​Nurse at Polk benefits from early detection, quick action

ROME, Ga., Sept. 28, 2022 – When a registered nurse at Atrium Health Polk Medical Center discovered a lump in one of her breasts earlier this year, her Polk teammates put their expertise to work for her, helping her to get the answers she needed.

Lori Depew, who works with the Cardiac Rehab program at Polk Medical Center, faithfully schedules a mammogram each October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In 2021, Lori's mammogram showed no concerns, although her screening results always come with an asterisk: Lori has dense breast tissue that can make it difficult to clearly see all of her tissue. With the all-clear from her radiologist, Lori did what she always does. She scheduled an annual mammogram for the following year, while being mindful of her own breast health. That mindfulness is what caused her to discover a lump in one of her breasts one day this past April, it was Monday.

Lori quickly followed up with her primary care physician, Dr. Neil Gordon, who immediately ordered a mammogram. She left Dr. Gordon's office and went straight to the imaging team at Polk Medical Center where she found a staff of caregivers ready to help their friend. Yes, they could schedule a diagnostic mammogram. A radiologist would be on hand to read mammograms if she could schedule one the following day. The team with Lori and her physician to also get an order for a ultrasound should she need it; they scheduled Lori for her appointment the very next day, on Tuesday.

At her appointment, Regina Graham was her mammographer. Lori sensed that Regina saw something troubling.

“They saw something in the mammogram they had not seen in October," Lori said.

A breast ultrasound immediately followed. Cristal Cauthen was her sonographer.

“She was very thorough," Lori said. “She even took an ultrasound of my lymph nodes."

She would need a biopsy, and hers was scheduled for the next day, on Wednesday.

The biopsy revealed that Lori had three tumors, all located in one area of one breast. She learned that she had breast cancer the very next day, on Thursday.

The next day, Lori went to the Breast Center for magnetic resonance imaging and genetic testing. This was important, because Lori is adopted and doesn't know her family's medical history. She later learned that she does not have the BRCA genetic mutation that make many women more susceptible for breast cancer. Her MRI and genetic testing were complete on Friday.

Within five days, Lori went from discovering a lump in her breast tissue to confirming that she had breast cancer and that she did not carry the BRCA genetic mutation, important information to share with her daughter.

Within seven days, Lori was scheduled for a double mastectomy.

Lori's cancer was slow-growing. She now believes the cancer cells already were growing inside her breast tissue when she had her mammogram last October. Her diligence in knowing her own body and the care provided by her teammates in Primary Care, at Polk Medical Center and the Breast Center resulted in her receiving a thorough diagnosis and treatment plan in just seven days' time.

​With breast cancer, early detection is the best protection, and the Atrium Health Floyd Imaging Services team at Polk Medical Center and the Breast Center did everything in their power to help Lori get the immediate care she needed. The Breast Center was designed for this very service, and Atrium Health Floyd is extremely successful in helping our community get the best breast care possible.

Since her diagnosis, Lori has successfully undergone a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Because of the nature of her cancer and the success of her surgery, Lori did not have to have chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Five months have passed since Lori had her diagnostic mammogram after discovering a lump. Lori is back at work caring for her Cardiac Rehab patients at Polk Medical Center, and she credits Regina, Cristal and Alisha for saving her life.

“The radiologist said he didn't know what I was feeling, but the tumors were too deep for me to feel. They were almost at my chest wall," Lori said. “God put all these wonderful people in my life. If it weren't for his grace, where would I be?"

​About Atrium Health Floyd
Since 1942, Floyd, now Atrium Health Floyd, has worked to provide affordable, accessible care in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Today, Atrium Health Floyd is a leading medical provider and economic force. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation's leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. At the hub of these services is Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center, a 304-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center. Atrium Health Floyd employs more than 3,400 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at three hospitals: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia, as well as Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, a freestanding 53-bed behavioral health facility, also in Rome; and a primary care and urgent care network with locations throughout the service area of northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.