Married for 20 years, BMC patient Janis Mangino and her husband Arthur Frason never leave each other's side, especially when things get tough. For a majority of their married life, the two have been surrounded by cancer.
“My two brothers and my sister passed away from cancer,'' says Janis. “My mother had breast cancer when she was 81 years old.” With her family history, and her job as a medical assistant who often referred breast cancer patients to BMC, Janis knew the importance of going to her annual mammograms.
At her annual mammogram in June 2017, Janis was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Although I was floored to hear that I had breast cancer, I was actually fairly calm,” says Janis. “There really is no substitute for an annual mammogram. To all women reading this: Do not put it off. Early detection is the key.”
Janis’s care team consisted of BMC oncologists Dr. Naomi Ko and Dr. Michael Cassidy, as well as Dr. Maureen Kavanah, who has since retired. “I was secure knowing that not only was I at an early stage of breast cancer, but also that I was surrounded by a great team of doctors,” said Janis. “The more I met and spoke with my care team at BMC, the more convinced I became that we could win this battle.”
For Arthur, who went to all of Janis’s appointments, Dr. Ko was exactly the doctor that he needed.
“Dr. Ko picked up where I was right away,” said Arthur. “It was very difficult for me to process, especially knowing Janis’s family history. I remember her saying to me, ‘Please, do not hesitate to call me personally with any questions or fears you may have.’ I mean, talk about a score of A+++,” he says. “She certainly has a professional intuitivism.”
“The more I met and spoke with my care team at BMC, the more convinced I became that we could win this battle.”
Janis continued Arthur’s words of praise. “You know the saying “When you meet someone, you just click?” I clicked with Dr. Ko. She was wonderful from the get go,” Janis said.
This past August, Janis celebrated her four year anniversary of beating breast cancer. “[The BMC team] is like my family. It was a wonderful experience having them, and it still is today.”