It was a mother’s worst nightmare: Your son has severe, flu-like symptoms and an uncontrolled nosebleed that, you learn, is the result of a life-threatening illness. You are new to the community and don’t know where to turn for care. ABOVE: NorthBay Healthcare’s highly trained oncology staff, including Carolyn Bailey, R.N., and James Long, M.D.,…
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You inherited your eye color from your mom and your hair color from your dad. Did one of them give you an elevated risk of cancer, too? That question could now be answered through a new genetic counseling and testing service available at NorthBay Healthcare. Karen Vikstrom, who has more than 15 years of experience…
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Engineer Fascinated by SBRT Treatment When Ford Pray, 89, learned he would have to undergo stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to treat a lung tumor, the retired engineer’s curiosity was piqued. What was this new treatment and how did it work? “Being an engineer by trade I’m curious about everything,” he said. “This experience was…
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In the mid-1980s, the medical staff treating cancer patients at Intercommunity Hospital believed it was time to bring radiation therapy to Fairfield. They presented the idea to hospital CEO Gary Passama and he agreed. It was the first step in bringing advanced medicine close to home. Local physicians, led by surgeon Robert Parker, M.D., approached…
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Pharmacy Down the Hall Delivers for Cancer Patients Oncology Pharmacist Jan Lindsey outside the chemical mixing room. You can’t just walk into this pharmacy and pay for an over-the-counter sinus medicine or bottle of antacid tablets. In fact, the public can’t even walk into this specially designed pharmacy at all. The only clientele served here…
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Cinema Student Shares Story on Camera Orlando Torres, right, was often joined by his brother Leonardo and mother, Esperanza, in the infusion room at the NorthBay Cancer Center. With dreams of becoming a director someday, 20-year-old cinematography student Orlando Torres was much more comfortable behind the camera, until a dramatic diagnosis compelled him to step…
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Overcoming Scars with Reconstructive Surgery Janet Fowler went 12 years without a mammogram. She was busy keeping a roof over her family’s heads and being a caregiver for others, including her boy-friend who had liver cancer. But she knew she was taking a chance with her health. “I could feel a lump and see changes…
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A British study published this year that questions the usefulness of annual screening mammography for women age 40–59 doesn’t take the latest technology into account, says Jason Marengo, M.D., oncoplastic surgeon at NorthBay Healthcare in Fairfield. The randomized study began enrolling patients in 1980, and followed their course for an average of 21.9 years. The…
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Ronnie Link gets a hug from NorthBay Cancer Center nurse navigator Keni Horiuchi, R.N. Left: Ronnie Link gets a hug from NorthBay Cancer Center nurse navigator Keni Horiuchi, R.N. When Vacaville Realtor Veronica “Ronnie” Link received a flier in the mail offering a low-cost lung cancer screening, she didn’t hesitate to accept the offer. Although…
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“In terms of recovery time, breast implant-based reconstruction is often the easiest to physically recover from.” —Jason Marengo, M.D. A diagnosis of breast cancer can be overwhelming. Not only do you have decisions to make for treatment, you also have choices when it comes to breast reconstruction. Until now, cancer surgery came first, and plans…
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