Published: October 23, 2009 11:52 pm      

Routine test saved woman’s life

Linda Hardin of Nanty Glo gives a thyroid doctor credit for her surviving breast cancer.

Hardin said it was during a yearly appointment to have her thyroid checked that her doctor asked when she had last had a mammogram.

When Hardin admitted it had been a couple of years, the doctor wrote a prescription to have the test done.

She went to Johnstown Breast Cancer Center and had the procedure the same day.

“This would be a day that would change my entire life,” she said.

Although the test seemed normal to Hardin, it was anything but.

“I had micro-calcifications,” she said. “There were no lumps to give any signs of cancer.

“If my thyroid doctor had not ordered the mammogram, I could have been in very bad condition later on. Dr. William Pruchnic saved my life.”

Hardin made an appointment with Dr. Gerard Garguilo, who discovered cancer after a biopsy.

The 57-year-old said she initially thought the worst.

“When you think of cancer, you think you are going to die,” Hardin said.

“I asked my doctor, ‘Is it time to order the casket yet?’ and he said ‘No,’ ” Hardin recalled.

She had a lumpectomy, followed by radiation, but against the advice of her doctor opted out of chemotherapy treatment.

That’s a decision, she said she doesn’t advocate for other women.

But the cancer had not spread and Hardin was concerned that she would miss too much work if she had chemotherapy. Hardin, who is employed at Mundys Corner Sheetz, is a single woman who needs her job and enjoys the work.

All seemed well and Hardin passed her fifth-year cancer checkup with flying colors.

“I thought I was home free,” she said. “But there it was again. The mammogram showed a line of micro-calcification and I needed more surgery.

“I always say, ‘I might have cancer but cancer doesn’t have me,’ ” Hardin said.

“As a sign of hope, I wore a feather boa to my surgery.”

Again she opted out of chemo and said she had no pain or illness due to the cancer.

She said her family members, friends, coworkers, employers and church members have been very supportive.

Hardin especially appreciated the care of Garguilo, whom she calls her “special angel doctor.”

“He is so kind to all his patients,” she said.

She is also grateful to the Almighty.

“I really think God gives you ways to cope,” she said.

Although life is back to normal for Hardin, it is not quite the same.

“Things that people think are so important, after you’ve had cancer it doesn’t seem as important,” Hardin said.

Her goal these days is to remind women not to neglect their health.

“My prayer is that every woman who is over 40 has a mammogram,” she said. “Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t be afraid of cancer.”