'I would never have known I had cancer if I hadn’t have gotten my mammogram'
Bunny Cramer-Carter first started care at Salem Hospital in 2013 after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Following a mammogram in May 2023, Cramer-Carter learned she now had cancer in her other breast, requiring surgery. Dr. Patricia Luckeroth performed a lumpectomy that August, and additional tissue was removed during a second surgery in September.
“Working with Dr. Luckeroth was a really positive experience,” Cramer-Carter said. “She’s very capable and talented.”
Finding cancer faster
Cramer-Carter credits her care team for catching the cancer early.
“I would never have known I had cancer if I hadn’t have gotten my mammogram,” she said.
Cramer-Carter also worked with radiation oncologist Dr. Matthew Kang in both 2013 and 2023.
“Dr. Kang is outstanding,” she said. “A cousin of mine had prostate cancer last fall. I told him, try to get Dr. Kang, and he did. Dr. Kang is just amazing.”
Cramer-Carter said her entire team made everything from scheduling to treatment an easy process.
“They’re so good about keeping up on all that,” she said.
Full-service care
Cramer-Carter said she continues to utilize the services through the Cancer Center, including yoga and therapy.
The patient notes having a therapist available was especially valuable when she lost her mother right before surgery.
“To be able to talk to a really personable woman was really amazing,” Cramer-Carter said. “Just to have that ability . . . I can’t tell you how much I’ve valued that over the last year. It makes you feel so much better and so much stronger.”
The next chapter
Now, Cramer-Carter is looking ahead. She currently works in agriculture statistics and is considering retiring soon to spend more time with her husband. In the meantime, she’s keeping busy with gardening and quilting.
The patient said she would recommend care at Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics to anyone.
“It just seems like the whole package is so good,” she said. “They’ve really dialed into making it as comfortable and less scary as possible.”