Charlotte-area community advocate La Becky Roe spends her days full of causes and people she cares about. She leads the non-profit “Let’s Talk About it – The Autism Center” and it is hard work, but it’s personal as she is a mother to an adult son on the autism spectrum. Despite her busy lifestyle, she has created a routine around her health care. Each year, she gets a mammogram and annual well-woman visit in October. But in 2024, she got busy and figured she would sit out a year, because she had one the year before. However, after reminder texts, emails and letters in the mail from Atrium Health, she realized she had missed her 2023 mammogram. With the new information of a missed mammogram, she made scheduling her screening a priority.
La Becky’s early breast cancer diagnosis
Shortly after her 2024 mammogram, La Becky received a phone call asking her to return for additional scans.
“I was a little afraid at that point,” she says.
Once the scan was completed, the radiologist told her she needed to have a breast biopsy. She underwent the biopsy on a Friday and was told she’d get her results by Monday. On Monday, her primary care provider called to let her know her results came back as malignant, but thankfully, they’d caught the cancer early.
La Becky’s primary care provider referred her to Atrium Health Levine Cancer, where she met with Dr. Lejla Hadzikadic-Gusic, a breast surgical oncologist. Hadzikadic-Gusic explained to La Becky that her cancer was classified as stage 0, or ductal carcinoma in situ, the earliest it can be detected.
“Mammograms can detect small changes in the breast, even in a year,” says Hadzikadic-Gusic. “Having regular mammograms allows women who might have an abnormality in their breast to find it early and treat it immediately. In La Becky's case, it was detected before it became invasive, therefore allowing her to have many treatment options, most of them significantly less aggressive than they might have been if the cancer had been invasive.”
Hadzikadic-Gusic explained La Becky’s treatment options and her recommendations, which included a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous tissue, followed by radiation therapy.
La Becky had lumpectomy surgery in December 2024. In February 2025, she began three-and-a-half weeks of daily radiation.
“It was rough at first,” she says. “I appreciate the fact that my doctors listened to me. Anything I said I was feeling or experiencing, they took the next step to ensure nothing else was going on. I felt like I was in good care.”
While radiation therapy was not easy, La Becky appreciated getting to know others undergoing treatment and the warm welcome she received each day from the radiation therapy team.
“When I walked into the radiation therapy office, the staff made me feel welcomed,” she says. “They made the experience extraordinary. After completing treatment, I went back to thank them. They made a world of difference to me.”
After radiation, La Becky learned that no further treatment was needed because the cancer was detected in its early stage.
“We do know that early detection results in improved oncologic outcomes, so I would recommend that women continue to get annual mammograms and if they detect a change in their breast, even if they recently had a mammogram, they should bring this up to their primary care provider and seek additional imaging,” says Hadzikadic-Gusic. “Earlier detection might be the difference between chemotherapy or not or a larger and more aggressive surgery versus a smaller one.”
Support in survivorship
La Becky is thankful for the survivorship care offered by Atrium Health Levine Cancer.
“The level of access to care has far exceeded my expectations,” she says. “It is not just about treatment ending, it is about continued healing and support. I’ve had the opportunity to attend support groups, where I can connect with others who understand what I’ve been through. I took part in nutrition classes that helped me rebuild strength and make healthier choices. I even explored acupuncture, which has been helpful in managing lingering side effects. Perhaps one of the greatest blessings has been the ability to sit with a therapist and speak openly about my concerns, fears and hopes for the future.”
She adds, “Levine Cancer has created a holistic approach to survivorship, one that sees me not just as a patient who had cancer, but as a whole person who deserves to thrive after cancer. For that, I am truly grateful.”
Mammograms save lives
Looking back, La Becky is grateful she didn’t skip her 2024 mammogram.
“I had something foreign invading my body and had no clue,” she says. “As women, we carry so many things and we put so many people first. Take care of yourself. Mammograms are a form of self-care and they could save your life.”
Learn more about breast cancer care at Levine Cancer.
