Jane Owens went in for her yearly mammogram on August 2, 2023. Two days later, she was called back to get more detailed pictures, and then again to have biopsies taken and tested. Jane hoped the results would be insignificant. Unfortunately, the biopsies came back positive for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS).

Thankfully, Jane knew she was going to receive world-class care just 30 minutes from her home in Guntersville at Huntsville Hospital Breast Center. The kind of care she wished her mother could have received when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1964.

“At that time there were no diagnostic tools and no treatment,” Jane said. “She did not survive and passed at age 51. Early diagnosis is the key to allowing treatment before the cancer has spread.”

The high-tech 3D mammography machine that made early diagnosis possible for Jane was purchased by donors to the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund. “This fund has put diagnostics and treatments into the hands of all people regardless of socioeconomic status or insurance status,” Jane said. “Without this fund, there would be many women who would not be able to have the diagnostics and treatment that is needed for them to survive.”

But it wasn’t just the equipment that impressed Jane – the care and concern from our employees left her in awe. Jane was quickly introduced to our Breast Center team, including a nurse navigator who would help her prepare for a double mastectomy.

“From the time of biopsies to the diagnosis of positive for breast cancer, I felt each staff person leading me gently in the direction toward hope,” Jane said. “Each one gave a complete explanation of what to expect, and then what those results meant when the time came.”

“A huge thanks to all of the people who have helped me along this path,” Jane said. “God has sustained me throughout this journey. I am very thankful.”