By Julie Cerney
Are you a woman who is simply too busy for annual mammograms? Do you need a good reason to move the mammo to the top of your to-do list?
Here are two and a half million great reasons: the number of breast cancer survivors in the United States.
Two of these survivors are Omahans Julie (Inserra) Rosinski and Rhonda Post-Seip. Both are busy moms and hard-working professionals whose lives were turned upside down by a surprise cancer diagnosis. Having learned firsthand the critical importance of early breast cancer detection and treatment, both urge women to take action to protect their breast health and their lives.
Julie (Inserra) Rosinski: Cancer Crusader
“I’m a breast cancer crusader now,” says Julie, a perky, petite dynamo who works as a respiratory care assistant at Methodist Hospital.
In December 2007, Julie’s annual mammogram revealed an area of concern. A biopsy confirmed the presence of ductal carcinoma in situ, a Stage 0 cancer, the earliest stage.
“I spent the first two weeks in tears, feeling confused and overwhelmed,” Julie remembers. “It was so hard to say the word ‘cancer’ to my kids.”
But Julie drew upon her strong faith and the outpouring of support of family, physicians, coworkers, friends and women she barely knew who came forward to share their stories of survivorship and sisterhood.
“God put these people in the right place for me, and put them here with answers,” Julie explains, insisting that she couldn’t have done it without them, especially her care team.
“I have worked for Methodist Hospital for three decades. My parents worked here, my brother and sister too,” Julie explains. “Methodist is my second home, my other family. I know and trust the people caring for me.”
Physicians on Julie’s team included internist William Shiffermiller, MD; surgeon Scott Rose, MD; plastic surgeon John Edney, MD; radiologists Richard Kutilek, MD, and O.D. Ostertholm, MD; oncologist David Silverberg, MD; pathologist John Gentry, MD; and ob-gyn Craig Bassett, MD.
Because her cancer was found so early, Julie had a choice of treatment options: a lumpectomy combined with radiation therapy or a mastectomy without radiation. With information and support from her Methodist care team, she considered the alternatives carefully.
“The choice was mine,” Julie says, “and I made the decision that was right for me: mastectomy and reconstruction.” Julie was back to full-time work in April, feeling both lucky and blessed. She knows that any postponement of her annual mammogram could have altered her options and prognosis.
“The cancer was so small and contained that my treatment gives me a 98 percent chance of survival,” Julie says. “Life is good, and I want to be a messenger about the importance of the yearly mammogram.”
Rhonda’s breast cancer journey began in a most unlikely place: the dance floor.
“In January 2007, while my husband and I were taking ballroom dance lessons, I felt pain in my shoulder.” Rhonda remembers. “I thought I’d pulled a muscle.”
Describing herself as unusually healthy, Rhonda was surprised to find that the intensity of the pain kept her from using her arm. Weeks passed, yet her dance injury refused to heal. While performing a routine breast self-exam, Rhonda discovered a possible explanation.
“I felt a large lump in the upper chest wall near that shoulder,” Rhonda explains. A mammogram revealed the 2.5 centimeter diameter mass, yet Rhonda had had a clear mammogram just three months before.
“The mass was definitely fast-growing, but was it cancer?” Rhonda asked.
The answer came on March 3 at 12:15 p.m. It was.
“You never forget the date and time of your cancer diagnosis,” Rhonda explains.
Surgeon Steven Buda, MD, reassured Rhonda as he explained her biopsy results and treatment options, saying, “This does not have to be life-threatening. We can beat this.”
Rhonda says, “I never had any doubt that we would.”
Among the other members of Rhonda’s multidisciplinary care team were family medicine physician Carol Stessman, MD; oncologist Robert Langdon, MD; plastic surgeon Jason Miller, MD, DDS; radiologist Linda Sing, MD; and physical therapist Jennifer Sibley MPT, CLT-LANA.
This team was a major part of Rhonda’s strong support network. Another was the group of people Rhonda describes as the “everyday angels in my workplace,” the members of her 
staff in the clinical systems section of the Methodist Health System information technology department.
“Staff members up and down the chain were there for me every step of the way,” Rhonda explains. “They cried with me, cheered me, sat by my hospital bedside, accompanied me to chemotherapy and held departmental hat days when I lost my hair.”
Rhonda counts herself lucky to have so many resources and wonderful people helping her through, saying, “I love my work and my coworkers. I could not have stayed home and tried to do this
without them.”
Saying she definitely doesn’t sweat the small stuff any longer, Rhonda is forward focused and eager to help others. She is sharing what she has learned about early breast dancer detection and treatment, including the most important lesson.
“I want women to know how important it is to get annual mammograms, do regular breast self-exams and get checked when something isn’t right,” Rhonda insists.
Spreading the word is so important, she explains, “because I will never forget that every day is a gift.”
Schedule your mammogram at Methodist today.
To schedule a digital mammogram that can capture indications of cancer at the earliest stages, call:
• Jennie Edmundson Hospital (712) 396-7600
• Methodist Hospital Breast Care Center (402) 354-8335
• Methodist Physicians Clinic (402) 354-0950
Rhonda Post-Seip: Celebrating Every Day as a Gift