As it turned out, she had two small abnormalities on the left breast and a small area on the right breast that required biopsies. Dr. Maureen Chung, Medical Director of Southcoast Health Breast Care, explained that she suspected breast cancer.

Two days after the biopsy, Deana Wilson, a nurse navigator, called to deliver the news. Meaghan’s left breast had both an invasive ductal carcinoma and a ductal carcinoma in situ, forms of cancer located in a milk duct of the breast. Importantly, the tumors were caught early because Meaghan never missed her annual screening.

Meaghan was concerned, but comfortable with the information she was receiving and the medical professionals she was receiving it from. She felt reassured being treated in Fall River, where she has lived her entire life. What’s more, her mother had previously worked with Deana at Charlton Memorial Hospital.

“They gave me just enough information to know what was going on,” she said. “They didn’t tell me too much or too little, and the appointments happened quickly so I didn’t have any time to overthink.”

By the time Meaghan met with Dr. Chung to discuss the biopsy results, she knew she wanted a double mastectomy, involving the surgical removal of both her breasts, rather than a lumpectomy that would excise only the cancerous tissue.

“I didn’t want to take any chances,” she said.

Dr. Chung readily agreed and moved to schedule the procedure and establish a care plan. Meaghan met with Dr. Susan Kim, a Southcoast medical oncologist, and Dr. Tushar Kumar, Southcoast radiation oncologist, to discuss post-surgical treatment. She would require 12 sessions of chemotherapy, but the mastectomy made radiation unnecessary.

Meaghan is a senior business analyst with the Epic Team at Southcoast Health, and she coincidentally was advising colleagues in the early stages of a program to enable patients to schedule mammograms online through the MyChart patient portal. She also was involved in scheduling and referrals for a scalp cooling cap to protect people receiving chemotherapy from hair loss.

She now saw first-hand how MyChart made her care easier and more efficient. Her test results were available at the same time to all her providers, including the doctors at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where she sought a second opinion that confirmed her treatment plan. Meaghan was also impressed at how smoothly the appointment scheduling went, enabling her to see two different doctors in Fall River during a single visit.

“I wondered why I was getting VIP treatment,” she said. “I almost felt guilty, but it’s not VIP treatment. It’s just the standard of breast care at Southcoast Health.”

On June 25, Meaghan underwent a seven-hour procedure at Charlton Memorial Hospital. Dr. Chung removed her breasts and then Dr. Caroline Plamondon, a plastic surgeon, reconstructed them, implanting expanders that could be filled at the appropriate time.

She is grateful for the skill and compassion of the Southcoast Health clinicians, nurses and technicians who are seeing her through her ongoing care.

But she knows that with the support of her boyfriend, Jared, and her sisters, nephew, nieces and friends, “a year from now, this is going to be just a blip in my life,” she said. Prior to her surgery, Meaghan’s friends repainted her kitchen, and then when she came home from the hospital, she found her family had remodeled her deck so she could sit outside in privacy and comfort.

She looks forward to long walks with her dog, Bastian, resuming her ceramics classes and getting back to the job she loves.

“I have faith in the team of doctors who are caring for me, and that takes a big weight off my shoulders,” she said. “I can focus on healing, taking my meds on time, drinking water and eating protein. I look forward to getting my normal life back, as it was the day before I had my mammogram.”

To learn more about Southcoast Health Breast Care services, treatments and locations, visit Comprehensive Breast Care Center RI & MA | Southcoast Health.