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Article Category: PeopleCare

BelindaCare

Former Music Teacher Composes Victory Over Cancer

Published on September 01, 2020

Last updated 03:14 PM October 15, 2020

Belinda Momon playing percussion.

Belinda Momon

Belinda Momon has been making music her whole life, encouraging elementary students to build good character, serving as band director, playing percussion and traveling with her church choir. There’s little that can stop this lifelong teacher and Douglas resident.

When Belinda was diagnosed with breast cancer, she knew she could fight it with the same passion she always applied to music. And her victory over the disease became her most important composition.

It all began as a pact between two sisters. After losing their mother to cancer, Belinda and her sister vowed to get mammograms every year. In 2017, everything looked normal until Belinda found a lump.

It was a Friday evening, and Belinda wasted no time and saw her physician.

At  Wellstar Douglas Medical Center's Imaging Center, the new mammogram confirmed she had cancer, underscoring the importance of paying attention to your body and discussing any changes with your doctor.

“My sister battled with breast cancer twice. She said ‘if I can get through this, you can get through this,’” Belinda remembers. “I felt encouraged.”


Personal care at every step

Belinda, who had just wrapped up her 30th year teaching, now had to draw up the same courage she had always instilled in her students.

“There’s so much life that I still need to live,” she said. “I’m not allowing breast cancer to stop me.”

As Belinda started her fight against cancer, she met a nurse navigator at Wellstar Douglas Medical Center who survived breast cancer herself. The nurse helped her make connections and appointments with cancer specialists. At Wellstar, personal connection is at the core of every physician, nurse and team member, extending beyond the walls of our hospitals. 
 
Belinda began chemotherapy treatment to shrink the tumor before surgery. She went to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center for a mastectomy — a full removal of the breast tissue and lymph nodes. Here, all her previous exams were readily available thanks to Wellstar’s electronic medical record, allowing for a seamless transition between facilities.

In the months following her surgery, Belinda underwent a daily schedule of radiation on the Wellstar Cobb Medical Center campus in Austell. The treatment drained her energy, but not her determination to live life to the fullest.

There’s so much life that I still need to live. I’m not allowing breast cancer to stop me.

- Belinda Momon

Breast Cancer Survivor

An educator at heart

Now cancer-free, Belinda is passing forward everything she learned as the VP of the Lean on Me Cancer Support Foundation.

“I’ve met people I would never have met if I hadn’t gone this walk. I encourage you to keep smiling. Our hair will grow back. We’re going to go back to work. We’re going to love our families,” she said. “Stay encouraged; it’s not a death sentence.”

Belinda retired from teaching, but education is still at the heart of her current role at the Douglas County School System, where she works part-time for the as an induction coach. In this position, she mentors early career teachers and helps them navigate the challenges of the classroom.

And Belinda’s advice for every woman?

“My prayer is that people get themselves checked out. Do not ignore it,” she urged. “Partner with physicians and the Lord and do what’s best for you and keep a smile on your face.”

Have you had a mammogram?

Screening for breast cancer at regular intervals can help catch breast cancer earlier — before symptoms appear — for better outcomes. Learn more about mammograms and find a location near you. Or call (678) 581-5900 to schedule your mammogram now.

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Kennestone Hospital Douglas Hospital Cobb Hospital
Cancer Care
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Ashley was able to recover from cardiac arrest and walk down the aisle.

PeopleCare

AshleyCare

In March of 2021, Ashley Martin suffered cardiac arrest, which kills about 90% of people when it happens outside of a hospital. Thankfully, she was already at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center receiving the compassionate care she’d been seeking to address a long list of symptoms.

Everything began at a hectic time in Ashley’s life. She was 30 and had just gotten engaged. Wedding planning had started with the help of her fiancé and their two young boys. The hope had been to have the wedding toward the end of 2021. But the unexpected happened.

“I was always healthy,” she said. “I grew up playing sports. I was a runner. I used to get headaches, but that was the extent of my medical history.”

Finding the right care when there is more than one symptom

Symptoms of what would ultimately be diagnosed as Guillain-Barré syndrome began in February of 2021. This rare neurological disorder causes the body’s immune system to attack the nerves. 

Ashley started experiencing tingling in the tips of her hands and feet, which moved up her legs and arms as days passed. When intermittent numbness became a symptom, Ashley went to a hospital near her Peachtree City home. A clean CT and MRI meant she went home with plans to see a rheumatologist.

As she waited for her first appointment, she started feeling numbness in her feet.

“At one point, I took a step down the stairs and went tumbling down to the concrete floor,” Ashley said. 

On another trip to the hospital near her home, Ashley was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, but treatment was unsuccessful. The numbness continued, spreading to her face. She began using a walker and, soon after, a wheelchair.

“The paralysis had moved to my abdomen,” Ashley said. “I went to sleep one night and woke up abruptly gasping for air.”

Compassionate medical care at a pivotal point

 Later that night, an ambulance brought Ashley to Wellstar Kennestone, where she would finally get the specialized neuro care she desperately needed. She was admitted to the Neurocritical Care unit, staffed by physicians, nurses and a medical team with specialized training in neurological conditions.

