask questions of their doctors. their family can be there too," said Dorothy Head. Head is Careity Breast Care Center's Patient Navigator. That's the person who helps breast cancer patients navigate their care.
What Careity Breast Care Center is doing has never been done before. Careity Foundation President, Lynn Walsh, said, "Careity Foundation loves to explore and be outside of the box."
That's partly because of the decor. Walsh and Branch designed it themselves with a western motiff. Branch said, "It's more like home. That's what you want to give that feeling of home and it is western. It is kind of a traditional western look and that's what we love about it."
Branch joked that the doctors were nervous about their choice of colors. "The paint colors were warm and they said are you sure this is the color? It's like yeah, my house is this color so we know it's going to be okay," Branch said with a chuckle.
Walsh said, "Women get to come in here and be in a different world. It's like being in a spa." The staff also includes oncology massage therapist, Lesley Hunt. Hunt started massaging Linda Branch's feet and said, "A lot of anxiety sitting in that chair, isn't it?" Branch acknowledged her anxiety which melted away with the massage. "This feels good, very good," Branch told her.
Careity Breast Care Center also has a special room for women who've lost their hair. It's run by Dorothy Head an eleven year breast cancer survivor. "I love doing this because I know how important it is to women," Head said.
Careity Breast Care Center is something that's been needed for a long time and it's finally here. The center will begin seeing patients next week.
