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As a result of the epidemic and the state’s greatest transmission rate ever, thousands of patients in Washington are waiting for elective operations and treatments.
Patients waiting for non-urgent operations question when they will receive care, as hospitals are overburdened with unprecedented case numbers.
“I just want to get back to normalcy. I’m sure I’m not the only one “Shannon McAndrews, a cancer survivor is waiting for a surgery that will bring an end to a lengthy road that began with her diagnosis of stage two breast cancer.
“It would be a game-changer. I’ve been yearning to put this behind me since the day I was diagnosed. I lost my mother to metastatic breast cancer when I was 20 years old, and I understand the toll it can take on your family “McAndrews stated.
McAndrews is expected to be diagnosed in April 2020. She now resides in eastern Washington, but she grew up in western Washington. Shannon stated that she believed she would receive the greatest care in Seattle and chose to begin her treatment there. She flew back and forth for 20 weeks of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and a second operation to remove malignant lymph nodes from both armpits. She stayed in Seattle with her two small children for five weeks to undergo daily radiation therapy.
“Fortunately, we had a family member over there who accepted us into her house, kind of took us in and took care of us while my husband stayed in eastern Washington and worked and generated money for our family and our medical costs,” she explained.
McAndrews’ final step toward a cancer-free life was reconstructive surgery, which he had after completing radiation therapy. She stated that the treatment would include using tissue from her stomach and transplanting it to her chest.
“The process takes 10-12 hours and involves numerous surgeons due to the size of the surgery and the length of time it takes,” McAndrews explained.
It’s a difficult appointment to acquire. And once she did, physicians had no choice except to postpone it. This was due to a record number of COVID-19 cases overwhelming hospitals around Washington, prompting the state to halt all elective procedures.
