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This story is part of William Osler Health System’s (Osler) Doctors Making a Difference campaign featuring Osler doctors who are going beyond to improve our community’s health.
Dr. Roberta Minna, William Osler Health System’s (Osler) Chief of Surgery, made a world of difference to Kerry Greco at a moment in her life when her worst fears were realized. Kerry had just learned that she had breast cancer.
“My family had no history of breast cancer, so when a routine mammogram at age 50 was scheduled by my family doctor, I wasn’t worried, until I was sent for a breast biopsy,” said Kerry, a high school teacher and mother of two. “A week later I was sitting in Dr. Minna’s office with my husband awaiting the results. I was terrified.”
Dr. Minna immediately put Kerry and her husband at ease with her comforting words and caring and compassionate demeanor.
“When you hear the word “cancer”, you think it’s all over,” said Kerry. “But with Dr. Minna, I could tell I was in good hands from the moment she walked in the room. She leads with humanity, so I knew right away I was with someone I could trust.”
Kerry came through Osler’s Diagnostic Assessment Program (DAP), which is a Cancer Care Ontario-funded program that streamlines the care of patients with breast cancer by using a multi-disciplinary approach to diagnosis and management. A meeting between the patient and a surgeon and medical oncologist is scheduled in the DAP clinic within a week of a biopsy.
It was at this initial meeting that Dr. Minna and Dr. Henry Conter, one of Osler’s medical oncologists, walked Kerry and her husband through the plan for her next steps, which included chemotherapy, a single mastectomy and a lumpectomy.
“To receive education about the breast cancer and treatment plan at that meeting, coupled with the compassionate care, was huge,” said Kerry, who subsequently underwent pre-operative chemotherapy at Brampton Civic Hospital followed by surgery at Etobicoke General Hospital.
For the Woodbridge resident, having access to high quality cancer care close to home was significant. “My treatment affected not only me, but the people caring for me, including my husband, best friend and sister, so it meant everything to have that care available within 15-25 minutes of home.”
Dr. Minna, who has worked at Osler since 1999, is proud of the care that Osler provides for patients with breast cancer. “We partner with our patients and let them know that we want the same thing that they want – for the cancer to go away and not come back, and we have lots of resources available to try to achieve that.”
She’s particularly proud of the collaboration between surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists to deliver the best possible care to patients, noting that they work as a true team to map out patient care in a collaborative way, including patients and their families in the care plan.
“We’re very fortunate to have such great collaboration across Osler sites all with a common goal of helping patients. It takes a great deal of teamwork so that patients experience a seamless and positive health care journey, with everyone across all disciplines striving for the same great patient outcome.”
Dr. Minna notes that Osler has one of the largest surgical programs in Canada, staffed with about 200 surgeons and surgical assistants who deliver outstanding quality outcomes for their patients. The program runs 22 operating rooms between three sites daily and increasingly performs day surgeries thanks to improvements in pain management and surgical techniques.
“Given that government funding doesn’t cover hospital equipment, much of the equipment we use in the surgical program is funded through community donations to Osler Foundation. Without that support, we would be hard-pressed to get some of the new and innovative equipment we use in our program to improve patient care and attract and retain new talent.”
Dr. Minna’s patients often have as profound an impact on her as she has on them.
“A lot of patients are really struggling with a crisis in their life, and I have learned so much from them about human strength. They’ve taught me a lot about stoicism, and I feel privileged to be involved with their journeys. Their resilience is a constant reminder to just keep doing what I’m doing.”
In August 2023, Kerry received the words she and everyone who cares for her were waiting to hear – she was cancer-free. And she is thrilled that Dr. Minna will be continuing to follow-up with her over the next five years to ensure she stays that way.
“Every time I met with Dr. Minna, she cared for my entire wellbeing. She appreciated the gravity of it all, understood my concerns beyond cancer, and never took anything I shared with her lightly,” said Kerry. “I feel that one of the greatest gifts I have received throughout this journey is being blessed to have her as my physician and surgeon.”
Read about more Osler doctors making a difference.
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