In the Spring of 2005, Karen Gold of Ipswich was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and highly aggressive disease. Shortly after her diagnosis, Gold began receiving the first of 52 weekly infusions of Herceptin, an anti-cancer therapy treatment used primarily with breast cancer patients. At the same time, she began 16 weeks of chemotherapy, which was followed by a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and then six weeks of radiation treatment. Most people would want to distance themselves from that experience once it was over, but Gold, a 41-year-old high school English teacher, cannot stop talking about her care at the North Shore Medical Center's Cancer Center in Peabody.

"People look at me cross-eyed when I talk so passionately about my experience. Cancer is a foreign country that you never want to go to, but if you're thrust into that land, NSMC's Cancer Center is where you want to be." Gold, who was treated by oncologist Dr. Karen Krag and radiologist Dr. James McIntyre, describes her caregivers as having "a mixture of brilliance and compassion. "Her superlatives extend to every level of care at the Cancer Center, from Rose Watson the receptionist, to Tracey Adams, whom she refers to as "my beloved chemo nurse." "I went to the cancer center every Wednesday for a year and it got to the point where I looked forward to it," Gold added.

UPDATE:  Gold still looks forward to her visits to the NSMC Cancer Center, even if they are much less frequent. But that's a good thing: she now goes a full six months between check-ups.