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Southington Woman Discovers She Has Breast Cancer (Again) After Pandemic-Delayed Screening

September 30, 2021

According to the American Cancer Society, one out of eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life. Early detection is key, but the pandemic has caused some women to put off their yearly screening.

Sharon Faucher of Southington is one of those women. She finally went in for a screening in May, only to discover there was an issue.

“The radiologist comes in and explains to me that I have three areas of concern and that they need to do a biopsy and testing,” she said.

Faucher was then diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer, a devastating blow for the 66-year-old who was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and underwent a mastectomy.

“The emotion was so different than the first time,” she said. “Back then, I was scared. This time I was not only scared, but I was angry.”

Faucher who had a mastectomy in June, credits the team of professionals at the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at The Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC) with saving her life and walking her through the process.

“Dr. April Duckworth is an angel of an angel. She was right by my side the whole time,” Faucher said..

Dr. Duckworth, breast surgeon at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, says the pandemic has affected some of the cases she’s seeing.

“It seems since COVID started,” she said, “people are presenting with more advanced disease because they felt a lump during the height of the pandemic and weren’t able to get in to see their doctor or they were hesitant to go to imaging facilities to be seen.”

Dr. Duckworth says women should start getting an annual mammogram at age 40, but for those with a family history of the disease, they should consult with their doctor and start screenings even earlier.

“If you do have a family history, take the age of the youngest person who was diagnosed and subtract 10 years from their age. That’s when you should at least start getting a clinical breast exam,” said Duckworth.

Faucher says there was no lump associated with her most recent diagnosis, which is why women need to schedule their yearly screenings.

“That’s why it’s so important to get the appropriate screenings before it’s the size of something that you can feel,” Dr. Duckworth said. “The earlier you catch something, the better the outcome. If it’s small you can treat it with surgery and the less likely you are of having to go through chemotherapy.”

Faucher encourages every women to be mindful of their health and make sure they are being proactive. “Just get your mammogram. I’m telling you, it can save your life,” she said. “I can’t say enough about Hartford HealthCare. I’m in awe and I thank everyone who was part of my recovery.”

Dr. April Duckworth is a breast surgeon with The Hospital of Central Connecticut. For more information, call 860.224.5416 or click here.