Denise Nelson was showering on an ordinary July night when she found a lump beneath her left arm. A sinking feeling ensued. She immediately went to go tell her mother, who had been diagnosed three different times with three different cancers, and her sister who had breast cancer.

Denise found out quickly that she had stage three breast cancer in both of her breasts. As a seasoned cancer patient, Denise’s mother recommended Denise go to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC), knowing it would be the best place for her.

The months that followed were chemotherapy and tests. But Denise didn’t have to do it alone. Her mother alongside her.

“I thought to myself, if my mom can survive cancer three times, I can do it one time,” Denise said.

In addition to her mother and sister, Denise was strengthened by her compassionate medical team at PVHMC.

“Everyone at PVHMC was so warm and I felt so taken care of. I really think God sent me there.”

Denise is doing well now. She works at Fontana Christian schools and with Little League. She prays that her children and grandchildren will not have generations of Nelson women did.

For families with cancer in their history like the Nelson’s, PVHMC’s state-of-the-art 3D mammography can be lifesaving. The 3D mammography utilizes precise imaging to capture small breast tumors that 2D mammography might miss.

PVHMC is the only hospital in the region to offer 3D mammography as the standard of care for every mammogram performed.

– Submitted by Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center