One woman’s breast cancer story

You know the good old saying about the straw that broke the camel’s back? For Nadata Prosper, a really heavy straw hit her: breast cancer. Her rock-solid faith and the love and support she found at St. Mary’s Breast Health Center kept her from breaking.

As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, college student, entrepreneur, and paraprofessional in early childhood education, Nadata’s life was full. Then, family members in her native Guyana began getting sick and dying, including a beloved cousin who was lost to lung cancer. As family medical crises unfolded in Guyana and the U.S., Nadata’s medical odyssey began upon her return from a trip to Guyana in 2020 when she was treated for a brain tumor. Then came complications from childbirth in 2021. It’s no wonder she was worried when she felt a lump in her breast in 2022.

At age 39, the Covington resident immediately went to her local doctor.

“They were kind of nonchalant about it,” she says. “They said, ‘Oh, you’re not 40 yet,’ and for me, I felt like it was being swept under the rug. One weekend while I was working, the fear just came up. I started crying and praying and looking online at the same time. I started to search harder and harder to find resources.”

Finding Healthcare Providers Who Put Care First

She found a new primary care physician who took her concerns seriously and helped her access mammography services she could afford. She was even more worried – but not surprised – when they told her the results of her mammogram were suspicious.

The next decision was essential: they asked which breast surgeon she wanted to work with. She had no idea. But her doctor did. Nadata explains:

“She said, ‘I have a very good person for you to go see.’ And she referred me to Dr. Kathleen Jeffery, the best thing that has ever happened to me. They put together the entire team of the oncologist, the nurse navigator, and the surgeon. That day, Heaven opened a door. God has blessed me with Dr. Jeffery’s office.”

Dr. Jeffery performed a biopsy that confirmed Nadata had breast cancer. St. Mary’s Breast Health Center engaged a multi-disciplinary team to help her with the journey ahead. Treatment started with a course of chemotherapy, followed by surgery, and then by radiation therapy and more chemotherapy.

“They guided me through the entire journey. Any question I had, I would call and the nurse navigator would call me back the same day. If I needed to be seen by another physician that was part of the team they put together for me, they would make the appointment,” Nadata says.

Calm in the storm

“Breast cancer can be an overwhelming diagnosis, which can make it difficult to make very important decisions,” Dr. Jeffery explains. “A vital part of our service is to ease our patients’ fears and give them the information they need. We provide a multidisciplinary team approach, including medical oncology, radiation oncology, and plastic surgery. At our Breast Health Center, we also perform genetic counseling and testing, high-risk screening, and radiologic evaluation.”

Another vital part of St. Mary’s Breast Health Center is the care provided by Hannah Denton, RN, BSN, a breast health nurse navigator. She is there to comfort, educate, help the patient with navigating every stage of their journey, and make sure they feel empowered to take an active part in their treatment plan.

“I love working one-on-one with our patients,” Hannah says. “Breast cancer can be a frightening diagnosis, but even for patients who are not outwardly scared, it’s life-changing. One key message is that, when detected early while the cancer is still localized, the 5-year survival rate is 99%. That’s very reassuring for most patients.”

It was for Nadata. But what helped her most, she says, is her faith.

“I basically turned into a prayer warrior, asking God to take control, and I took my hands and my emotions out of gear, knowing that I had Dr. Jeffery and her staff who wanted to see me live and were going to do everything that they possibly could to help me through this journey without me having to be fearful or stressed or burdened by it.”

Nadata’s medical odyssey did not stop with breast cancer. In 2023, she underwent treatment for thyroid cancer, which was also successful. Today, she has the energy and faith to not only be fully present for her husband and five children (ages 5 to 23) and work as a paraprofessional but also to study for a Bachelor’s degree in education from Walden University.

“Words cannot describe how much love and support I felt from my medical team,” she says. “I praise them every chance I get.”