Linda Rowley
Linda ROWLEY is a biological mother of four, an adoptive mother of seven, and a breast cancer survivor. Linda explains that she chose to adopt “to improve the lives of children. We can love these kids, feed them, and give them an education.” Linda teaches all her daughters and sons to be proactive in staying healthy and get regular check-ups, because for Linda’s breast cancer, early detection was key.
Linda learned the importance of early detection from her own mother and grandmother. She had watched both experience the life-threatening disease. She received her own diagnosis after a routine check-up at Intermountain’s Riverton Hospital and was referred to the Janice Beesley Hartvigsen Breast Care Center at Intermountain Medical Center, where a sonogram and a biopsy revealed Stage One breast cancer.
Within six weeks of the diagnosis Linda was cancer-free. Early detection and an interdisciplinary system of breast cancer care allowed her to move quickly through treatment and to know that she did not need to have chemotherapy or radiation. “I was very lucky,” she said. “Early detection saved me.”
Linda says her experience as a patient at Intermountain was exceptional. “All my care was excellent. When you have all this information, and someone to talk to who can answer your questions, it makes all the difference.” The staff still calls every couple of weeks to remind her of follow-up visits to Oncology. “With me, I get busy with all my kids, so it’s nice to have someone call and help keep me on task,” she said.
Because of Linda’s active role in protecting her health—with support from the team at Intermountain—she can continue being a mother to children around the world as she welcomes two more little girls from China into her growing family.
Intermountain’s emphasis on promoting health—whether through early cancer screenings, nutrition counseling, or disease management—is key in helping patients get back to what matters most: their lives.