Adventist Health - Lorraine’s story of hope and faith

A reminder for women get screened and schedule annual mammograms

Lorraine was getting ready on Thanksgiving Day, 2018, and felt a sudden sharp pain in her breast. The source of the pain, she discovered, was a lump. She called the doctor the next day and was scheduled for a mammogram and ultrasound. “I was really happy because it all happened so quickly,” Lorraine explains about being diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. “In the beginning, it was a shock. But then I thought, I have nothing to worry about. I am in God’s hands.”

Over the next year, Lorraine’s faith in God and support from her family and care providers would help her through chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. While the medical team at the Diana J. White Cancer Institute made sure that Lorraine received the most advanced treatment and therapies for her physical health, Lorraine’s care team also made sure that her emotional and spiritual health were well cared for. Using funds from Adventist Health Sonora’s Cancer Patient Support Fund, Lorraine received help with hotel stays and transportation so that she could keep up with daily radiation therapy and other appointments and ultimately beat breast cancer.

“I’m very thankful,” Lorraine says. “I’ve had nothing but good experiences.” If there’s anything Lorraine has learned from this experience, it’s that mammograms save lives. “I highly recommend for women to get to their doctor and schedule a mammogram. Don’t put it off.”