How One Mammogram Led to Three Sisters Being Diagnosed with Breast Cancer 

Dorethea Ray started her day the same way she has every day for the last 24 years.  

She got in her car and drove to the Methodist Comprehensive Breast Center in Germantown, Tenn. to start her day as a mammography technician.  

Dorethea spends her workday helping patients get screened for breast cancer, something that should become routine for most women by the time they reach age 40.  

But on this day, in December of 2023, it was Dorethea’s turn to become a patient.  

Because of her personal history and results from a previous breast biopsy, she was referred to have a diagnostic mammogram—a type of test that focuses on an area of concern within a breast instead of taking general overview-type images of each breast.  

The imaging that day revealed a suspicious lesion, and it would need to be biopsied and sent to a lab to test if it was benign or cancerous. This wasn’t too surprising for Dorethea because she had a few of those over the years, all proven to be non-cancerous.  

Dorethea went about her normal routine for the next few days until she got her biopsy results back. 

She was shocked at the results.  

Dorethea pulled her phone out, opened a group chat and typed out a text to her three sisters as she tried to process what she just learned.  

“I just got results back from my surgery. It came back as cancer,” the text read.  

A few days later, she talked with her doctor to learn what would happen next.  

She would need to undergo a lumpectomy at the Methodist Surgery Center in Germantown—a procedure that removes the suspicious area inside the breast along with some of the surrounding tissue.  

The suspicious area was successfully removed and the healthy tissue near it showed no signs of further spread. Dorethea’s cancer was caught early, and she was able to avoid radiation and chemotherapy.  

Had she not been steadfast in having her annual breast imaging, the suspicious area may have grown or even spread to other areas of the body.  

After that procedure, the doctor asked her to consider having a genetic test to see if she carried certain biomarkers or an increased risk for certain cancers. 

Initially, Dorethea was dismissive of having genetic testing done. But with a little persistence from her provider and learning how quick and simple the test would be, she agreed.  

The test, done by collecting a sample of blood, saliva or DNA from a cheek swab, is sent to a lab that will be able to see if certain mutations are present in the sample.  

The provider interprets the results, looking for a key distinction: is the gene pathogenic or likely pathogenic? If it is, the patient carries a much greater chance of developing certain cancers.  

In Dorethea’s case, she opted for an analysis of her blood. A week or so later, she found out that she is ATM heterozygous positive.  

She texted her sisters, who live near Tupelo, Miss., in the group chat and told them if she has this genetic mutation, there’s a chance they may have it as well and they should go get tested at their doctor’s offices.   

What happened next was just as shocking as Dorethea learning she had breast cancer.  

“One of them, about a week later, came back, said, ‘I had a mammogram done, had a biopsy, and it's cancer,’” Dorethea said of one of her older sisters.  

"Then, about a week after that one, the other sister came back and said the same thing,” she said.  

Dorethea and two of her older sisters learned they had breast cancer all within the span of just a few weeks, kickstarting three different, but simultaneous breast cancer journeys within the family.  

For Dorethea, she had a few options. But when she sat down to think about what to do, it became clear a double mastectomy was the best option for her.  

Having that “floating around right here in the back of my mind. Yeah, it was better to not think about that,” she said.  

Within a few weeks, she had her surgery set to have her breasts surgical removed and then reconstructed at the Methodist Cancer Institute’s Surgical Oncology Breast Center in Germantown.  

While Dorethea was able to avoid radiation and chemotherapy, she still faced a long road to recovery. she faced a few setbacks during and after her breast reconstruction.  

All things considered, this was a better outcome than having cancer that was more advanced or had spread to other parts of her body. She kept a positive attitude and followed her recovery instructions, but after two weeks of healing, she faced yet another setback.  

While at her weekly appointment to get her expanders filled, the doctor noted how her right side was consistently collecting more fluid than anticipated. The provider suspected a ruptured expander and after confirming, she broke the news to Dorethea.  

She would need to undergo yet another surgery.  

She was back to square one.  

And her main pillars of support—her sisters—were off fighting their own breast cancer battles.  

Fortunately, her best friend stepped up and offered to help her in any way she could—providing help from the perspective of being a nurse by trade but also as a breast cancer survivor who underwent a double mastectomy herself just a few years prior.  

“She took time off from work and came and stayed with me for three days to kind of help me and the kids get through,” Dorethea said noting how much that gesture meant to her.  

Beyond that, having help from her church group and friends helped her get through the months-long recovery she endured. And her oldest child, her daughter, was huge help as well, she noted.  

Meanwhile, her sisters were dealing with something more advanced, requiring more comprehensive treatment than she had faced.  

“Knowing what I know made it harder for me talking to my sisters because I knew that theirs was worse than what I was going dealing with,” she said. “Mine was just at the earliest, most simple stage, and theirs had advanced quite a bit,” noting that one sister’s case required radiation and the cancer had reached her lymph nodes as well.  

Both of her sisters are doing well now, surviving a difficult road that was kickstarted by Dorethea’s choice to have her imaging and genetic testing done.  

It put things into perspective for Dorethea. She decided to use this major life event as a sign that she should take more time for herself, her family and her patients if they ever need words of wisdom.  

“Spending more time with family really became my goal—like spending time, having fun, even though everybody's growing up, I just wanted to have more time,” she said of the new mindset she now carries.  

Dorethea is making good on the promise she made to herself.  

Since she’s made her full recovery, she's been to Texas twice to visit with her daughter, and she went to Las Vegas with all three of her children.  

“I feel more obligated to go get a manicure, get a pedicure, travel. I'm working on that cruise—we’re going to get there!” she said with conviction.   

The power of early detection and genetic testing undoubtedly saved the lives of Dorethea and two of her sisters. Their story is a reminder that being open and having conversations—or even a quick text message—can be the spark that leads to saving a life.  

To learn more about breast services offered at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, please visit: Breast Health & Mammography Services.  

If you’re ready to schedule a mammogram at one of our five Tennessee locations, please call 901‑516‑9000 or 662-996-2122 for an appointment in Mississippi.