Christina Klaubauf had just weaned her nine-month-old son when she felt a lump in her breast. And while she suspected it was nothing more than a clogged milk duct, her husband convinced her to get it checked out.
After an ultrasound, the medical team at Aurora BayCare got her scheduled for a biopsy that same day. They shared their honest suspicions that Christina likely had cancer, and two days later the tests confirmed it.
Christina was quickly enrolled as a patient in Aurora BayCare’s Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic (MDCC). She and her husband met with her five-person cancer panel in a half-day meeting. Together Dr. William Owens (oncology), Dr. David Rohde (radiology), Dr. Nancy Davis (chemotherapy), Dr. Steven Schmidt (plastic surgery) and Diane Haszel (cancer nurse navigator) reviewed Christina’s diagnosis and treatment options.
“I was so happy to have everyone all in one spot and get all my questions answered at one time,” says Christina. “They made me feel so much more comfortable with the situation. After I left, I felt like I had a plan.”
Executing That Plan
Because of the way her cancer was presenting, Christina didn’t have the option of a targeted lumpectomy. Instead, after talking with her cancer team, Christina opted for a double mastectomy.
One month after surgery she began six rounds of chemo and then radiation. A first grade teacher and mother of three, Christina continued to work throughout her treatments. She credits her school, Luxemburg-Casco, for their tremendous support along with flexible scheduling from Aurora BayCare.
“They really worked with me and helped me schedule appointments later in the day so I didn’t have to take any more time off than necessary,” Christina recalls.
Cancer Free, Worry Free
Today Christina has the all clear. She continues to follow up with her oncologist, but doesn’t feel the shadow of cancer looming.
“I know cancer is a really crappy thing, but overall I feel like my experience was as easy as it could have been,” she says. “I had so much support and I was so happy with all of my doctors and nurses. Everything went really well—as well as it could for cancer.”
A long-time patient of Aurora BayCare, Christina says she and her husband felt instantly comfortable with the Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic team. “We never even considered going anywhere else.”
Learn more about Aurora BayCare’s Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic.