Penny’s Story
When Penny discovered a change in her breast after Thanksgiving dinner in 2023, she never imagined it would lead to a two-year journey through chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery for stage 3 breast cancer.
“I went from a mammogram one week to hearing ‘stage three’ the next,” she recalls. “It all happened so fast — but I had the best care team I could ask for.”
That care team was at Health Sciences North, where compassionate professionals guided Penny every step of the way — from diagnosis to recovery.
Her oncologist, Dr. Mittal, became her “project manager,” as she fondly calls him. “He’s phenomenal — bright, compassionate, and calm. He told me, ‘We’ll take it one step at a time,’ and that’s what we did.”
After eight rounds of chemotherapy, Penny underwent a double mastectomy performed by Dr. Bhatia, followed by 16 rounds of radiation under Dr. Shehata.
“Every doctor, every nurse — they were all incredible,” she says. “Even the volunteers and receptionists would stop to ask how I was doing. Everyone cared.”
Penny says she’s most grateful that she could receive world-class cancer care close to home in Sudbury.
“People asked if I’d go out of town for treatment,” she says. “But I had everything I needed right here. I could go home every night, sleep in my own bed, and be surrounded by family. That made all the difference.”
Thanks to the generosity of donors, new CT and PET scanners at HSN meant she never had to wait for critical imaging — scans that showed her cancer was responding to treatment.
“Because that PET scan was available right away, my radiation plan changed — it literally spared me more treatments,” Penny says. “That technology, that speed — it’s saving lives.”
Today, Penny is celebrating one year cancer-free. She still faces side effects and ongoing monitoring, but her outlook is full of hope.
“I feel fantastic. Every day I get up, exercise, and thank God I’m here,” she says. “Compassion saved me — from my doctors, from everyone at HSN, and from the people who give so others can have this care close to home.”
Your compassion makes stories like Penny’s possible. Every piece of equipment, every comfort, and every moment of hope in our Cancer Centre is powered by you. Thank you for helping patients receive life-saving care right here at home.