Patient Stories
A doctor with a mission
Shannon Markegard, DO, a VMC Family Medicine physician, has experienced both the heartache of a late stage breast cancer diagnosis within her family as well as the victory of early detection.
"My recommendations are influenced by personal experience: My mom died of breast cancer at age 38 and I have numerous patients diagnosed with breast cancer in their 30's and 40's who have beaten this disease. I want to find this cancer early so women have a greater chance of surviving.
"I, along with most healthcare providers, will continue to recommend annual screening mammograms starting at age 40. Mammograms, along with clinical and self-exams of the breast, are all vital in detecting breast cancer early. For this reason, I refer my patients, as well as myself, to The Breast Center at Valley Medical Center. I have full confidence in their digital mammogram equipment, technicians and expert radiologists.”
