Personal Battles Inspire Professional Impact in Breast Cancer Care
Just months into her career as a breast cancer surgeon, Deepa Halaharvi, DO faced a diagnosis she never expected: stage 1 breast cancer. Prompted by a dream of her late father urging her to get a mammogram, she decided to go get checked. Dr. Halaharvi’s personal medical experience forever changed the way she approaches patient care.
Today, she’s part of a team at OhioHealth that includes three other breast cancer survivors: Tara Ernske-Squire, Katie Foster and Pauline Russ. All of these women have turned their own battles with the disease into a life-long commitment to supporting others through their diagnosis. They recently spoke with reporter Sophia Veneziano for Columbus CEO magazine on what it’s like to work with breast cancer patients after experiencing the same disease. Some excerpts of their stories are below.
From Patient to Caregiver
Katie Foster was pregnant with her second child and working in another department at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center when she was diagnosed at age 31. She quickly connected with Dr. Halaharvi and underwent a bilateral mastectomy just two weeks later, followed by chemotherapy soon after her son was born.
Now, Foster works alongside Dr. Halaharvi as a physician assistant at OhioHealth Physician Group Breast Surgery – the same practice that once cared for her.
"I'm so very grateful for Dr. Halaharvi and everything she’s done for me,” says Foster. “Now I get to work alongside her every day.”
Dr. Halaharvi says her own journey allows her to care for others in deeper and more meaningful ways.
"I always say, 'Who’s better to get breast cancer than a breast cancer surgeon?'” she says.
Dr. Halaharvi wanted to be a doctor since she was five years old. Her personal battle with breast cancer so early into her career did not slow her down at all. Instead, it has given her a unique perspective that strengthens the trust between her and her patients. Her story is one of resilience and a deep commitment to making a difference in the lives of those she treats.
Leadership Through Lived Experience
Pauline Russ and Tara Ernske-Squire also bring powerful survivor stories to their leadership roles at OhioHealth. Russ, now the breast health director in OhioHealth’s oncology service line, was diagnosed while pregnant in her early 30s and underwent chemotherapy during her pregnancy.
Today, she often steps in to personally connect and share her story with patients who are navigating similar diagnoses.
“You get more and more comfortable into your survivorship,” says Russ. “Now I look for opportunities to help people more directly beyond my administrative role.” Russ said her own OB/GYN occasionally connects her with pregnant women who have been recently diagnosed so she can share her story and give them hope that they can get through their diagnosis healthy – and with a healthy baby, too.
Ernske-Squire, a journalist-turned nurse, changed careers after her breast cancer diagnosis 10 years ago. She now serves as the practice administrator for OhioHealth Physician Group Breast Surgery. It was her diagnosis that prompted her to make this life-changing switch.
"I feel like the times that give me the most joy are when I’m able to share my story,” Ernske-Squire remarks. “Their facial expressions change. It just completely makes it worth it for me.”
Finding Strength in Sharing Foster, too, focuses on offering reassurance to young patients. After using cold cap therapy to minimize hair loss during chemotherapy, she now advocates for making the treatment more widely accessible and talked about.
“You can just see their faces light up and they’re like, ‘Well, you have hair. Your baby is fine, right? You’re so young, but you’re ok,’” Foster says. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s good,’ and you can just see it go across their faces: the worry and fear to almost hope.”
Together, these four women offer more than clinical care, they bring compassion, understanding, and a powerful message of survivorship to every patient they meet.
To read the full article, be sure to pick up the April issue of Columbus CEO magazine. To learn more about breast cancer care and screening options at OhioHealth, click here.