Upon arrival, she underwent respiratory failure due to paralysis spreading to her diaphragm. She was stabilized, but shortly after that, she experienced sudden cardiac arrest — the abrupt loss of heart function that stops blood flow to the body.

After a critical care nurse administered CPR, Ashley’s heart started beating again. Life support medications were given to keep her heart pumping.

“The neuro ICU nurses and doctors saved my life,” she said.

Later, her attending neurologist explained that the stress of her nervous system and immune system fighting, paired with respiratory failure, caused such high stress that she had a cardiac arrest.

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Doing good CPR is critical to save someone from cardiac arrest.

PeopleCare

KevinCare

There aren’t many people out there who can say they survived cardiac arrest at 30. Kevin Miskewicz can.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 90% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die. Those who survive often have permanent neurological disabilities. But Kevin’s story has an incredibly fortunate ending, thanks to the highly coordinated work of his medical experts at Wellstar.

Recovering from cardiac arrest is something Kevin will never forget. It lives forever as a piece of his health history — one that includes a dedicated healthcare team — and his wife, who was the first to save his life.

There aren’t many people out there who can say they survived cardiac arrest at 30. Kevin can.

CPR to the rescue

Kevin woke up on Labor Day 2017 at 5:30 a.m. to take the dog out. Pausing to adjust the thermostat as he came in, he fell, knocking over a lamp.

He was in cardiac arrest.

With no symptoms and no known pre-existing condition, this was unexpected, but that didn’t stop his wife, Andrea, from jumping into action.

“If it weren’t for me knocking over a lamp when I passed out,” said Kevin, “she would have never woken up and saved my life.”

In addition to calling 911 and unlocking the door for the paramedics, Andrea performed CPR for 10 minutes.

“Kevin’s wife doing good CPR was critical,” said Dr. Arthur Reitman, the interventional cardiologist who was a vital part of Kevin’s treatment team at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center. “More than five minutes of poor blood flow to the brain can result in permanent irreparable injury from which a patient is unable to recover.”

Coordinating multidisciplinary care to save a life

When paramedics arrived at Kevin’s home, he had no pulse and was not breathing. As the paramedics performed their lifesaving work, he technically died two times.

The ambulance took him to Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, where he was initially assessed and treated by Dr. David Jacoboff. The interventional cardiologist implanted an intra-aortic balloon pump to stabilize him. Then, he transferred Kevin to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center for highly specialized heart care.

When Kevin arrived at Kennestone by helicopter, his heart function wasn’t strong enough to support his body. Dr. Reitman and a team of doctors including a cardiologist, a pulmonologist and critical care doctors worked in tandem to put Kevin on an advanced life support system called veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Better known as VA-ECMO, it took the heart “offline” so it could heal. The technology removed unoxygenated blood from his body, oxygenated it and pumped it back in for the next three days.

“Very few places in the state — only four or five hospitals — have the technology and specialized training to put a patient on ECMO,” Dr. Reitman explained.

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Headshot photo of Mary Chatman, Wellstar and Georgia Hospital Association logos

Newsroom

Mary Chatman, Executive Vice President of Wellstar Health System and President of Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar Windy Hill Hospital, Named Chair-Elect of the Georgia Hospital Association Board of Trustees

Mary Chatman, PhD, RN, executive vice president (EVP) of Wellstar Health System and president of Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar Windy Hill Hospital, was named chair-elect of the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) on Nov. 10. Chatman, who has served on the GHA Board since February 2020, will lead the Board in developing strategies for GHA hospital members, advocating for the highest quality care for patients and supporting adequate reimbursement for hospitals. 

“Mary Chatman is a visionary leader whose vast leadership skills have benefited Wellstar hospitals and the communities they serve,” said GHA President and CEO Earl Rogers. “She is a strong patient advocate and we look forward to her expertise and leadership of our Board.”  

In addition to serving as a Wellstar EVP and president of two of the system’s hospitals, Chatman oversees the operations of the seven other Wellstar hospitals. In 2020, she led the opening of Wellstar Kennestone’s new emergency department, the largest in the Southeast.  

Prior to serving in her current role, Chatman was the chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, where she was responsible for managing the 654-bed hospital and its nursing operations. She also served as interim chief information officer for Memorial and completed the electronic health record conversion to EPIC.  

This year, Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Chatman to the state’s Healthcare Workforce Commission, where she has helped address challenges in the hiring and retention of healthcare workers.  

Chatman has been recognized locally and nationally as a prominent leader and strong patient advocate in health care. Atlanta Daily World recognized her among the 2018 Women of Excellence. Diversity MBA Magazine named her among the 2018 Top 100 Under 50 Executive & Emerging Leaders and 2020 Top 100 Women of Influence. Profiles in Diversity Journal named her a 2020 Women Worth Watching® in STEM award winner. Chatman was recognized by Atlanta Magazine among the 2021 Women Making A Mark honorees and by Becker’s as one of the 75 Black Healthcare Leaders to Know 2022. She was also named the 2020 West Cobb Citizen of the Year for serving on the frontlines for Cobb County, fighting COVID-19 and collaborating with local leaders.   

Chatman is deeply involved in the community, serving as board member for United Community Bank and active in the fight to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. She is a member of the American Nurses Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives. She earned her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

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