“I felt a lump in my left breast for two years. I was tested and when the results came back my gynecologist said I want you to see this surgeon, Dr. (Randall) Schrager,” said Jacqueline Guagliano of Farmingville. “This was in April 2003. My doctor said, yes, it’s cancer. I’ll never forget – my whole body shook from the top of my head down to my feet.”
“My husband and I were separated and divorced, got back together, and remarried in June of 2003. We wanted to have the surgery done before we remarried. On May 27, 2003, I had a lumpectomy and eight lymph nodes were removed. Then I had to go back for general radiation to the breast. I love Dr. (Martin) Silverstein – God sent. I had 37 treatments to the breast and then I was told I was cancer free. So here I am – thrilled.
“In 2008, cancer showed its ugly head again. It went to my rib and back– in the bones. I was Stage 4. We treated the cancer with general radiation. I was cancer free in 2009.
“In 2011 it went into my spine. I felt comfortable with having radiation. My daughter Amy came with me and I had CyberKnife for the first time at a center further away. I’m looking at this machine and I’m going ‘wow.’ This machine is amazing. I had three treatments in 2012.
“In March 2017 I found out it’s in my bones. Not in one area, but a lot of areas. Here I am, four times. Who survives cancer four times? I had to pick my radiation oncologist and of course I picked Dr. Silverstein, and I heard Dr. Silverstein has Precision CyberKnife. It’s incredible. Why put your body through surgery when you can have Precision CyberKnife? Five treatments and you’re done. That pain in the middle of my back from the cancer, it would take my breath away. After five treatments, the pain was gone.
“There is nothing better than CyberKnife from Mather Hospital. It’s not only for prostate. It was comfortable in treatment, pain free. It was non-invasive and did not require anesthesia. I was able to immediately return to work after treatment. What is so important for cancer patients is how you feel when you first walk in. It’s about your faith and positivity. When you walk into somewhere like Precision CyberKnife in Setauket, you know you are being taken care of. Everybody cares.”
Precision CyberKnife of NY offers advanced treatment for cancerous and noncancerous tumors. This non-invasive, non-surgical approach to care delivers highly concentrated beams of radiation to the tumor with submillimeter accuracy and real-time tracking, sparing healthy tissue.