When DeMara Gray learned she had breast cancer, she was understandably scared.
Dr. Ashley Hendrix, a breast surgical oncologist at Regional One Health Cancer Care, treated her with compassion and expertise, and even connected her with genetic testing.
Now, DeMara is back to the life she loves, and she is grateful to Dr. Hendrix and her team for their patient-centered care.
Starting a new job is stressful. Getting a breast cancer diagnosis the Friday before your first day is something most people can’t even imagine.
But for DeMara Gray, it was the first step in a journey where she felt fully supported by her faith in God and by a surgical team that treated her with expertise and humanity.
DeMara was about to start a new job in Regional One Health’s Human Resources Department when she learned of her breast cancer diagnosis. Her doctor told her she would need surgery and recommended surgical oncologist Ashley Hendrix, MD, FACS.
“I asked where Dr. Hendrix saw patients, and they told me Regional One Health. I said, ‘I’m actually starting a job there on Monday!’” DeMara said. “If there was ever a moment when you feel like God is working some things out for you, that was the moment.”
Shortly after DeMara started her job, she had a chance to attend an event Dr. Hendrix hosted during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“I wanted to get a sense of her personality, her bedside manner, whether I’d like her – because if I don’t like you, you’re not touching me!” DeMara laughed. “I saw how she talked about cancer and how she interacted with everyone, and I could just see the love she has for what she does.”
It was yet another sign she was right where she needed to be. If she needed more confirmation, DeMara found it as soon as she met with Dr. Hendrix and her team.
Dr. Hendrix made DeMara comfortable by talking to her openly and honestly about her treatment options – she could have a lumpectomy, where the cancer and surrounding tissue are removed; or a full mastectomy, where the entire breast is removed.
DeMara also met with Sarah Christian, NP, who specializes in genetic counseling and testing for breast cancer patients. DeMara, who is also being treated for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), was worried about what her cancer diagnoses meant for her three children, and was grateful for the opportunity genetic testing offered to understand their risk.
Breast surgical oncologist Dr. Ashley Hendrix helped DeMara understand her treatment options and decide the best path forward.
“I don’t want these cancers to hit my babies,” she said. “I’d been praying for a way to protect them. It was yet another confirmation that I was in the right place.”
Dr. Hendrix also put DeMara at ease about another worry: whether her body was strong enough for anesthesia and surgery. “The leukemia treatment has impacted my heart, and I was concerned about whether I’d be able to get off that table,” she said. “Dr. Hendrix told me, ‘It’s going to be a journey, but you’re going to make it through.’”
With Dr. Hendrix’s reassurance and her family’s support, DeMara made the difficult decision to have both breasts removed.
“I didn’t want the other one to have a chance to kill me,” she said. “I told Dr. Hendrix, and she said, ‘OK, that’s what we’ll do.’ Her matter-of-factness made me think, ‘I just might get through this.’ She has this presence – you feel like it’s all going to work out.”
“That’s the reassurance patients need when they’re going through cancer – the absoluteness of a doctor who knows what they’re doing, but sees you as a whole person,” DeMara added. “When you meet her and her entire staff, it’s amazing how you can feel the empathy and the humanity.”
DeMara remembers getting a call from Dr. Hendrix’s office shortly before she was scheduled for reconstruction with a plastic surgeon.
“Dr. Hendrix said she wanted to see me with her own eyes to know how I was healing, and she gave me some cream to use after the surgery. I asked her why, and she said, ‘Because I don’t want you to look at yourself and always see scars,’” DeMara said. “She didn’t have to do any of that, but she did, because that’s just who she is. She cares.”
These days, thanks to Dr. Hendrix, DeMara sees life as much more than her scars.
She loves her job at Regional One Health, where she uses her compassion and empathy to help employees work through challenging human resources situations.
“I want as many women as possible to have a Dr. Hendrix experience,” DeMara said. “If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer and you need surgery, there’s no one else to do it!”
She enjoys time with her husband of 25 years and her children: her oldest son, who took four months away from work to take care of her; her daughter, who is studying to be an electrical and nuclear engineer; and her youngest, a 9-year-old son.
“My family is everything,” DeMara said. “I enjoy time with my family. I enjoy quiet patio time and working out. Friendship and girl time are huge for me, and so is serving others. Some of my most prized moments have been serving with Junior Auxiliary in West Memphis.”
“No matter what I have facing me, I believe in taking care of other people.”
For DeMara, that means she’s in the perfect place – both as a Regional One Health employee and patient.
“I want to see Regional One Health win because of the work we do, and because of people like Dr. Hendrix,” she said. “I want as many women as possible to have a Dr. Hendrix experience. If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer and you need surgery, there’s no one else to do it!”