How Do You Say Thanks for Saving a Life
Date: April 27, 2008

Although breast cancer took the life of her grandmother, Paula Wachsteter was not particularly diligent about scheduling an annual mammogram. So, when Floyd Medical Center’s Mobile Mammography Coach came to her workplace, she didn’t think much about signing the roster to be screened.

It was the convenience–and her co-workers–that led Paula, a clerk in the Floyd County District Attorney’s office, to decide to take advantage of the service that sunny, mid-November day.

“I didn’t have to drive. It was right there. I thought, 'All I have to do is walk across the street.' I just went along with the crowd,” Paula said.

It was a life-changing and life-saving decision.
The screening mammogram detected a potential breast health issue. Within 24 hours a Floyd staff member called Paula to schedule a follow-up appointment at The Breast Center.

“I wasn’t expecting results the very next day,” Paula said.

Within a week, Paula was diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a lumpectomy and had lymph nodes removed. And, she vividly remembers the phone call she received from her surgeon, Dr. Ryland Scott.

“He said, ‘the lab report on the lymph nodes came back stone cold clear,’” she said. There could not have been a better Thanksgiving gift.

Because her cancer was detected early, Paula has a 98 percent survival probability.

There are many other Paulas in Northwest Georgia, and it is stories like hers that compel Floyd to continue to establish programs and seek community partnerships to ensure that the health care, social and economic needs of our service area are addressed.

Why does Floyd invest time, money and energy into providing these services?

At Floyd, we believe it is our mission, which is “to provide the communities we serve with a comprehensive and technologically advanced health care system committed to the delivery of care that is characterized by continually improving quality, accessibility, affordability and personal dignity.”
It is a mission demonstrated daily that produces undeniable results.

“I’ve never wanted to life as much as I do right now,” said Paula, who has become an ardent supporter and energetic speaker on behalf of the Mobile Mammography Outreach Program. “If Mobile Mammography hadn’t been there–that’s a scary thought.”

Paula’s involvement in the program is her way of giving back, because, she said, words just aren’t enough.

 “How do you tell someone ‘thanks’ for saving your life?”

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