Empowered by early detection: Lindsey Behrends’ journey to breast health

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For Lindsey Behrends, MercyOne’s Free Mammo Night changed the trajectory of her life.

“I now have power over what potentially could have been my genetic downfall,” she said. “I mean, I could have gotten cancer and so far, I'm cancer free.”

The Cedar Falls native remembered walking past the MercyOne Waterloo Breast Center when she was pregnant and on her way to OB/GYN appointments.

“I always thought it was so cheerful and pink when I walked by there,” she said.

So when it came time for her first mammogram, she quickly grabbed a spot during MercyOne’s annual Free Mammo Nights for women ages 40 and older who have cost-related barriers to receiving their yearly mammogram.

“I had no idea what to expect, but the MercyOne team was very nice, it was decorated so cute and they were all so cheerful,” she said. “They even gave us a package with pink fingernail polish and just some fun things like that. It was just really well thought out and put together.”

Through the event, Lindsey discovered she had Category 4 dense breast tissue. That, paired with family history, qualified her for MercyOne’s High-Risk Breast Cancer Screening program. She was assigned a breast care navigator who helped create a surveillance plan, which included annual mammograms and MRIs to monitor potential changed to her breast.

She also started mapping out her family’s health history. Lindsey contacted extended relatives over social media and found cancer was more common in her family than she realized. After talking with her MercyOne provider, she opted to do genetic testing.

That’s how she found out she was a BRCA1 carrier, a gene mutation that puts someone at a higher risk of developing breast, ovarian, prostate and other types of cancer.

After weighing her options, Lindsey decided to have both a prophylactic hysterectomy and prophylactic double mastectomy.

“I would rather have my kids see me go through a surgery that I choose and is on my own time rather than getting a lump, having chemo and radiation, and having a scary surgery that I don't get to choose on my own accord,” she said.

Now that she is on the other side of her health journey, Lindsey is thankful for the guidance, care and help she received through MercyOne.

“The care I've received at MercyOne has given me a lot of peace and a lot of hope in a situation that a lot of people would think is hard to go through,” she said. “But I felt 100% supported the whole time. It hasn't been scary – honestly, it’s been kind of interesting, and I've really learned a lot.”

This experience helped Lindsey better take control on her health – and she hopes more women do the same.

“Self-care is more than just bubble baths,” Lindsey said. “I feel like I can take charge of my health a little bit more now that I started the path of getting my first mammogram, doing them consistently every year, having my MRI's and staying on top of it. It’s just part of taking care of myself now.”