Staggering numbers and a survivor’s sage advice for Beaufort Co. breast cancer victims

There is wide awareness that breast cancer in Beaufort County is a menace. For many women, the how, when and where to get tested and what do to with a positive result can be equal parts intimidating and overwhelming.

For those facing this battle, the words of breast cancer survivor and Bluffton resident Judy Ferguson hold the hope for a better future: “I can help you with this. I can be there.” In addition to the support survivors can provide, there are many little-known resources from “nurse navigators” to support groups and others offering financial assistance in Beaufort County.

The challenges are in the numbers

“Among women (in Beaufort County), breast cancer was the number one most commonly diagnosed cancer and the number two leading cause of cancer death from 2015-19. For this five-year period, there was an annual average of 185 new female breast cancer cases diagnosed and 27 deaths from this disease,” according to a June 2022 report by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

While the efforts to reduce breast cancer mortality is moving in the right direction, progress has taken nearly two generations. A S.C. DHEC report details that long-term survival rates for breast cancer in South Carolina have improved:

• In the 1960s, only 63 out of 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer were living five years after their diagnosis.

• Currently, 90 out of 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer are living five years following their diagnosis.

• Additionally, today, 82 out of 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer are living at least 10 years following their diagnosis.

• And 77 out of 100 are living at least 15 years post-diagnosis.

Increasing early diagnosis

• Beaufort Memorial Hospital recently acquired an imaging center on Hilton Head Island, and it will offer a variety of services, including mammograms.

• The Hollings Cancer Center, part of the Medical University of South Carolina, operates a mobile mammogram unit visiting rural and underserved locations year-round, according to center spokesperson Leslie Cantu.

According to Hollings Cancer Center staff, after a patient is diagnosed with cancer, they are assigned a nurse navigator who helps coordinate numerous aspects of care and treatment. “We support them throughout their cancer diagnosis and their treatment journey,” explained Kerry Reilly, nurse navigator at Beaufort Memorial Hospital and the Hollings Cancer Center.

“As a navigator,” she continued, “I work closely with the doctor and multiple other members of a patient’s cancer treatment team to ensure they get the best care they can from us...everyone’s needs are a little bit different and individualized, but I want them to understand their diagnosis and their treatment options.”

Additionally, a nurse navigator’s job includes assisting patients with things indirectly related to treatment.

“I assist with arranging transportation, help if they need mastectomy supplies after surgery, explore work-related or financial concerns, connect them with advocacy groups,” Reilly added. “I also address (mental health) needs, too, and refer them to counselors if needed.”

Paying for treatment and transportation

Another hurdle facing South Carolina residents is that many simply cannot afford health care. A recent study by the Harris Poll, published in Forbes, lists South Carolina as number five in the list of Top 5 Worst States with Health Care. The state also ranks seventh from the bottom with the percentage of residents who chose not to see a doctor at some point in the past 12 months due to cost.

“A cancer diagnosis wreaks havoc on a family,” said Mason Ward a member of the board of directors of Share Our Suzy Lowcountry cancer victim advocacy group. “We have encountered patients who weren’t going through their treatment because they didn’t have enough money to get there.”

Share Our Suzy Lowcountry is a nonprofit organization that helps breast cancer patients with things such as utility bills, groceries, child care, transportation to treatment, co-pays, wigs and prosthetics. “All of the things that are not covered by insurance,” Ward added.

“The goal is for patients to focus on their treatment and getting well and not on their mounting financial burdens,” she said. The organization does not fund patients directly, but it does work with nurse navigators to coordinate getting ride shares, gas cards and other funding for breast cancer patients in need.

Survivor’s words of advice

A cancer diagnosis can be a daunting challenge, leaving patients scrambling and some ultimately are overwhelmed.

“As soon as I heard that word, I thought I was dying,” shared survivor Judy Ferguson. Seated in her Sun City home with a pink ribbon pinned near her left shoulder. She detailed how she first beat breast cancer and then seven years later she survived uterine cancer.

“Part of it is then trying to decide how do I now navigate the system to find out what to do. One thing I always counsel people who get diagnosed with cancer is take it one step at a time. Because if you start to say, ‘I have to do this, then I have to do this, and I have to do this,’ you are going to totally overwhelm yourself.”

Ferguson also knows that sometimes people have not been in the medical system more than going to an urgent care facility. “They don’t know what to do,” she explains. “And they think that all the specialists talk to each other, but unfortunately, it’s not always the case.

Her advice is to be vocal. “You have to be your own advocate,” she said. “I always advise people to write your questions down, and when you go into a doctors office, go in with your list of questions. If you rely on your memory, you are not going to remember to ask all the questions or get the answers.”

Additionally, for those who love tech, Ferguson has this advice: “In today’s world of technology, I ask permission, and I use my Apple watch. I record the conversation, and that way if I have questions afterwards, I can ask.”

Ferguson added, “Early detection, early treatment is essential. The earlier you get it, the better chances of beating it.” But she continued, “We are all very proud. And often say, ‘If we need help, ask for help,’ which can be a hard thing to do.”

She said, “For the people who have gone through cancer treatment, then you know what shoes those folks are walking in. ‘I can help you with this. I can be there. And if you are a survivor say, hey look, I’m still here. It’s not that you get through the battle and then say, ‘I’m done with it.’

Now it’s time to say, “How can I help somebody else?’”

Sonia Clark is a staff member of the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette through the McClatchy Veterans in Journalism Fellowship. This article is one in an occasional series detailing the facts and help available for cancer victims.