When Shannon Swickard found out she had invasive breast cancer, she knew her active lifestyle was about to change. Just twenty-nine years old and a dedicated pediatric physician assistant, Shannon has always enjoyed running, traveling, and working at a local hospital.
“Being a healthcare provider at the time of my diagnosis was a blessing and a curse,” she says. “I knew what the next steps were going to be, and I understood a lot of the medical language that coincides with that diagnosis. But I had seen the effects of cancer before, and I also understood all of the things that could go wrong.”
A few months before her diagnosis, Shannon discovered a lump in her right breast and went to see her primary care physician, who ordered tests and imaging. She had a biopsy shortly after.
“When I saw the results come in on the online portal, I reviewed them immediately,” she says. “That’s when I saw that it was breast cancer.”
After receiving the news, Shannon first called her mother. Knowing she needed the best care available, she chose MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for her treatment, and made an appointment with Jennifer Son, MD, FACS, a breast surgeon.
“As a young healthcare provider, Shannon reminded me of myself,” says Dr. Son. “We went over all the options and possibilities for treatment and talked through her choices. I wanted to make sure she didn’t feel rushed in making a decision, just as I would want if I were in her position.”
“Dr. Son treated me like a colleague,” Shannon says. “She was calming and reassuring, and she didn’t just see me as a patient she would be operating on—she saw me as a young woman with breast cancer.”
After discussions with her medical team—including plastic surgeon Kenneth Fan, MD—and additional oncology consultations, Shannon decided on a two-step procedure: a lumpectomy and breast lift to remove the cancer, followed by a double mastectomy.
With the two-step series, she would avoid radiation and chemotherapy. “It was definitely the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” she says. “I knew there was no going back.”
Dr. Son performed the lumpectomy alongside Dr. Fan soon after Shannon’s diagnosis, and Shannon was able to resume her usual activities about eight weeks after the procedure.
“With newer mastectomy techniques, we are able to preserve the entire breast envelope,” says Dr. Son. She performed a nipple- and nerve-sparing double mastectomy for Shannon shortly after her 30th birthday, allowing her to maintain as much physical sensation as possible.
At the ten-month mark after her surgery, Shannon was feeling happy, healthy, and strong—and she was back to being active. She had already resumed running and even started practicing yoga regularly. She continued to see Dr. Son for check-ups every six months to ensure the cancer did not return.
Today, Shannon is still feeling her best and remains committed to her active lifestyle.
“When you have cancer, a lot of your decisions get taken away,” Shannon says. “I really believe that you should always work with providers who include you in all decisions and make you feel like part of their team. That’s how I felt with my entire team at MedStar Georgetown, and I am so incredibly grateful for each of them.”
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