Denise Juliao is Cancer-Free with Help From Walker Breast Program
Nearly every woman, who’s ever stood in the shower or in front of a bathroom mirror to conduct a self-breast exam, has had the same thought, “What if I find a lump?”
Denise Juliao, a young Tallahassee wife and mother, had this experience while visiting with family over Christmas break in 2022.
“I felt something,” she said, “and I knew immediately it wasn’t supposed to be there.”
There is a 1 in 8 chance that a woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, but it’s something no one can ever prepare for. Denise didn’t immediately tell her family because she didn’t want to worry them over the holiday, but she knew she would need to take action as soon as she got home.
Once she returned, Denise contacted her primary care physician and got a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. A few weeks later, by mid-January, Denise was diagnosed with breast cancer at 35 years old.
Nationally Recognized Care Available at Home
With prominent cancer centers available throughout Florida, Denise and her husband were faced with the decision of where to seek treatment. They soon learned she could receive the highest quality care from a nationally recognized cancer center at home in Tallahassee.
Tallahassee Memorial’s Walker Breast Program offers a comprehensive approach to diagnosing, treating and surviving breast cancer that expedites the time between receiving a diagnosis and starting treatment. It is a model implemented by the nation’s top destination centers for cancer treatment.
Receiving treatment less than 10 miles from her home – where she could still be with her husband and son every day – would make the journey easier. Still, Denise knew that she had a long and uncertain road ahead.
“When I began chemotherapy, I got a little journal and marked every time I had a treatment,” she said. “I remember looking at it and thinking, ‘It’s just so many I have to go through,’ and I thought there wouldn’t be an end to it.”
Denise also had the difficult task of balancing her treatment with her roles as a busy mother, wife and accounting manager.
With a son in elementary school, she and her husband handled the situation as delicately as they could for their son. They also leaned into the help available at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center.
Nurse Navigators Offer Support
While cancer treatment is incredibly difficult, patients at the Cancer Center receive support from a team of nurse navigators to ensure their care runs as smoothly as possible.
Amy Anderson, RN, Lead Navigator, says the role of the navigator is to make patients’ lives easier by helping them coordinate their treatment.
“When you’re experiencing something as chilling and as life-altering as cancer, the last thing you want to worry about is scheduling your appointments and coordinating all the different treatments you need,” Amy said. “That’s what we do as navigators. We do the heavy lifting and help carry the burden for our patients.”
Another advantage of the Walker Breast Program is the Breast Clinic, which streamlines multiple appointments into a single visit. This includes experts in surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, plastic surgery and other specialty services.
Brett Howard, MD, surgeon with TMH Physician Partners – General Surgery and a founder of the Walker Breast Program, was Denise’s surgeon for her mastectomy. He, along with Shelby Blank, MD, created the Walker Breast Program with the goal of expediting the treatment process.
For patients like Denise, that means more time doing the things she loves and spending time with her family. It also means that a team of doctors and medical specialists are reviewing her case and working to create a care plan just for her.
“That’s the beautiful part of our Walker Breast Program,” Dr. Howard said. “We have all the specialists together to come up with a treatment plan, and everyone has that same common goal, which is to help our patients through their journey to a cure.”
Denise is Cancer Free
Following Denise’s surgery, she began chemotherapy under the supervision of Karen Russell, MD, of TMH Physician Partners – Cancer & Hematology.
While Denise lost her hair, she never lost her spirit.
“Denise came to us with a diagnosis of breast cancer at a young age, and that’s always very scary,” Dr. Howard said. “Of course, at first, there’s always the questions of, ‘What next?’ or, ‘What is my life going to be like for the next year or so?’ What’s amazing, especially in my experience with Denise and a lot of breast cancer survivors, is how strong and positive she was throughout the entire experience.”
On August 11, 2023, after surgery and chemotherapy, Denise was declared cancer free roughly eight months following her diagnosis.
She had done it; what once seemed like an impossibility through all those appointments on her calendar was now behind her.
“Looking back, it went by super-fast,” she said.
While she’d never ask for a cancer diagnosis, Denise says she’s thankful for her experience and the care she received from the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center.
“It could not have gone any better,” she said. “They’re so amazing, and you feel like you’re with family when you’re there. I feel blessed. For what it was, having treatment at the cancer center was amazing.”
The Walker Breast Program is the region’s only breast program accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).
Learn more about breast cancer treatment at TMH by visiting TMH.ORG/BreastCancer.
To request an appointment for your annual mammogram, visit TMH.ORG/Mammogram.
