Breast Cancer—
When a diagnosis changes everything.

One day early last year, 44-year-old Tula was looking forward to a day with only two commitments: kindergarten registration for her son and a routine mammogram for herself. “I expected nothing,” she remembers. “ Then BOOM! They told me I had cancer.”

Tula was absolutely stunned. “ I started going from appointment to appointment. Doctor to doctor. Treatment to treatment – lumpectomies, chemotherapy, mastectomy,” says Tula. “I felt that I was on a ride, with no time to process. All I knew was that this was a battle I had to win.”

Six weeks after her diagnosis, Tula was referred to Dr. Sheila Lemke, an oncologist at University Hospital, where cancer care ranks within the top six percent in the nation, according to the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.

“ I’m so glad Dr. Lemke is my doctor,” says Tula. “The diagnosis really hit me only after the chemotherapy and surgeries were over. Dr. Lemke assures me that this ‘aftershock’ is common. She always has time to discuss my fears. There is such warmth to her.” Today, with treatments behind her, Tula sees Dr. Lemke every three months.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lemke and her colleagues are working to streamline the unsettling process of cancer diagnosis and treatment planning. In one afternoon, and in one location, patients can now consult with an entire team of specialists, including a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, breast surgeon, genetic counselor and a coordinator. “

"At University Hospital, cancer care ranks within the top six percent of cancer programs in the nation."