Sharon Simmons Testimonial

Sharon Simmons was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in 1992 – in the days before MammoSite, sentinel node dissection or targeted therapy for cancers. “So much has changed and is changing every day in cancer care,” says Simmons, who has become a passionate advocate for breast cancer patients since her diagnosis. Looking back at the treatment and care received at Radiation Oncology Associates, Sharon says she realizes that Dr. Gates not only provided state of the art technical treatment, but he gave her the courage to move on from a cancer diagnosis by always answering questions no matter how silly they may have been, and treating her with respect, kindness, and dignity. “I was a whole person to Dr. Gates, not just a breast cancer.”

 

Over the years, that trust and respect hasn’t changed even though Simmons is now the patient of another ROA physician. “The knowledge, concern, and kindness that was evident when I was fi rst diagnosed are still the motivating factors in the care I receive even now 17 years later. Surviving breast cancer has changed my life. I thank the physicians and staff at Radiation Oncology Associates for helping me make that transformation.”