Get Your Annual Mammogram | Deb's Breast Cancer Story

 
When Deb Dalton made an appointment for her annual mammogram, she did not expect the call saying she needed a biopsy, and she especially did not expect the call saying she had Stage II Breast Cancer. Deb decided to trust Dr. Darrell Saunders and the team at Mon Health Cancer Center in Morgantown, WV for her breast cancer journey. 

Deb made her annual appointment for her mammogram in March 2021. After her mammogram provided abnormal results, she came back to Mon Health for a biopsy. On April 2, Deb received a call that what they had found was cancerous with a diagnosis of Stage II Breast Cancer, and that surgery was required to remove it. 

"I asked my surgeon, Dr. Todd Tallman, what I should do, and he recommended only removing the cancerous area, so that's what I decided to do," Deb said. "He called the night before to tell me it had moved to my lymph nodes and that he had changed his recommendation. On April 15, I went into surgery to remove my right breast." 

After Deb's modified radical mastectomy on her right breast, she spent the night in the hospital and was discharged the next day. Thankfully, her limitations were minimal immediately following the surgery. 

"It's amazing how many people have gone through this," she said. "A friend of my sister had recommended Dr. Darrell Saunders for my cancer treatment, and I can see why." 

Deb started her first set of chemo treatments with Dr. Saunders, Board-Certified Oncologist at Mon Health Cancer Center on June 1. She recently finished her second set of chemo treatments on September 7. 

"Dr. Saunders knows what he's doing, I can't say enough about him. He's a well-rounded doctor and person," said Deb. "The ladies in infusion are always on top of their game, too. They are the most caring group of people I've ever been around. On my seventh treatment, my pulse rate got very high, so Dr. Saunders sent me to the ER. Trish in infusion sat with me in the waiting room for 20 minutes while I waited to go back, and that left a big impression on me." 

After finishing chemo treatments with Dr. Saunders, Deb has now transitioned to radiation treatments with Dr. James Littles, Board-Certified Radiation Oncologist at Mon Health Cancer Center. She will receive treatments five days a week until all 33 treatments are finished. 

"Today, I'm in a really good place. Every day I feel better and stronger," she said. 

Deb was born and raised in Morgantown where she has worked as a Kindergarten Aide for the past 30 years. She has a son and a daughter who both work in education as well. She has been married to her husband, Ted, for over 40 years and together they share three grandsons. 

"Everyone at Mon Health has been great. They all know what they're doing and they spend time to talk to you and make you feel comfortable. If I have to go through this scary experience, I did it at the right place. God put me there, and they made the scariness go away," Deb said. "Remember that you're just as important as anyone else, and it's okay to take care of yourself. Get your annual mammogram." 

To learn more about the Mon Health Cancer Center, visit MonHealth.com/Cancer or call 304-598-6578. To learn more about your annual mammogram and schedule today, visit MonHealth.com/Mammogram.

Related Physicians

• Tallman, Todd E., MD, FACS