Breast Cancer: Kate and Jennifer's Story
November 27, 2019With Expert Care, Mother and Daughter Overcome Odds To Beat COVID-19
A double mastectomy is a difficult choice for any woman to make—but sisters Katie Creely and Jennifer Howard say the decision for each of them to undergo breast surgery and reconstruction was made easier with compassionate counseling and their shared confidence in the expertise of the Holy Cross breast care team.
Katie, now 39, was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 2014, after finding a suspicious lump and being referred to Eric Oristian, MD, medical director, Breast Center, Holy Cross Hospital. Because of her family history (a paternal aunt developed breast cancer, twice),
Dr. Oristian advised her to undergo genetic testing before her personalized treatment plan was created.
Katie was found to be positive for the BRCA1 genetic mutation, which predisposes her to greater risk of breast and ovarian cancer. With that knowledge and the support of her husband Tom, she chose to treat her cancer at Holy Cross with the most aggressive treatment available: a double mastectomy followed by chemotherapy. Her sister Jennifer also decided to take the genetic test, although she was only 34 years old at the time and had not had any abnormal mammograms or screening results.
“The teamwork at Holy Cross is amazing. I felt like all of my doctors worked together regularly and were collaborating for my best care. It is comforting to know they communicated well not only with me and my sister, but with one another throughout the process.” – Katie Creely (right, with sister Jennifer)
When Jennifer tested positive for the BRCA1 mutation as well, she and her husband Brett discussed their options with Dr. Oristian and decided on a prophylactic (preventive) double mastectomy with breast reconstruction. “There was more than an 80 percent chance I would get breast cancer at some point, most likely while I was young,” says Jennifer.
“We want to have a family, and enjoy that time, and not be constantly scared about breast cancer, so we decided that despite losing the ability to breastfeed, our family’s overall health was worth that trade-off.”
Both Katie and Jennifer are grateful to Dr. Oristian and their reconstructive surgeon on the breast care team, Ali Al-Attar, MD, Plastic Surgery, for working with them and their families in scheduling treatment and surgery. In fact, the sisters were able to have the second phase of their breast reconstruction surgery on the same day.
“It was incredible to be able to go through this difficult time with my sister,” says Katie. “I felt like everyone was trying to make things easier for us, and worked together to get to know us and our families, and what we needed.”
Physicians
 Eric Oristian, MD |
 Ali Al-Attar, MD |
Award Winning Cancer Care
Multidisciplinary teamwork, personalized care and advanced technology, bolstered by the highest clinical standards, are the hallmarks of the Holy Cross Breast Center, according to Dr. Oristian. “Holy Cross has more than 20 highly-trained specialists working closely across multiple disciplines to provide state-of-the-art cancer care,” he says. The breast oncology nurse navigator helps patients understand their diagnosis and treatment options, and serves as an advocate, educator and guide through the cancer experience.
The Breast Center at Holy Cross Hospital was the first breast center in Montgomery County to be certified by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers of the American College of Surgeons (NAPBC). It also is designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.
Holy Cross Germantown Hospital
The breast program at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital is being modeled after the successful Holy Cross Hospital program.
“Holy Cross Germantown Hospital is a beautiful, cutting edge facility—and providing the level of cancer care we already offer at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring to residents in upper Montgomery County is an enormous benefit to the community,” explains Dr. Al-Attar.