What do I have to do?
Mary Torres uttered those words when she first learned what was wrong.
She recalled Friday being diagnosed with breast cancer as a matter of fact, much like the way she reacted to the news, choosing at the time to focus on the fight ahead with a sense of optimism. Despair was not an option.
What helped her along the way? A positive attitude and a patient navigator.
The 62-year-old Edinburg native’s life changed suddenly in November 2021 when she went in for an annual check-up.
A week later she received a letter from DHR Health stating her mammogram had come back abnormal. She was then sent for a follow-up mammogram; however, the appointment wasn’t until January due to COVID-19.
The second exam came back with the same results.
The process from that point on can be scary for many people in that situation, but Torres didn’t allow any doubt to enter her mind.
It also helped having someone in health care walk her through the process every step of the way.
That’s where Sylvia Granados came in.
Granados, 32, has been working at DHR Health in Edinburg since May. She began her work in the oncology department and by the end of June she started working with Dr. Lisa Chapa, a surgeon, and her cancer patients.
Now she works as a patient navigator who helps guide cancer patients through the course of their treatment and recovery.
For Torres, she was a godsend.
“When I met her I could see the compassion she had not just for me but for her patients,” Torres said, adding that Granados helped her through every step of her treatment with patience and grace. “She made my worries go away.”
Granados added that a navigator’s main goal is to help ease the process for patients.
“In the medical aspect, when the patient gets the diagnosis they get a to-do list with all the exams they have to do and another to-do list with all the doctors they have to see,” Granados said. “… It is very important to have a patient navigator to not only schedule appointments like MRIs and ultrasounds and mammograms, but also to help them have a game plan, to have an advocate that helps you understand.”
According to Granados, all navigators are nurses who received certification to work as a patient navigator. They use their expertise as nurses to answer patient questions about their diagnosis, treatment and any other questions they may have.
She explained she tries to be available to her patients at all hours.
“We just want to make sure that no patient ever falls through the cracks, no patient is ever left behind. We are here to make sure that everybody is seen at the proper time, everyone is getting the proper care at the proper time,” Granados said.
At DHR Health, each doctor has their own patient navigator that assists them with patient care.
Granados said the process begins with an hour-long meeting with the patient in which they discuss the diagnosis and treatment plan.
She and the patient will then review the “to-do” list given by the doctor, where she talks to them about the preparation for each hospital visit. She will provide the patients with her phone number so they have direct access to her.
She calls patients once a week to check up on them and ensure they follow their treatment plan.
“In my experience, I think it just helps patients take control of their care,” Granados said, adding that a diagnosis like cancer requires a person who can be on call to provide information and help guide a patient through their treatment. “I feel like it brings comfort to them to know that they’re not alone.”
Although she helps with the medical aspects of treatment, Granados is not just a medical professional to her patients but also a shoulder to lean on.
She explained that on a few occasions she has spent hours with her patients, allowing them the time to cope and express their worries and fears.
‘THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO US’
Torres knew something was wrong when her oncologist scheduled three biopsies after her second mammogram.
At the end of the week she received a call from her doctor informing her that she had cancer in her breasts. But to the doctor’s surprise, Torres was positive and refused to let cancer take control of her life.
She recalled thinking, “Whatever the news is, I have to be strong and move forward.”
From the get-go, Torres was determined to beat it and, for the next five months, she went through chemotherapy with six sessions every three weeks.
When she had completed the chemo she was then able to undergo surgery with Dr. Chapa.
This is when she met Granados, her patient navigator. Torres was told that navigators assist patients in both the medical and emotional aspects of cancer treatment.
She explained that Granados’ compassion and love for her work and patients made her feel secure and cared for during her treatment.
Both Torres and her husband felt relieved and grateful to be provided with a navigator because it made their journey manageable.
“She is the best thing that ever happened to us,” Torres said gently.
Granados would call her on a regular basis to check up on her, her treatments, and even offered to help get her results in a more timely manner.
“I would call her at least once a week to touch base with her, and she would call me to see how I did with my other appointments … she was always there,” Torres said, adding that Granados would also motivate her to continue to be positive.
Torres went into surgery on Aug. 24 and returned to work as a clerk three weeks later at Canterbury Elementary School in Edinburg, with an even more positive attitude than before.
“I was so hyper the first day, my boss kinda bumped into me and I said, ‘Sir can you move over because I am back,’” Torres said with a laugh.
On Sept. 2, she received news that she was cancer-free and had now moved onto the remission phase, which consists of 25 sessions of radiation followed by targeting therapy.
As of Friday, Torres had completed her 14th day of radiation.
“I feel so lucky and so blessed to have gotten a second chance in life. As of right now, I feel great, I feel amazing, I feel like a million bucks,” Torres said. “You have to have faith and you have to have determination in order to cross the finish line.”
Although not quite done with her treatment, Torres remains positive and keeps in contact with Granados, who checks up on her after each radiation session.
“We put our lives in their hands and they take it to heart and they take care of us,” Torres said, expressing gratitude for Granados.
Editor’s note: This story’s headline was corrected to reflect that Torres is a clerk at an Edinburg school.
