Page 88 2025 PAINT THE PAPER PINK Lincoln Daily News Oct/Nov 2025 Stacy Hangar: Getting annual mammograms is important Because of her breast cancer diagnosis, Stacy Hangar has learned how important it is to get an annual mammogram. August 1, 2024, Stacy had a routine mammogram. The mammogram showed something which needed to be examined further, so Stacy had a sonogram and biopsy. Stacy said, “On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, I got the news that the biopsy was positive for triple negative breast cancer.” Being triple negative means there were no genetic, estrogen or progesterone receptors involved. It is also considered a more aggressive form of breast cancer. Once Stacy was diagnosed, her primary care physician, Dr. Kenneth Sagins, set up a consultation for her with an oncologist and a surgeon. At the consult, the cancer team at Springfield Clinic on Ninth street in Springfield, IL came up with a plan for Stacy’s treatment. Stacy said the team told her, “This is what you have, and this is what we will do for it.” The treatment plan for Stacy involved six months of chemotherapy plus a mastectomy and radiation. Stacy said, “I opted for a double mastectomy since I was not sure where the cancer was located.” After six weeks of healing from surgery, Stacy said, “I had sixteen consecutive rounds of radiation in Springfield.” These rounds were spread out over a period of three weeks and one day. For the first three months of chemotherapy, Stacy was on one medicine once a week. Next, she started a different medicine once every three weeks. On the first day of chemotherapy, Stacy took Keytruda, which is a prescription immunotherapy that helps the immune system fight cancer. She said “Keytruda was then added to my regimen every three weeks.” Stacy feels Keytruda has been a game changer because it treats a variety of cancers. When asked what advice she would give people who are diagnosed with breast cancer, Stacy recommends asking questions, so you are comfortable with what you are going through.
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