Dr. Nguyen changed Tammy’s life and he continues to care for her during her recovery. “My practice is patient-centered, always. I provide personalized care to support each patient and their unique health goals. I am in this with you, through each step,” says Dr. Toan Nguyen about how he approaches customized patient care. Both Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Prowler are leading providers in breast health. Dr. Vanessa Prowler is a fellowship-trained Breast Surgeon specializing in the treatment of benign and malignant breast diseases. She is a Trained Clinician in Cancer Risk Assessment and empowers her patients. She creates customized care for patients to decrease their risk of developing breast cancer and remain healthy. For patients with breast cancer, Dr. Prowler guides them to understand or overcome this diagnosis.

For Tammy, Dr. Nguyen has been the light guiding her throughout this journey. As a principal investiga­tor in breast health clinical trials at Lakeland Regional Health, Dr. Nguyen expertly provides his patients with the latest advances in care from cutting-edge technologies to pharmaceuticals to procedures. In fact, Dr. Nguyen was the first surgeon in Polk County to perform procedures such as Intraoperative localization, use of Biozorb, use of Magtrace, Axillary reverse mapping, and Lymphovenous bypass.

Even with expert care and support, Tammy knew that receiving a cancer diagnosis would create deep vulnerability and her medical team’s empathy and expertise would be crucial. Tammy went through both a lumpectomy (surgery to remove cancer or other abnormal tissue from the breast) and eventually needed to undergo a double mastectomy (surgery to remove both breasts).

During this deeply difficult time in Tammy’s life, she remained positive and confident in Dr. Nguyen’s care, trusting him to provide comfort and treatment tailored specifically to her. “He listens closely to the patient and their needs. He believes in me, he knows me, and he cares about my healing journey. He assured me no matter what, he would take care of me,” said Tammy.

Tammy was almost ready for reconstructive surgery, but she knew she would need to recover more. “I knew I would have to wait for my reconstructive surgery, which was stressful. Dr. Nguyen was so communicative and helpful during that period of waiting. I knew he had my back and always would.” 

Tammy lives her life each day with positivity and excitement. Recently welcoming a new puppy into her family, she is as active and busy as ever. She looks forward to her visits with Dr. Nguyen and even advocates for her friends and family to seek the expertise at the Hollis Cancer Center for their own breast health. “I reassure and encourage my community to seek out Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Prowler for their care. I love it, it fills me with great joy to recommend these two doctors.”