{"id":145755,"date":"2025-10-23T22:50:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T02:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145755"},"modified":"2025-10-23T22:50:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T02:50:18","slug":"early-detection-leads-to-unexpected-breast-cancer-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145755","title":{"rendered":"Early Detection Leads to Unexpected Breast Cancer Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early Detection Leads to Unexpected Breast Cancer Journey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Val Lewis, 57, of Danielsville, remembers the relief she felt last December when her genetic testing results came back. Offered at no cost through St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network (SLUHN), the test showed no inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes \u2013 mutations that can significantly increase the risk of breast and other cancers. It was a moment of reassurance.<\/p>\n

But just a month later, during her routine yearly screening mammogram, that sense of relief gave way to concern. Something didn\u2019t look right. Follow-up imaging confirmed what she feared: breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Val credits her gynecologist for encouraging her to stay on top of screenings due to her dense breast tissue, which can make cancer harder to detect. She had been alternating between ultrasounds and mammograms every six months \u2013 a proactive approach that made all the difference.<\/p>\n

With the guidance of Dr. Trisha Kelly, her St. Luke\u2019s surgical oncologist, Val chose to undergo a lumpectomy in April, followed by radiation in June. Eleanor Harris, MD, St. Luke\u2019s Associate Cancer Director & Chief of Radiation Oncology, recommended a targeted treatment \u2013 accelerated partial breast radiation \u2013 which would reduce treatment time and protect healthy tissue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most important facts about breast cancer is that early detection is lifesaving,\u201d Dr. Harris said. \u201cBreast cancer is highly curable when caught in early stages. Val\u2019s story inspires other women to be proactive by having regular screening mammograms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout Val\u2019s journey, she found strength in the support she received \u2013 from her care team at St. Luke\u2019s to a nurse navigator provided through her employer. That navigator helped her understand each step of her diagnosis and treatment, offering what Val described as \u201cincredible care.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says she wasn\u2019t always the easiest patient. \u201cI ask a lot of questions, probably more than they bargained for,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cBut the St. Luke\u2019s doctors\u2019 and nurses\u2019 expertise, compassion and dedication have made this unimaginable journey feel a little more manageable. I truly feel I\u2019m in the best hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now on a five-year course of hormone-blocking medication, Val is also planning follow-up reconstructive surgery after meeting with Dr. Alyson Melin, her St. Luke\u2019s reconstructive surgeon. Val\u2019s prognosis is excellent \u2013 something she attributes to early detection.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Val is passionate about sharing her story.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreventative breast screenings aren\u2019t just routine checkups, they are a lifesaving tool,\u201d she said. \u201cThe early detection of my breast cancer dramatically increased my treatment options. … Whether you feel perfectly fine or have no family history, screenings can catch what you can\u2019t feel. Prioritize yourself. Schedule your mammogram.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n

Founded in 1872, St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network with annual net revenue of more than $4 billion. With 23,000+ employees at 16 hospital campuses and 350+ outpatient sites, it is the Lehigh Valley\u2019s biggest employer.<\/p>\n

The Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n

Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school. It also operates the nation\u2019s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 50+ fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 500+ residents and fellows.<\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s has been named a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World\u2019s Best Hospital. It is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. In 2025, the Network earned straight A\u2019s from Leapfrog across all of its 11 acute care hospitals. It has earned 100 Top Hospital designations from Premier 11 years in a row, including in 2021 when its flagship University Hospital was identified as THE #1 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.<\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nSam Kennedy<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Early Detection Leads to Unexpected Breast Cancer Journey Val Lewis, 57, of Danielsville, remembers the relief she felt last December when her genetic testing results came back. Offered at no … Continue reading Early Detection Leads to Unexpected Breast Cancer Journey<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/val.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145755"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=145755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/145756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=145755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=145755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=145755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}