Draudy Griffis of Jesup, Ga., had her first mammogram on October 22, 2013
at age 65. Not one to frequent the doctor’s office because as she
puts it, “I was never sick,” she just thought her nipple turning
inwards on her left breast looked a little funny. Griffis figured a doctor
would perform a quick exam, tell her she was fine and send her on her
way. Instead, she found out she had stage 2 breast cancer.
It was a shock, and for a woman who rarely went to the doctor, Griffis’
calendar quickly included appointments with several, including Duane P.
Moores, M.D., Ph.D., board-certified medical oncologist at Southeast Georgia
Physician Associates-Hematology & Oncology, and Kenyon M. Meadows,
M.D., board-certified radiation oncologist with Southeast Georgia Physician
Associates-Radiation Oncology, both strategic affiliates of Southeast
Georgia Health System.
“Dr. Moores always gave me hope,” says Griffis. “You
can talk to him and he’ll really listen to you. It was like talking
to a friend. I don’t much like doctors, but I like him. The same
with Dr. Meadows. They are two of the nicest people you will ever meet,
and they go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable and have
what you need.”
After undergoing a mastectomy, Griffis was prescribed three weeks of chemotherapy
followed by 36 days of radiation. Her treatments began in December 2013
at the Cancer Care Center on the Health System’s Brunswick Campus.
She says, “It was like family taking care of me. They made me feel
good, even when I didn’t. The nurses were out of this world, particularly
Clara. She was always there for me and my family.”
Three years later, Griffis reflects back on why she never had a mammogram
prior to her cancer experience, “I was scared to have it done. Now
I have a different perspective and have learned my lesson. I know it is
better to take care of myself by having a mammogram and not wait. I hope
this never happens again, but if it does, I will go back to Southeast
Georgia Health System in Brunswick.”