Cancer free six months later

By Muriel J. Smith              

For all of you who followed my five part series on breast cancer, cryoablation, and the trial that may well reduce surgeries for some women, it has been six months since I had the simple procedure which consisted of a radiologist inserting a frozen needle into my breast and killing the cancer that was sitting there.

Although the oncologist, the radiologist, and most of all me, all knew the cancer was long gone, it’s part of the trial procedure to have a mammography six months after to be scientifically sure.  Also as part of the trial, I would meet with the oncologist who had given me the option of having her perform surgery or the radiologist eliminating cancer with the needle.

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Meeting the Ice-Cure family in Israel

By Muriel J. Smith

Editor’s note: In this fifth and final article in her series about her breakthrough treatment for breast cancer, Muriel Smith shares her visit to the Israeli company, Ice-Cure Medical that invented the procedure.  Paint the Town Pink

Israeli Ice-Cure Medial staff with Muriel Smith at the cyroablation console, with one of the gifts Muriel brought for the staff to remind them where Centra State Medical Center is. Standing left to right: Maya Yurista- QA Manager, Odelya Eliyahu- Office Manager, Ravit Attali- Clinical Manager, Muriel, Gabriel Cohen- VP R&D Manager, Iris Firer- Accountant, Shahaf Yehuda -Production

My trip to Israel went off without a hitch. Traveling with friends from Our Lady of Perpetual Help/St. Agnes parish, on a tour with a travel company which had previously taken me to Greece, Turkey, Ireland, and Italy, the trip could only be made more exciting for me now that I knew I would be meeting with the people who had invented the procedure and equipment to perform cryoablation…freezing to death the breast cancer that had been discovered only 47 days before it was ablated.

Sue Jebsen, the nurse who traveled the United States with the equipment used in this trial procedure, and Will Irby, Ice-Cure Medical’s key person in the USA, had made all the necessary contacts and explained to me that while the staff in Israel had seen and spoken with physicians who had done the procedure, they had never had the opportunity to meet with a woman who had undergone it. Sue was in the room when Dr. Kenneth Tomkovich had performed the approximate 45-minute procedure which killed the small tumor in my right breast. It was she who first called that evening to see if I would meet with the staff in Israel while on my trip.

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Killing Breast Cancer in 21 minutes, Everything happens for a reason

By Muriel J. Smith

Editor’s note: This article is the fourth  in an exclusive series of Muriel’s inspiring and hopeful message after dealing with breast cancer. Paint the Town Pink!

Muriel Smith and her grand-daughter Becca Marie

 February 2! Cryoablation Day. By 11:00, the breast cancer I had only known I had for 47 days would be dead in my chest and I’d be on my way to keep a luncheon date with a friend.  Having had procedures and tests at Centra State Medical Center several times in the past, I knew they called you a day in advance to remind you of your appointment. When I had not received a call by 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 1, I called the hospital to be sure my procedure was still on schedule. They laughed good naturedly at my excitement and assured me everything was right on target and I was scheduled to be called sometime after 4 p.m. to verify it. I did get the call at 4:01 p.m.

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47 days, coincidences and counting

By Muriel J. Smith

Editor’s note: This article is the third in an exclusive series of Muriel’s inspiring and hopeful message after dealing with breast cancer

It was Dec. 18, a week before Christmas, I learned I had breast cancer. But it was little. The tumor couldn’t be felt by Dr. Mary Martucci, the surgical oncologist at Centra State Medical Center, who examined me. But it could be seen on the ultra sound. And confirmed by the biopsy. And it was located pretty well directly in the middle of my right breast.

On the other hand, I was at the Star & Barry Tobias Women’s Health Center at Freehold’s Centra State Medical Center where radiologist Dr. Kenneth Tomkovich was involved in a nation-wide trial procedure. I fit the criteria to participate in it. Even better, Dr. Martucci, the  surgeon who would have done the lumpectomy had I opted for that option, said that whichever I chose…surgery or the trial, cryoablation, would be ok. A surgeon who certainly put her patient first! And I was grateful.

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So That’s What Cancer Looks Like

By Muriel J. Smith

Editor’s note: This article is the second in an exclusive series of Muriel’s inspiring and hopeful message after dealing with breast cancer

It was Nov. 25, two days after my 79^th birthday, when Dr. Ann Hughes, the interpreting radiologist for the Star and Barry Tobias Women’s Health Center at Central State Medical Center, wrote to let me know my mammogram showed a finding “that requires additional imaging studies.”  The radiologist sent the same information to Dr. Robert Pedowitz, my general practitioner, who immediately called me. He wanted me to see Dr. Mary Martucci, the medical director and surgical oncologist at the Women’s Center. I’m not saying it’s cancer, he cautioned, simply that he would like an oncologist involved right from the get go. Just in case.

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