MEET MY TEAM!

I thought my family and friends would  like to "meet" the members of my team!  As you can see, I'm in good hands! 

Erin A. Zusan, M.D., is a board certified general surgeon, specializing in breast surgical oncology. She has been a resident of Indiana for more than 20 years. She attended Avon schools and went on to earn a B.S. in Biology from Indiana University in 1999. There, she graduated with distinction and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She earned a master’s degree in science from Purdue University at Indianapolis in 2000 before entering the Indiana University School of Medicine, from which she received her medical degree in 2004. Dr. Zusan completed her general surgery residency at TriHealth/Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2009 and her breast surgical oncology fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan in 2010. Dr. Zusan devotes her practice to the diagnosis and management of benign and malignant breast problems.
She is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology, the American Society of Breast Surgeons and the Association of Women Surgeons.
In her free time, Dr. Zusan enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children, as well as traveling.
My thoughts on Dr. Zusan....she was such a wonderful compassionate doctor.  She's the one who had to initially sit down with me and explain the cancer and options and she did it in such a compassionate and understandable way...and, remember, she called me young!  :=)  She will be my surgeon, no matter what type of surgery I have.  I just loved her and felt very comfortable with her.  She talked with me for two hours and took her time explaining everything and answering any questions I had....I never felt rushed! 

S. Chace Lottich, M.D., FACS, is a general surgeon specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant breast diseases. She was the first female surgeon to graduate from Duke University where she completed undergraduate studies, medical school, surgical residency and fellowship. During her surgical training, she became involved in the Y-ME patient advocacy group and subsequently helped found the Y-ME chapter in Indianapolis.
Dr. Lottich is a member of the American College of Surgeons. She is the Clinical Director of The Center for Women’s Health—a multifaceted facility which uses state of the art technology, education, and surgery to manage a variety of breast disorders. Dr. Lottich holds a faculty appointment at Indiana University and is involved in resident training. She is affiliated with St. Francis and Community Hospitals, has served on the Board of The Wellness Center, American Cancer Society, and Little Red Door/United Way agencies, and participated in two ongoing Eli Lilly pharmaceutical research trials.
Dr. Lottich is the proud mother of two sons.
I am not seeing Dr. Lottich at this time, but she is the doctor I saw last year.  She and Dr. Zusan are in the same office, so there's a possibility that I might see her at some time during my journey.  She is the one who did my biopsies and surgeries last year.  So, I included her as a part of my team as she may be involved at some point.  The only reason I didn't go back to her this year is because she was out of the office for five weeks and I didn't want to wait that long....so I was scheduled with Dr. Zusan, whom I had never met at that point.  I believe both of these surgeons are very capable and caring.

Hemachandra Venkatesh, M.D. 

Dr. Venkatesh graduated from Bangalore Medical College in Bangalore, India, in 1982. He completed his internal medicine residency at Grace Hospital at Wayne State University and completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the National Cancer Institute. He has published numerous research articles and co-authored a chapter on Burkitt’s lymphoma in a current oncology text book.

Dr. Venkatesh has expertise and interest in treating all solid tumors including lung, breast, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tumors. He also has special interest in treating lymphoma, leukemia, myeloma, bleeding disorders, thrombophilia and benign hereditary problems. He uses state-of-the-art therapies coupled with personalized, compassionate care. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Dr. V is my Medical Oncologist (chemo) who I met for the first time yesterday.  I walked away from there feeling very good and comfortable with him.  His compassion showed through and he also was very good at taking time with me to explain things thoroughly and to answer my questions.  Once again, I never felt rushed.  And he had a great sense of humor and you know how important that is to me!  Oh, one little tidbit...he asked me yesterday if I was related to Dr. Lottich because I talked fast like her.  LOL!  So, then we had a little discussion on how Dr. Lottich does EVERYTHING fast!  She does!

 

Dr. Peter Garrett

Locations

St. Francis Hospital - Indianapolis

Biography

Dr. Garrett is an Indiana Licensed, Board Certified Radiation Oncologist. While Dr. Garrett is credentialed at several hospitals within Indiana and specifically the Indianapolis and surrounding areas he currently sees patients at St. Francis Hospital located on the Southside of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dr. Garrett graduated from Queen’s University located in Kingston, Ontario in 1977. After graduating from Medical School he did an Internship in General Medicine through Queens University followed by a Radiation Oncology Residency and Fellowship at the University of Toronto through Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Ontario completing his program in 1981.
During Dr. Garrett’s tenure as a Radiation Oncologist, he has participated in many professional societies and professional committees. Dr. Garrett has also participated and continues to participate in several medical research groups and has been published multiple times.
This will be my radiation oncologist (if I have to have radiation...that's still undecided).  I haven't met Dr. Garrett yet, but will meet him tomorrow.  So, I'll come back and give you my thoughts on him after I've met him.

God....yes, God!     Jehovah-rapha ~ the God who heals. You didn't think I'd leave him out, did you? :=)  He's a very important part of my team!  I mean, with Him on your side, how can you lose?  God has been in the business of healing for many, many years......clear back to the Old Testament days.  And Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and always.  I met God many. many years ago through Jesus Christ!  And He's always been there for me and I have no reason to believe He isn't this time.  Now, I won't get all preachy with you, but He is a member of my team also! 

He is the "great physician" and is with me every step of the way.  I pray for his guidance in every area....for my doctors and for me personally.  I have a lot of major decisions to make and I will search for His guidance in these decisions.  I pray for His peace that surpasses all understanding, which I believe I have already received.  I pray for this same peace for my friends and family.  You see, no matter the outcome of my physical healing (which I believe I am receiving), I can't lose with God!  Either way, I've already won!  I have already received my spiritual healing!

Philippians 4:7, "Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (NLT)

I could not do this without God.  He is my spiritual healer, but I also know He can bring physical healing.  I believe He will be working right along side the doctors and in my heart.  He will bring me the strength that I need to face everything that lies ahead.  I just can't imagine doing it without Him.  I have very strong feelings about God's healings and it's all in His hands.  But, I couldn't trust my life with anyone better!  So, as you can see, I'm in very good hands!

So, yes, I have a very good team on my side! 

Let the "winning" begin!