Greg Oberst of Covington, Washington learned his wife, Linda, was diagnosed with breast cancer, when he received a frantic phone call from her.  The diagnosis of non-invasive breast cancer in situ came after a routine mammogram.  It was caught at an early stage, so Linda did not have to undergo radiation treatment or chemotherapy, and opted for a mastectomy.  Greg sprung into action, providing emotional support as well as formulating a gameplan for all non-medical parts of her treatment and recovery, as Linda successfully achieved survivorship.

 

When Linda Oberst went in for a mammogram in 2013, her husband, Greg, didn’t give it much thought.  After all, she had been quite faithful about coming in for her annual checkups.  Once the appointment concluded, he got a phone call from Linda; but this call was unlike all the others.  She was frantic and in tears.  At first, Greg could not understand what she was saying, but minutes later, she calmed down and told him what was seen on the mammogram.

 

Greg tried to emotionally soothe Linda as best he could, but he also spearheaded their effort to go on a fact-finding mission.  There were many health care professionals to see, and Greg was able to get their consent to record each and every visit.  Although they took notes on each visit, the recordings enabled to catch bits of information they might have missed during their note taking. 

 

At a very difficult time, a bit of good news was that Linda’s cancer was caught at a very early stage.  As a result, she was able to avoid radiation treatment and chemotherapy. 

 

In the meantime, Greg had his full time job, he had a teenage daughter to raise, bills to pay and an insurance company to deal with. He was grateful to get help from neighbors with cooking and logistics.

 

Linda concluded the best treatment option for her diagnosis of non-invasive breast cancer in situ was a mastectomy.  Greg and Linda were told the prognosis was good, and the surgery was a success.  The follow-up work didn’t show any residual cancer hanging around, so that was more good news.  There were annual follow-up visits, and with each one came a bit of anxiety, but Linda eventually got to the all-important five-year mark. 

 

She has returned to as close to a pre-diagnosis life as possible, and leads a happy, healthy life as a wife and mother.