The Clarity & Reassurance I Needed
A second opinion is critical to someone diagnosed with cancer, because it provides clarity and reassurance. This can give a cancer patient the confidence they need in their treatment plan or move forward in medical decision making.
My breast cancer journey began in September of 2020 at the age of 56. I was diagnosed with a very rare form of Stage III Triple Negative Breast Cancer in my left breast. My treatment consisted of a lumpectomy, lymph node removal, eight rounds of chemotherapy in addition to 19 rounds of radiation.
In April of 2022 at the age of 58, I was diagnosed with Metaplastic Carcinoma in my left breast, and then in May of 2022 I was diagnosed with Grade III Triple Negative Breast Cancer in my lymph nodes. I had a modified radical mastectomy and lymph node surgery. I had a lot of emotions behind my new diagnosis, as I now have had three breast cancer diagnoses in less than two years. A friend recommended thesecondopinion, and I was fortunate to be accepted as a patient.
Thesecondopinion team gathered all my medical records and a team of five experienced doctors from different areas of medicine reviewed my case. A treatment plan was outlined for me, after discussion with the panel chair and my oncologist. My treatment consists of nine cycles of immunotherapy treatment and six cycles of additional chemotherapy. The expertise of thesecondopinion doctors was invaluable. The mission of this non-profit organization is powerful and a huge gift to the world of health. They were detailed, effective, reliable and caring; a true blessing of hope for me. – Velinda D. Galvin, Patient
Cancer patients, like Velinda, look to thesecondopinion for hope and direction because they want to be certain not only about their diagnosis and treatment options, but that their personal concerns about quality of life have been aired, understood and addressed.