Battling Breast Cancer: Tara Ernske’s Story

As a nurse, Tara often helps patients deal with life-threatening illness. But when a lump was discovered during her yearly gynecological appointment in January 2014 and she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 30, Tara suddenly found herself on the other side of the experience.

During the breast exam portion of her yearly gynecological exam, Tara’s doctor felt a lump. A baseline mammogram did not show anything, and so an ultrasound was ordered next. The ultrasound confirmed that the lump was not a cyst.

Tara was referred to Dr. Mark Cripe, DO, a breast and melanoma surgeon with OhioHealth. Dr. Cripe ordered a biopsy, which showed that the lump was breast cancer – stage 1, grade 2 invasive adenocarcinoma.

After an MRI following the breast biopsy, Dr. Cripe sat down with Tara and her family, to present them with all of the information about her diagnosis as well as all of her treatment options.

“Really, with breast cancer, there are a lot of options,” explains Dr. Cripe. “It’s not just a one size fits all.”

After hearing all of her options, Tara chose to have a double mastectomy (surgical removal of the breasts), which went very well.

When she would come in for her follow-up visits, Tara was glad that the first questions her doctor asked were always about how she was doing as a person, not about her diagnosis.

In the end, Tara says she can’t say enough words about what was done for her.

“Thank you for taking the cancer away from me.”

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