Jennifer Winstead

In 2014, Jennifer Winstead discovered a lump that she thought was kind of unusual and, certainly, nothing she’d seen before, so her doctor suggested she get a mammogram right away.

“I came to Baptist and they recommended I do a mammogram ultrasound and then eventually a biopsy,” says Jennifer. “When we found out it was definitely cancer, they went into action. They highly recommended my surgeon, Dr. Alyssa Throckmorton, and she was excellent. She in turn recommended Dr. Drew Dill, an oncologist who specialized in my form of cancer, and just got the ball rolling on everything.”

In fact, Jennifer was very impressed with all the doctors at Baptist Cancer Center and the level of care they provide.

“Dr. Throckmorton is not only experienced and knowledgeable and comes highly recommended, but she is also very caring and compassionate,” says Jennifer. “Unfortunately, breast cancer is very common and since my diagnosis, people I know and some that I don’t, who had heard about my experience have reached out to me for recommendations. So I’m glad to say that several people we have known have also used Dr. Throckmorton, Dr. Dill and many of the same people who worked with me. The minute you walk in the door, they just make you feel so good and comfortable, and are just so caring and compassionate.”

Jennifer’s husband, William, was also very involved in Jennifer’s treatment as her support and advocate, and he was impressed with the online patient portal that helped them stay connected with Jennifer’s doctors.

“A lot of people are probably hesitant about doing a lot of online stuff, but I think that the patient portals, having access to your health records and being able to communicate with your doctor is invaluable,” says William. “If it’s one o’clock in the morning and you need to send a text message or you need to send an email to say ‘this is what I am experiencing, what should I do,’ this portal is just an easy way to do that.”

Jennifer’s daughter, Kate, agrees that the doctors, nurses and support staff at Baptist Cancer Center and the treatment her mother received there could not have been any better.

“I was in second grade when my mom got diagnosed so I didn’t know much about what was going on then,” says Kate. “But I did know that the chemo definitely helped her, and that she’s here because people at Baptist were able to help her.”