The Avon Foundation Comprehensive Breast Evaluation Center at Mass General offers the most advanced breast imaging, surgical screening and pathology services available. Yet many patients arrive for a biopsy or lumpectomy full of apprehension, fearing a cancer diagnosis or already coping with one.
Helping to ease the anxiety and reassure patients are Erin Olsen, Colleen Spinos, Deanna Fiantago, Rosanne Transfaglia and Lesley Gonzalez, the center’s radiology technical assistants. They are warm and welcoming to patients, their families and friends, and with skill and care they transport the patients between the center and the pre-operative areas.
At the center, a patient may undergo a mammogram and an insertion of a fine wire needle into the breast, a step that requires the patient to remain still for up to 45 minutes. Many may then face a long, stressful wait for a surgical procedure later that same day.
As the technical assistants transfer each patient between imaging and day surgery, their respectful and compassionate treatment empowers patients. Their kindness and competence relieve patients’ anxiety and encourage them to have a positive attitude toward treatment.
