Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “Women are like teabags. You never realize how strong they are until you put them in hot water.” Lauren Ferrari, a 46-year-old working mother of two from Danvers, found her strength tested last February when she discovered a lump in her breast that turned out to be cancer.

“I thought I was too young to get cancer, so I was shocked,” she recalls. “My first thought was for my kids and my second was about what I needed to do to get better.” A patient at the NSMC Women’s Center in Danvers, Ferrari was referred to the NSMC Cancer Center for treatment. There, under the care of MGH and NSMC breast surgeon Jeanne Yu, M.D., she had surgery to remove her tumor, followed by radiation and drug therapy. While her treatment was smooth and uneventful, Ferrari did encounter a few—pleasant—surprises. “Going into treatment, I didn’t expect the experience to be uplifting,” she remembers. “But the minute I walked into the Cancer Center my perception changed. Everyone was so warm and welcoming that I immediately felt a sense of camaraderie and connection.”

Creating a comforting, family-like atmosphere is something everyone at the Cancer Center takes seriously, says Dr. Yu. “We pride ourselves on the highly personalized nature of our care,” she notes. “We understand that our patients are people first.” For Ferrari, personal attention was something that, as a working mom, she often couldn’t give herself. She also drew strength and support from the relationships she formed with Cancer Center staff and fellow patients. “I knew that having cancer would change my life,” she says. “I didn’t anticipate that some of those changes would be positive.”

“Many patients tell me that their experience with cancer brings out a strength they never knew they had,” says Dr. Yu. “When I see someone like Lauren go through what is perhaps the worst year of her life and then come through on the other side, ready to move on, it’s very rewarding.” Last June, to celebrate the completion of her treatment and to thank her friends and family for their support, Ferrari hosted a party for 75 women at her home and held a raffle to raise money for the Cancer Center. “It meant a lot for me to be able to show my appreciation for the care I received from everyone at the Cancer Center,” she says. “Their skill, compassion and positive outlook really helped me through.”

This June the NSMC Cancer Center will move to the new Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care in Danvers. The expanded, state-of-the-art facility will enable Mass General and NSMC cancer specialists to extend the latest and most advanced therapy available to North Shore residents. Ferrari says it will make an important difference in the lives of patients just like her. “The NSMC Cancer Center not only saved my life but also preserved the quality of my family’s life by providing worldclass care close to home,” she
says. “The new facility will be a tremendous resource for the North Shore community.”