Judy Hess was one of the first faces you would see when you walked into the cancer center
but in 2018 she suddenly found herself going from employee to patient. A picture
is worth a thousand words and in Judy Hess's case a thousand pre-cancer memories. Like this one
of a family vacation in August, 2018, just days later... >> I was going about my normal business
and looked down and discovered that the nipple on my left breast was turning in
and it scared me, So, I called my family doctor and she saw me immediately sent me for a
mammogram. >>Judy knew the process well as a front desk employee at Penn State Health St. Joseph
Cancer Center. She had prepared countless other women for what comes next. >>It's a very unique
process for breast cancer as opposed to even other cancers because it's so personal and there's so
much emotion tied to it. So, it's nice to be able to spend the time and go through and find what's
right for these patients. >>Things happen very very quickly. I met with Dr. Abboud the surgeon
and clarified what type of surgery we were going to do and I opted for the double mastectomy.
>>During surgery, doctors found previously undetected cancer in her right breast.
>>I was shocked. I mean, we thought it was contained only in the left breast
and after the surgery he said that I was good that I opted for that because there were some
markers or cancerous spots in the right breast. And I knew, down deep that I had
made the right decision because I didn't want to have to deal a few years down the road
have to deal with another mastectomy. So, I was convinced that that was the right thing for me.
>>So, Judy was a little different. So, Judy had a more advanced breast cancer
and she opted for a mastectomy and the general thought process is a lot of times that if you
get a mastectomy all the cancer is gone and you don't need radiation therapy afterwards.
But based on Judy's cancer characteristics, based on the size and based on you know, the way
it actually involved her breasts and surrounding tissues and lymph nodes, she was a candidate based
on national guidelines for radiation therapy as well. So, she had chemotherapy after her surgery
and then she had radiation therapy to her chest wall which is basically, you know, the breast
is not there anymore but we're still treating the area where it has moisture chance of coming back.
And also, the lymph nodes which include the lymph nodes under the arm and the lymph nodes and the
neck region over here. >>Through the mastectomy, they had gotten all the cancer. So, I was
cancer-free, thank God. And with that, that dictated type of chemo I was to have, So, this
was all precautionary going in to chemo. You know, just be safe. >>Treatment meant a role reversal
for Judy. She was now a patient where she'd spent years working. >>The nurses that work with
the doctors are again just the sweetest kindest caring people. I think that in that environment,
the people that work there are really special people, they have the biggest hearts and so
caring and will give open their arms to you and give you anything that they can do to help you.
>>Judy is now retired but only took one week off before returning to the cancer center. This time
as a volunteer in the infusion center. >>You know just her presence, just her being able to make her
colleagues you know in the workplace aware of the importance of self-examined mammograms but
also keeping a positive attitude to the whole thing. You know having gone through an advanced
cancer that needed not just surgery, not just chemotherapy but also radiation therapy and the
whole, you know, whole slew of treatments she's maintained a positive attitude throughout that.
She has been able to bring that positive attitude to work and now as a volunteer and also you know
working per diem in the front desk. I think she just brings a different perspective to her role
as much she's doing but also to her colleagues and I think she serves an inspiration to all of
us because she does you know what she does with such a big smile on her face. >>Everyone in the
office had been so kind and caring for me i wanted to give back and i thought I could volunteer and
give help in any way I could. >> Judy remains cancer free but she will continue to get scans.
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