texas oncology more breakthroughs. more victories
Some of our cancer centers may have important notifications found on the location page. View More Important Notifications x

Local Breast Cancer Patient Nears Recovery

Publication: Greenville Herald-Banner

When Karla Jacks had her regular annual mammogram in May 2019, her doctor saw no cause for concern, but only six months later, after returning from a two-week cruise, she noticed a bruise on her left breast. After a few days, the bruise showed no sign of healing so she went in for another exam – and on Dec. 4, 2019, she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

While the rapidly spreading cancer took her by surprise – since her last mammogram showed no signs of the disease and there was no history of hereditary breast cancer in her family – she and her oncologist, Dr. Meera Shreedhara, acted just as fast as the cancer and tried several different treatments.

Now, almost a year after her diagnosis, Jacks said she is looking forward to finishing radiation treatment on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and being able to “ring the bell” at Texas Oncology–Greenville Lou & Jack Finney Cancer Center – a customary celebration for completing one’s treatment at the center.

“Yeah, nothing was detected when I had my May mammogram, so we really didn’t understand how it came so suddenly,” Jacks told the Herald-Banner. “It was just really fast-growing, and it was stage 3 because it had spread into my lymph nodes on my left side.”

Despite the shock to Jacks and her family, she quickly decided to fight her cancer head-on.

“We were really emotional, and me and my husband (Shane) can hardly talk without crying … but I just decided from the beginning that I was gonna beat this cancer, and I kid with my daughter (Mikaela, who is a nurse at Hunt Regional Medical Center in Greenville) about living to see my grandbabies,” Jacks said warmly.

Jacks’ willingness to try different methods of treating her cancer has been greatly appreciated and admired by her oncologist.

“Karla is very focused and determined and she’s been open to trying a variety of treatment techniques,” Shreedhara told the Herald-Banner. “With her, we started with chemo, then went on to surgery, and she’s now on radiation therapy.”

Of her treatments, Jacks said, “The chemo had no effect on what had spread into my lymph nodes, so I ended up having a double mastectomy in July. After that, radiation has been working much better and has been much easier on me.”

Another challenge that Jacks has had to deal with during her cancer battle is trying to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One of the things that makes Karla’s cancer unique is that it’s happening during the pandemic,” Shreedhara said. “But, Karla’s situation is an example of why it’s important for women to continue with their regular screening and to not let the pandemic deter them from it, because cancer is much easier to treat if detected early.

“Hers is also an example of how cancer care can be done effectively during a pandemic,” Shreedhara added.

In addition to stressing the importance of women to continue with their breast mammograms in the wake of COVID-19, Shreedhara also encourages members of the community to make sure they’re getting screened for other kinds of cancer, especially since lung and skin cancer are the most common kinds seen in Hunt County.

“The importance of screening for all types of cancer is always close to our hearts … because there is a high rate of lung, head and neck cancers in Hunt County, largely due to cigarette smoking, and the long months of uninterrupted sun exposure make us, in Texas, more susceptible to cancer if we don’t use some kind of sun protection,” she said.

On Thursday, Nov. 5, Shreedhara and other local physicians will speak in a panel discussion presented by Hunt Regional Healthcare about lung health. The program will include a dinner, which will be served at 5:30 p.m., with the panel/information session following at 6 p.m., and will be at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center.

People who would like to attend the lung health panel are asked to RSVP by calling 903-408-1065, sending an email to fdalbey@huntregional.org, or online at www.huntregional.org.

As she nears recovery, Jacks looks forward to being able to get out more and returning to work as secretary to the Como-Pickton ISD Superintendent’s Office.

Read the full story at Greenville Herald-Banner.

Related Physicians