It was February 2019 when Karen Samuels went in for her routine mammogram. “When I got to the age where I could start having mammograms, I never missed my annual appointments,” Karen stated. After her mammogram, she felt something was off and it turns out, her instinct was right. A few days later, Karen's primary care physician called her back and informed her they saw something suspicious on her scans and she needed to schedule a biopsy. Karen had her appointment with Dr. Eduardo Dias, breast surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown, and he informed Karen that her biopsy showed cancerous cells. “I instantly felt the connection with Dr. Dias,” said Karen. “I knew him and his team were going to do everything they could to make sure I was okay.”

Over the next couple of months, Karen and her team of doctors began planning out her journey. Karen decided to receive a mastectomy in hopes of removing the cancer completely. As part of her recovery, she joined a 16-week program at the YMCA with other survivors. “Even if everyone's story is different, you are all connected to one another,”  Karen said. “Because of my team at Ascension Saint Thomas and the YMCA, I never lost hope. I am an advocate for yearly check ups because I know if I didn’t get my mammogram in 2019, I would have caught my cancer too late.”

Be a step ahead of your health! Join Ascension Saint Thomas in Murfreesboro on Saturday, February 12, 2022 for a Galentine-themed mammography event with some special giveaways. Invite your friends and schedule your screening mammograms together.

You can register for this event by calling one of the Ascension Saint Thomas facilities:

Murfreesboro Area:

- Rutherford: (615) 896-1234

Nashville Area: 

- Midtown: (615) 284-5000
- West: (615) 222-3456