Ameilia Gopie, a new mother who had recently overcome postpartum depression, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She described the day she received the news as the longest of her life. Ameilia underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy before meeting with Stuart Samuels, M.D., Ph.D., a radiation oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Plantation.
Dr. Samuels explained the treatment process: “The primary treatment for breast cancer is surgery to remove the disease from the body. But radiation is used to sterilize the area where the cancer was, where there could possibly be microscopic disease left behind.”
The new Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center facility in Plantation now offers advanced cancer treatment options for patients who require radiation therapy. According to Dr. Samuels, “The machines here are really state-of-the-art. Basically, the most advanced X-ray technology that exists, we have here. We have access to all of the clinical trials that are at the main campus are also available here. So, if you have a unique cancer or a rare cancer. Or we’re trying to understand how to reduce the radiation or increase the radiation, whatever it may be, we have those same options here that we would have downtown. Between the comprehensive cancer care, really the expertise that we have here in this facility, we’re really able to create something very special here.”
Ameilia expressed appreciation for the care she received: “That’s the facility you want to work with, someone that cares for you as a human being.”
She encourages other women to prioritize their health and get regular mammograms. “Taking care of yourself is a real thing. Just like you put on nail polish, and you comb your hair, and you put on deodorant, it’s a real thing. Go to the doctor, get yourself checked. That would be my message,” she said.
Now, after her treatment and recovery, Ameilia is grateful for the time she shares with her three-year-old daughter, Allana. “It was just amazing to be like, ‘I’m a mom.’ I’m just extremely blessed,” she said.
