Sharon was overdue for her mammogram. “I was going through other tests, so it kind of threw me off,” she said.

Then, Sharon felt a small lump on her dog while petting him, prompting her to schedule a mammogram. “Thank God I did,” she said. “I didn't feel my mass. They found it through imaging.”

Sharon chose the Memorial Breast Cancer Center for treatment, crediting Marcelo Blaya, MD, breast medical oncologist, and Erica Bloomquist, MD, breast surgical oncologist, with saving her life.

“Following chemotherapy, Sharon elected to proceed with double mastectomies,” said Dr. Bloomquist. “We were fortunate in that we could save the skin and the nipple. So, everything on the outside when Sharon looks in the mirror is her.”

“I have absolutely the utmost confidence in Memorial. Every single, nurse, doctor, navigator, psychologist was there to help me,” said Sharon, who along with her dog, is doing just fine.