Patient touched by the outpouring support from a doctor she had never met
In June 2022, Shelley Gyldenvand, Waconia, had an appointment for her routine mammogram. She had recently noticed a visible change in the shape of her right breast. “I wasn’t too worried since I didn’t feel a lump, but I mentioned it to the technician,” Shelley said. Her primary care provider had recently retired, so when she was asked who the results should go to, Shelley was uncertain.
The receptionist mentioned that many of her provider’s former patients were now seeing Rebecca Baudoin, MD, Western OB/GYN, A Division of Ridgeview Clinics. “Sure, I would rather they are sent to a doctor than just put into my file,” Shelley responded, never anticipating that her mammogram would reveal breast cancer. Those results were confirmed in the weeks that followed by a breast ultrasound and a biopsy, which prompted an unexpected phone call from Dr. Baudoin.
A compassionate call from a caring provider
“It was Friday night, the week of July Fourth, when I received a call from Dr. Baudoin saying, ‘I have never met you, but I have been receiving a lot of your test results, and I imagine you are feeling overwhelmed right now.’ We chatted a bit and I asked her what her role in all this would be. She responded, ‘I don’t really have one. You will mostly work with your oncologist and surgeons to remove the cancer, but I want you to know I’m here for you.’ I was just so touched,” Shelley explained. “We spoke for over 30 minutes. I was blown away that she took the time to make that call to someone she had never met, especially on a Friday night of a holiday weekend.”
In the months that followed, Shelley had a double mastectomy and radiation to treat her cancer. “I was amazed by my entire care team at Ridgeview — the imaging specialists, surgeons, oncologist and radiation oncology team. It truly felt like they were all collaborating to put together the best possible plan for me,” Shelley said.
Months later, the two meet
By November 2022, Shelley thought it was a good time to schedule her annual wellness visit — where she met Dr. Baudoin for the first time. During the visit, Shelley discussed the possibility of having a total hysterectomy. Given her history of breast cancer, Dr. Baudoin agreed it would be a good idea but Shelley would need to wait until she healed further. She was also anticipating breast reconstructive surgery, which was scheduled for six months after completing radiation.
Where there was a will, Dr. Baudoin found a way
“Time after time, for every request I had, Dr. Baudoin worked to support me. I asked if the hysterectomy could happen at the same time as the reconstructive surgery and Dr. Baudoin worked with the plastic surgeon to coordinate that. Since I would be recovering from the two surgeries, she was committed to performing as minimally invasive of a procedure as possible to avoid making any abdominal incisions when removing my ovaries,” Shelley explained. “She also went to bat for me when I encountered difficulties with my insurance company.
“I don’t know how I would have gone through this without Dr. Baudoin. Although she didn’t have a role in my cancer treatment, she was very much a part of my journey — from that incredibly caring first phone call to her determination to ensure the hysterectomy was a success a year later,” Shelley said, “I just want others to know how great you are, Dr. Baudoin, and how much I appreciate you.”
Schedule your mammogram today
According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. Mammograms are recommended annually for women over the age of 40.
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