The Climb – Rising Above a Cancer Diagnosis

Nicole Lobo has always been in tune with her body. Weightlifting, running, spending time outdoors and exercising are daily activities that help her stay healthy and energized. When she began to feel run-down and burnt-out in late 2023, she started to think something wasn’t quite right.

In addition to feeling fatigued, Nicole, 44, had been experiencing pain in her upper back for about three weeks, but initially brushed it off as a pulled muscle from lifting weights. One morning close to Christmas, the pain migrated to her underarm and she discovered a lump. She immediately called her OB-GYN, who saw her the same day to order a diagnostic mammogram.

Unlike screening mammograms, which are recommended beginning at age 40, diagnostic mammograms provide a more detailed image of the breast and are often ordered for patients who have an abnormal screening or symptoms of breast cancer.

Two days after that initial call to her OB-GYN, Nicole underwent a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound at Fairfield Medical Center’s River Valley Campus. The radiologist told her the lump appeared to be a sunburst tumor, which is typically graded to be cancer.

“The night before my mammogram, I had a feeling that it was going to be cancer. I had a hunch something was wrong, and when I went in that morning, I felt numb,” Nicole said.

After receiving her mammogram results, the FMC team moved quickly to offer Nicole reassurance and prepare a treatment plan. David Hasl, MD, of Fairfield Healthcare Professionals General Surgery, saw Nicole the same day to discuss a biopsy, and Roopa Srikantiah-Saha, MD, of Fairfield Healthcare Professionals Hematology/Oncology, contacted her to answer any initial questions and ease her fears.

“It was amazing they worked so fast to make sure I had peace of mind and a plan,” Nicole said. “I don’t think you would get that kind of care anywhere other than FMC.”

After Interventional Radiologist Anand Joshi, MD, performed an outpatient biopsy that confirmed the diagnosis of breast cancer, Nicole’s strenuous treatment plan began with an eight-week cycle of chemotherapy, followed by a 12-week cycle of a different type of chemotherapy, guided by Dr. Saha and the team at FHP Hematology/Oncology.

“We administer chemotherapy in cycles because it allows the body to recover between treatments, giving healthy cells time to rebuild while still effectively targeting the cancer cells,” Dr. Saha explained.

In July of 2024, just one month after finishing chemotherapy treatment, Nicole underwent a mastectomy at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Care Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute to remove the tumor and reduce her risk of recurrence. She also had a lymphadenectomy to remove surrounding lymph nodes to determine if the cancer had spread.

In September, following her recovery from surgery, Nicole saw Mark Becker, MD, of Fairfield Healthcare Professionals Radiation Oncology, and began radiation therapy every weekday for five weeks, totaling 25 treatments with the linear accelerator. The linear accelerator is a machine that destroys cancer cells by delivering heightened doses of radiation therapy with exceptional accuracy.

“The dramatic improvement in radiation therapy in the past several years has led to more positive outcomes for patients,” Dr. Becker said. “With new technology like the linear accelerator, we have more precise targeting of the radiation therapy, offering patients a shorter treatment time and fewer severe side-effects.”

Upon completion of the radiation treatments, Nicole began an oral chemotherapy pill and hormone blocker that she will continue to take for several years to reduce the likelihood of the cancer returning. Dr. Saha monitors for cancer recurrence with ctDNA blood testing, a liquid biopsy that analyzes blood for DNA fragments from tumor cells.

An FMC employee for 22 years, Nicole continued working full-time during her treatment. As an Information Systems Analyst, Nicole works with physicians to build their electronic health records and provide data-driven insights. After working with the medical staff on a professional level for several years, Nicole said it has been wonderful collaborating with them, this time as a patient.

“I’ve gone through treatment at FMC for over a year, and I’ve never had a situation where something was missed. Not a blip in scheduling, or a missed lab. I feel that my care team taking things off my plate led to a better medical outcome because I didn’t have to stress or worry,” she said. “They did everything for me so I could focus on healing.”

Nicole said she is also grateful to her friends, family and coworkers for supporting her throughout her cancer journey and surrounding her with love and encouragement. Her mom, Vickie Dunfee, kept her company during each chemotherapy appointment, and her best friend, Carrie Olive, a nurse in the FMC Infusion Clinic, made sure to check in on Nicole during those long appointments.

On the day of Nicole’s final chemotherapy treatment in May 2024, she was surprised when she came out of the infusion bay to ring the bell and was greeted by a large group of coworkers, friends and family who were there to celebrate with her.

“You don’t always realize the impact you have on people until something happens,” Nicole said of the support she received. “This is a horrible, sad and scary situation, but it helps to surround yourself with good people.”

Looking back, she said the personal connection from each department at FMC made Nicole confident in her care team. Living just down the road in Amanda, she said she was glad to be close to home when coming in for several appointments every week.

“From the doctors reassuring me with their confidence and knowledge, to the angels that are the chemo infusion nurses and radiation oncology techs, to the chaplains coming to pray with me, everybody has been extremely supportive,” Nicole said. “Cancer is a hard thing to manage, but I knew I was in good hands at Fairfield Medical Center.”