Even before Ginna Lent,
57, developed cancer, she
had a certain familiarity
with the disease. Her mother
had colon cancer; her dad,
lymphoma. Her paternal
grandmother and an aunt had
breast cancer. “For some reason,
I always figured if I got it, I
would go to Sloan-Kettering,”
says Ginna, who lives in
Stony Point. “But when I was
diagnosed, I didn’t give it a
second thought—I went to
Nyack Hospital.”
Her odyssey began in May of
2006, after she found a lump
in her breast. Ginna brought
it to the attention of her
gynecologist who performed
a sonogram. That led to a
biopsy at Nyack Hospital’s
Breast Center, where her
experience was “excellent.”
“I liked the idea of being
close to home, in familiar
surroundings,” says Ginna,
a retired early childhood
educator. “At The Breast
Center, the people were
just very friendly. I felt
comfortable and safe.”
Ginna discovered she would
need surgery, chemotherapy
and radiation to remove her
tumor and any vagrant cancer
cells in the surrounding tissue.
For the surgery, she consulted
Lawrence Simon, MD, Director
of Surgery at Nyack Hospital,
whom her aunt and gynecologist
had recommended. She recalls,
“The first thing he said was,
‘Don’t worry, you’re not going
to die of this.’ That gave her the
boost she needed to address
the problem head-on. “I just
did it,” says Ginna, who
adds, “I must say, he did
an excellent job.”
Her next stop was for
chemotherapy, given under
the direction of Robert
March, MD, a hematologist/
medical oncologist who
pursued “a very aggressive”
regime. “I know I went through
some bad days, but when I look
back on it,” says Ginna, “I don’t
really remember that part—
I remember the people. The
best part was the staff—getting
to know them, them knowing
you. We laughed, I made a lot of friends.”
To be sure Ginna was cancerfree,
her doctors completed her
treatment with a seven-week
course of radiation therapy.
Supervising her care was
Margaret Torrey, MD,
radiation oncologist.
“The doctors and staff were
wonderful there, too,” says
Ginna. “Everyone is so much
fun, with a positive attitude.
It wasn’t as difficult as you’d
think. Each treatment was
very quick.”
It’s been about a year since
Ginna’s last treatment for breast
cancer, although she returns to
Drs. Simon, March and Torrey
for regular follow-up exams.
“It’s not like once you’ve had
your treatment, it’s over,” she
notes, “They’re still taking care
of me, still watching over me.”
You’d think that after such
intensive cancer therapy, Ginna
would want to get as far away
from the hospital as possible.
But that’s not how she looks
at it. “In a way, you miss the
camaraderie of other patients
after your treatment is over,”
she explains. “It was such a
big part of my life for a year.
It’s nice to go back for a visit
to see everyone again.” Ginna
also attends a support group
that meets twice a month in
the Hematology/Oncology
Department at Nyack’s Union
State Bank Cancer Center.
“I started going when I found
out I had cancer,” she says,
“and I’ve been going ever since.
It’s really helped me with my
healing process.”
Just returning to a normal
daily routine gives Ginna a lot
of pleasure. “When I finished
my treatment, I wanted to
do this and do that. I wanted
to skydive. I talked about
getting a tattoo. It was like a
rebirth. But as time went on,
I mellowed. I’m going back to
my simple life again, just being
able to get up every morning.”
Hour-long walks through her
neighborhood or a hike at the
county park help to “clear
my head.” Or Ginna will go
cross-country skiing or sledding with her husband, Ron, with
whom she has a married son.
When it gets too cold, she’ll
retreat indoors and enjoy
reading something by
Mary Higgins Clark or
Nicholas Sparks.
“I remember when people
would come up to me when
I was in treatment and say,
‘I’m so sorry.’ I’d say, ‘Don’t
feel sorry for me. I’m lucky the
cancer was caught.’ I did great
through the whole thing. I’ve
told other people about Nyack
Hospital. If I had it to do it over
again, that’s where I’d be.”
