When it Comes to Health: Trust Your Intuition

When it comes to your health, Nina Deatrick has some simple yet potentially lifesaving advice based on personal experience: Trust your intuition.

It’s something she learned after doctors repeatedly discounted concerns over a lump in her breast, assuring her it was nothing serious.

“In March 2017, I noticed a small nodule in the tissue of my right breast. It was a very distinct area,” Nina says. “I had already been scheduled for an appointment with my primary doctor, so I made sure to point it out to her then. She looked at the area and assured me it was scar tissue.”

Although Nina still had concerns, she accepted her doctor’s assessment and went about her normal routine as a mom of two teenagers and a full-time registered nurse, who now works as an occupational health nurse at GE Appliances.

Over the next couple months, however, the lump rapidly increased in size, prompting a follow-up visit. “Once again, she assured me it was scar tissue (from previous breast implants). She said I had nothing to worry about but suggested I return to my plastic surgeon if I was that concerned.”

It would take months of advocating for herself with numerous health care providers before a mammogram and ultrasound were finally performed in December 2017. By that point, the peanut-sized lump was the size of an egg — and it was in fact cancer.

“Things went pretty fast from that point,” says Nina, who was diagnosed with HER2-postive breast cancer, a type of fast-growing cancer that requires aggressive treatment.

Nina was angry it had taken so much time and effort to convince doctors something was wrong, but she was determined not to dwell on the past. Instead, she put all her energy into surviving. “I knew I had an uphill battle to climb.”

Over the next year, Nina underwent a battery of treatments, beginning with a grueling form of chemotherapy that caused complete hair loss, severe nausea and fatigue. She also underwent a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous mass, along with 25 radiation treatments.

Though Nina still feels the residual effects of treatment — such as “chemo brain,” which she says makes her very forgetful — she is grateful to be cancer-free today.

“If this experience has taught me anything, it taught me that I couldn’t take my health for granted,” she says.

It also taught her the importance of speaking up and advocating for herself, a lesson she hopes resonates with others. “I am thankful for the opportunity to tell my story; I hope it helps someone else.”

Nina plans to further spread the word about breast cancer awareness and the importance of prioritizing health by representing GE Appliances at the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk on Oct. 12. See below for more details.

Breast Cancer Awareness and Screenings at GE Appliances

October 12: Walk with GE Appliances in the Susan G Komen More Than Pink Walk

  • Ask friends and family to join you at this free walk, and sign up here.

November 5-6: Mammograms will be available for Appliance Park employees

  • Mammograms help find cancer at an early stage, when the chances of survival are highest.
  • Call 502-452-0777 to schedule an appointment.
  • Use ON-THE-CLOCK Care to get an exam without clocking out.
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