Nurse technician Angelia (Angel) Keyes had spent over a decade caring for others at Hillsboro Medical Center, but in 2019 the roles suddenly reversed after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Angel received her breast cancer treatment at Hillsboro Medical Center.
She shares how her care team at Hillsboro Medical Center helped her persevere and beat her battle with breast cancer.
Angel: I’ve worked as a nurse technician at Hillsboro Medical Center since 2007, which means that I’ve essentially worked in all of the different departments. Like an ambulance, I went to wherever there was a need in the hospital.
But in April 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and that’s when life went into a spin mode.
I had my first surgery in 2019 and then another surgery performed by Dr. Brandice Durkan to implant a chemo port. Following that was chemotherapy with Dr. Mark Stone and radiation with Dr. Timur Mitin.
A big part of my recovery process that sticks out in my mind, and a huge thanks, goes to Claire Hara, OTR/L, CLT at Hillsboro Medical Center’s Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Center. All of her helpful therapy sessions assisted me on my road to recovery and with getting back to work.
Since I had worked at Hillsboro Medical Center for 13 years at the time of my diagnosis, it was so nice to be taken care of by all of the people I worked with.
Everyone always greeted me with smiles and was happy to see me. My care team was great and always listened when I had questions or needed medical attention.
Each department I’d worked in gave me a signed card. All of the phone calls and text messages from my colleagues were so comforting too. My coworkers even helped with food and gifts at Christmas time.
I felt so taken care of. Thank you to everyone for your support!
Today, I am cancer-free. Now I work in the Endoscopy Center at Hillsboro Medical Center where we perform cancer screenings with our procedures, so I feel like I’m giving back to the community in a way that is both gratifying and rewarding.
Mary Lucas Koach, Breast Health Services: Mammography remains the single most effective tool in the detection of breast cancer.
Our team of medical specialists at Hillsboro Medical Center uses advanced sophisticated and diagnostic tools for early detection of a lump, tumor and other breast problems. We encourage all women over the age of 40 to come visit us for their annual mammogram.
Learn more about our Breast Health Center services »
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