Joan Tremitiere

Beats Her Breast

Cancer Odds
When Joan learned she had a
malignant tumor in her right breast,
she was determined to have a positive
attitude.

When Joan Tremitiere learned she

had a malignant tumor in her right
breast, she battled cancer head-on
with a sunny disposition, prayer and
the support of her friends and family.
My mother, her sister and two of
their cousins had breast cancer,
says Tremitiere, a registered nurse at
Bluffton-Jasper Volunteers in
Medicine (VIM). I wasnt taking any

chances. Knowing her family history, Tremitiere faithfully examined

her breasts monthly and never failed to schedule her annual
mammogram.
When a suspicious white spot turned up on her mammogram ten years
ago, she feared the worst. But a stereotactic biopsy revealed just a
breast calcification. In 2012, technicians at Beaufort Memorial Bluffton
Medical Services again found an unusual shadow on her mammogram.
I figured it was another calcification, Tremitiere says. I wasnt all
that worried. She came back to BMH for a breast biopsy. The day
after, Dr. Perry Burrus called to inform her that the tissue sample
revealed a small cancerous lesion in her right breast.
When Dr. Burrus told me, I went right into nurse mode, says
Tremitiere, who spent most of her career working in an operating room.
I was worried about it, but I was calm and determined to have a
positive attitude.
The next week she was back at Beaufort Memorial for a breast MRI.
After reviewing the results, Dr. Burrus recommended a lumpectomy to
remove the lesion and a lymph node biopsy to see whether the cancer
had spread beyond her breast tissue. There were moments when I

was down, Tremitiere concedes. My biggest fear was that it was in

my lymph nodes.
Tremitiere was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the
most common type of noninvasive breast cancer. The tumor measured
less than a quarter of an inch. Fortunately, we caught it early, she
says. All the lymph nodes were negative.
Four weeks after surgery, she began radiation. Throughout her
treatment, radiation oncologist Dr. James McNab met with her to
discuss her progress. He spent as much time with me as I needed,
Tremitiere says. He explained everything and answered all my
questions.
Today, Tremitiere is cancer-free. I cant say enough good things about
the staff at Beaufort Memorial, Tremitiere says. They really seemed
to care.