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FacebookBreast cancer coordinator at Good Sam offers advice, hugs
Good Sam’s Ann Lensch has been honored for her work with patients.
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This article is part of our month-long focus on breast cancer. To learn more or find ways to help, go to our Pink Edition Page.
DAYTON — There’s lots of pink in Ann Lensch’s pretty office: pink binders, pink pens, even pink art work.
As the breast cancer coordinator at Good Samaritan Hospital, the color comes with the territory.
Lensch, the 2006 recipient of the Janet Voinovich Service Award for her exemplary work with breast cancer patients and their families in Ohio, believes she has found her calling.
Her role is to meet women immediately after a breast cancer diagnosis and support them and their families through their treatment journey. You’ll find her sitting in the waiting room with husbands, parents and children when their loved one is undergoing surgery. Generous with her hugs, her patients soon become friends.
“Some people are matter-of-fact and say ‘let’s do this’ and get it over with, others are crying and can’t concentrate and don’t hear a thing you say,” said Lensch about the initial consultation which she refers to as the “breast talk.” She advises patients to bring someone else along for the important conversation.
“It’s normal to be emotional,” she said.
Along with the talk comes a book Lensch and a multidisciplinary team of physicians have compiled entitled “A Woman’s Journey Toward Healing.”
“There’s lots of pamphlets out there but we wanted patients to have everything in one place,” explained Lensch. “The idea came from eight breast cancer survivors who helped get it started.”
Sections range from treatment options to recommended exercises for post-surgical patients. There’s an important chapter on survivorship.
“It’s about everything from support groups to medical follow-up,” said Lensch, who started a Sharing Our Strength support group at Samaritan Cancer Center. Lensch always assures families that the majority of breast cancer patients survive and enjoy a good quality of life.
“They need to catch it early, to have a yearly clinical exam, and get their mammograms,” she urged.
She recommended using a facility that has a dedicated radiologist — one who reads a lot of mammograms. She prefers digital mammography.
“We feel that the images can be manipulated more easily and that they can see more,” she explained.
Most women, she said, should begin having mammograms at age 40; those who have a mother, daughter or sister with the disease should start 10 years prior to their family history.
Though there have been mixed messages about the importance of self-examination, Lensch thinks it’s still a good idea for women to examine their breasts monthly.
Though decades ago mastectomy was the treatment of choice, Lensch said research has shown a lumpectomy with radiation can be as effective when the cancer is confined to a small area.
Lensch said newer medications make radiation and chemotherapy much less taxing. Many women take a week off for their surgery, then head back to work and their normal activities while undergoing additional treatment.
“Women are an inspiration to me,” said Lensch. “Right now we have a young lady in her 30s who is going through chemo. She’s still running a business, jogging, taking care of her children and feeling great.”
Attitude, Lensch believes, is extremely important.
“Accept that there will be down times, but try to keep things in a positive mode,” she stressed.
“Women are scared but I always tell them they’ll do better than they think they’ll do. And they do.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or MMoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
More information
For more information on Ann Lensch’s handbook, “A Woman’s Journey Toward Healing,” call (937) 567-6117.
The Pink Paper
Join the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Fifth Third Field. > Find out how to participate
Copyright © Fri May 25 12:35:41 EDT 2012 Hamilton Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.All rights reserved.
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