Adventist Health Bakersfield | You + Us | Fall 2019

5 Excellence is our everyday endeavor. Shelby says knowing this helped her choose to move forward with a double mastectomy: “With the CDH1 mutation, you have an 80% chance you will get stomach cancer. I knew after my breast surgery I would need to figure out what to do next.” By her side, through the diagnosis and surgery, were Shelby’s devoted husband and two sons. “I was scared I wouldn’t get to see their faces and the future,” she says. A lifesaving, life-changing truth After her mastectomy, Shelby, along with her husband, went to meet with a doctor to whom she was referred for further testing on her stomach. After an endoscopy, doctors determined she did in fact have the early stages of stomach cancer. “This is why I say breast cancer saved my life. Had I not found that lump, I would not have had the genetic testing done and wouldn’t have found out about my stomach cancer until it was too late,” Shelby says, choking back tears. “Doctors told me I probably wouldn’t have lived to celebrate my 37th birthday.” Her next decision was tough. “I opted to have my stomach removed along with the lymph nodes, given my family history of cancer,” she explains. Shelby postponed the surgery for a few weeks—so she could see her oldest son graduate from high school. “If it wasn’t for my family, I probably would have opted out of having the surgery, but I did it all for them,” she says. Shelby’s surgery included using part of her intestines to replace her stomach. After the 12-hour surgery, she wasn’t allowed to have even a sip of water for seven days or a bite of food for two weeks. “Not having water was probably the hardest part of all the surgeries,” she says. Shelby’s doctors call her a walking miracle. “They say I can now live a long and healthy life. That’s all I ask for,” she says. Because her surgeries were successful, Shelby didn’t have to have chemotherapy or radiation. “There is still a 6% chance I could get breast cancer again. I must continue to monitor myself, but I’m so blessed.” ‘Cancer doesn’t discriminate’ Now that Shelby knows she carries the CDH1 gene mutation, others in her family are getting tested. “My boys have a 50% chance of having it,” she says. Shelby’s 19-year-old will have the testing soon, but her 13-year-old son isn’t old enough. “I’m not scared,” Shelby says. “There is life after cancer. It just needs to be caught early. I just pray every day they don’t have it.” Shelby is now an advocate for early cancer detection. She talks to everyone about it. “I tell my friends cancer doesn’t discriminate,” she says. “It doesn’t care how old you are.” “I thank God for letting me be a miracle and giving me a second chance. I’m a fighter, and God listens to your prayers. If it wasn’t for my faith, family and friends, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” —Shelby Rhynes Free screenings In May, the Adventist Health AIS Cancer Center held a free clinical breast cancer screening to honor the memory of community member Diane Williams, who died of breast cancer. During the screening, 61 patients were seen and out of those patients, 7 women needed more testing. One found out she did, in fact, have breast cancer and underwent surgery to have it removed. If you would like to help women get the screenings they need, you can donate to our Foundation to make sure everyone can afford a mammogram or breast screening. To donate, call our Foundation team at 661-869-6570 . Your dream team If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you’ll have the powerful and caring support of an expert team. In addition to radiation and medical oncologists, the team includes a board-certified breast surgeon, a pathologist, a radiologist, a clinical research nurse and a social worker. Your team will design a custom treatment plan so you get the care that’s right for you. You’ll also have your own nurse navigator—someone to guide and support you each step of the way, whether you need to make an appointment, ask a question or share a concern. Other services include support groups, nutrition classes and spiritual counseling. The Adventist Health Breast Center is fully accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). Accreditation by the NAPBC is given only to centers that provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance.