Hendrick Medical Center employee treated by her own team after diagnosis

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Amanda Vidrine has cared for patients in several departments at Hendrick Medical Center. In her current role, Vidrine works behind the scenes in quality and accreditation, helping every department meet standards to ultimately serve patients and staff.

“I started in college as a CNA, a Certified Nurse’s Assistant. So, throughout college, I worked as a CNA on a MedSurg floor. Then, when I got my nursing license, I went to the Emergency Department and worked in the ED for about 10 years. Then, I moved over to Quality and Regulatory for about 15 years,” said Amanda Vidrine, the Assistant Director of Regulatory and Accreditation at Hendrick Medical Center.

She’s often been the one helping others to heal.

Vidrine said, “We talk about breast cancer all the time. It’s part of our world.”

Then, breast cancer became the center of her own world.

“Of course, it was difficult when I found out, but my attitude is always looking forward to saying, ‘Okay, this is what’s going on. What are we going to do next?’ It’s definitely an emotional time,” added Vidrine. 

Vidrine is a wife, a mom of two, a friend and a colleague of many. 

Vidrine knew getting breast cancer in her lifetime was a possibility. Her grandmother died from breast cancer 20 years ago.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this early in life,” admitted Vidrine. “I walked with her through that. She didn’t discover it until late in the game. They didn’t have recommendations back then for those yearly mammograms.”

Vidrine credits her annual mammogram for helping her find it early. 

“The spots on my breasts are so tiny. It would have been a long time before I would have been able to feel them myself. You can’t rely on just those self-breast checks. You have to get your mammograms in order to be able to see those tiny little spots that you couldn’t see that a radiologist can see,” said Vidrine. 

Vidrine worked closely with her care team to determine the best course of action for her health and future.

“I decided that bilateral mastectomy was the choice for me to move forward with that, so the risk of cancer is still there for me now, but it’s very, very low compared to if I had kept my other breast,” Vidrine explained.

Vidrine is recovering from her surgery and recently returned to work at Hendrick. Vidrine is grateful for the support she’s received at home, in her community, and from her colleagues turned caregivers.

“They’ve been by my side the entire time professionally and as friends, but also, they do that for everybody,” added Vidrine. 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month may be over; however, Vidrine’s journey is a reminder that awareness doesn’t fade. It grows with every story shared. 

Vidrine hopes her story encourages others to get their mammograms annually. Hendrick Medical Center’s Hope Fund provides financial assistance for breast health services, including mammograms.