Heather Port of Asheville and her mother, Janine Knight of Kernersville, share a very special bond. When Heather was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, she was a young mother with two small children. She chose to be treated at Wake Forest Baptist’s Comprehensive Cancer Center because she believed our physicians and comprehensive breast cancer program offered her the best opportunity for a positive outcome.
Heather and her husband decided he and the children should stay in Asheville so their lives would be disrupted as little as possible. Her mother became her caregiver and provided emotional support throughout her surgery and radiation therapy.
Even though genetic testing showed she did not carry the breast cancer gene, Heather decided to have a double mastectomy. With young children to raise, she didn't want to worry about a recurrence of breast cancer.
Fast forward four years to Spring of 2012. A routine mammogram detected a malignancy in Janine's breast. Because of the excellent care her daughter had received at Wake Forest Baptist, Janine also decided to be treated here. She, too, opted to have a double mastectomy and did not need radiation or chemotherapy.
Both mother and daughter are doing well and are enjoying life without breast cancer.
Patient Story - Breast Cancer Survivors Heather Port and Janine Knight
Heather Port of Asheville, NC and her mother, Janine Knight of Kernersville, share a very special bond. When Heather was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, she was a young mother with two small children. She chose to be treated at our Breast Care Center because she believed our physicians and comprehensive breast cancer program offered her the best opportunity for a positive outcome.