Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Magdalena Romanska, a Sedona resident and realtor with Russ Lyon Sotheby’s, was in her kitchen cleaning the counters when she got a call that would change her life forever. Her doctor called to confirm that she had breast cancer. “It splits your life in two: before and after,” she tells us. At 52, she was diagnosed with stage 0 breast carcinoma in situ. The cancer was in her milk duct. She had gone in for a routine mammogram in October of 2022 (she estimates she started at age 40, the current recommended age when women should first start getting screened for breast cancer) in Sedona and got a call back saying she needed to come in for a follow-up mammogram and ultrasound. Originally, she was slated to return in December, but she insisted her appointment be moved up earlier. “I used to have a translation company specializing in medical translations so I knew that was not acceptable because time is of the essence,” she says. In total, she thinks she had seven mammograms. Typically, the doctor would tell her everything looked fine, but this time, the staff member told her that she needed to go to the doctor’s office. Christopher Ebersole, DO, showed her the mammograms and pointed out that there had been a change from the one taken in 2021. Next, a biopsy was performed. On Nov. 9, he called her to let her know she had cancer. She credits him with saving her life. The diagnosis was a total shock.

“They basically don’t know why it happened to me, it’s completely random,” she says. All the genetic tests were negative, and Magdalena leads a healthy lifestyle. After that initial phone call, she made a list of things to do in case it went south. One of the things she started with was trying to figure out the ins and outs of her insurance. She wanted the surgery scheduled immediately. She called Mary Montes, her primary care doctor in Phoenix, who put her in touch with the Comprehensive Breast Center of Arizona. She was understandably scared the first time she walked into the building alone. “It was quite traumatic to get into the building,” she says. She had a plush toy giraffe that she carries with her everywhere and nothing else. “But given the name of the place and what they are dealing with, and the seriousness of the patients and conditions they see there. I mean, they are just amazing,” she says. “They got me under a knife in 20 days precisely. So it was very quick.” She first met with Dr. S. Brenda Moorthy, DO, FACS, a breast surgery specialist. After discussing her options, she decided to have a total mastectomy on both sides and had implants added during the surgery.

The Virginia G. Piper Center coordinated with the anesthesiologist, the plastic surgeon and the hospital to set everything up. Although they were not needed, chemotherapy and radiotherapy doctors were also on hand to help out in case something went wrong. She spent the night in the hospital. During the procedure, the team also removed three of her lymph nodes. “They orchestrated everything. I was already overwhelmed dealing with everything alone,” she says. “They were just absolutely fantastic with me. The truth was not pretty, but they helped me to go through it as easily as it was possible, given the circumstances.” After the procedure, she had to rest and was immobile mostly in her upper body for about five weeks to give her body time to heal. She drove to Phoenix to take physical therapy. Although she was supported by her health care team, it was obviously a scary journey she had to take alone. In the wake of early diagnosis, she says she felt traumatized and as if her body had betrayed her in some way. She asked herself why her? “I was in a state of shock, but then I just composed myself quickly,” she says. “After the initial part, I was like, ‘No, I’m done with the self pity. I’m going to face it.’” That mindset change helped her endure the difficult journey. “You have a choice to either give up or fight,” she says. “I just started thinking, my ultimate goal is recovery, to be healthy again.” On Nov. 29, 2022, Magdalena had surgery and became cancer free and has been ever since. She’s sharing her story, in part, to empower others, raise awareness about the importance of completing routine screenings and working with health care providers to stay healthy. “I know it’s very tough for people to see that they can get rid of cancer. That cancer is not the ultimate death sentence,” she says. She gradually started feeling better – exercising, hiking in Sedona’s red rocks and working more.

In March of 2023, Magdalena completed a half marathon in the mountains. “It was not fast. It was not slow. It was just fine, but I did it so I was super happy,” she says. After that, she drove out to Joshua Tree National Park to hike there too and traveled to other places like Morocco and Portugal. “That was about the light at the end of the tunnel,” she says. “While I was there having all the stressors and experiences, little did I know that life can be back to normal if we just follow through. We persevere. We fight for it.” “I hope this gives lots of hope to people who face different diagnoses, not only cancer,” she says. “There is hope. And if you stick to your goals and you persevere. It’s like you ran an endurance race … You have to fight for it rather than putting your head in the sand and pretending the problem is not there.” She says she feels grateful that she’s on the other side of this battle. “I’m successfully at the other end of it. And I’m totally recovered and cancer free. And this is absolutely empowering. That empowering part is so cool because now nothing really scares me.”

Breast Cancer & Health Resources

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