Dorothy Jankowski was blindsided when she found out she had triple negative breast cancer. The diagnosis changed her life within a matter of minutes. She had to act quickly to keep the cancer from spreading. Within two weeks, she was undergoing surgery at San Juan Regional Medical Center with Dr. Philip Ernest, a General Surgeon at San Juan Health Partners General Surgery.
“We moved quickly before the mass got too large for a lumpectomy,” said Dr. Ernest. “Everything went perfect during surgery. We were able to remove the malignancy and salvage the breast.”
Dr. Philip Ernest greets Dorothy Jankowski after her surgery.
Dorothy said her overall experience – body, mind and spirit – was amazing.
“You healed my body; you used your amazing mind to do it and the spirit of you and all the people around you were amazing. Nobody missed a beat, you all held each other at a level that I have never seen,” Dorothy told Dr. Ernest during a follow up appointment.
“Teamwork is extremely important,” Dr. Ernest said. “As a surgeon you can’t create great outcomes without the whole team being invested in the process. While my part of removing the cancer went well, there’s also the anesthesia, the post-operative care, if any of those falls through, we can have a big complication. We want our patients to have a great outcome.”
Dorothy did have a great outcome, but she was especially impressed with Dr. Ernest’s willingness to listen to her concerns. It helped foster trust and made her feel safe.
“I was paid attention to. When I talked about the things that worried me, I was heard. It just made all the difference in the world,” Dorothy said. “This may not be the biggest hospital on the map, but it is in all aspects the best of my experiences. I felt continually safe in an unsafe situation.”
Dr. Ernest said he personalizes care by treating each patient as an individual.
“Even though the cancer may be something you have seen many times before, this is the first time Dorothy had seen something like that. So, you have to treat that with respect and understanding and really listen to where the patient is, what their concerns are, so that you make sure you address the things that are most important to them,” Dr. Ernest said.
“I would highly recommend this place,” Dorothy said. “I knew I was where I was supposed to be, and I knew I was here to heal. The outcome was profound.”
If you or someone you know has a surgical need, we welcome you to contact the compassionate and caring surgeons at San Juan Health Partners General Surgery at 505.609.6300.