Soon after the biopsy, Dr. Torgenson ordered an
MRI at Kootenai Imaging of both breasts so he could
further evaluate the number and locations of the breast
lesions. The right breast was clear of abnormalities,
but the study found two separate tumors in Becky’s left
breast—an indication that Becky was a likely candidate
for a mastectomy.
T H E S U R G E R Y
Just weeks before Becky’s diagnosis, Benjamin Man-
del, M.D., had joined Kootenai as its first plastic and
reconstructive surgeon. Dr. Mandel has a medical de-
gree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
and is certified by the American Board of Surgery.
“Adding Dr. Mandel to the Kootenai Health com-
munity has been invaluable,” Dr. Torgenson said. “We
can now offer patients all the care they need for breast
cancer right here at Kootenai Health, whereas in the
past patients would have had to go out of the commu-
nity for reconstructive surgery.”
For Becky and Fritz, Dr. Mandel’s arrival could not
have been timelier.
Becky and her husband, Fritz, visit with Benjamin Mandel, M.D., in his office on the Kootenai Health campus in Coeur d’Alene.
Dr. Mandel is Kootenai’s first plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
“We trusted that we were in good hands at Kootenai. We relied on
everyone’s expertise and the knowledge they shared with us.”
—Becky Rennebaum
“Dr. Mandel is a wonderful asset…having him at
Kootenai as part of the team that cared for Becky made
a tremendous difference for us,” Fritz said.
The Rennebaums faced a difficult decision: Should
they remove one breast or both?
They consulted with both Dr. Torgenson and Dr. Man-
del about their surgical options. Although no lesions
were found in the right breast, the couple decided on a
double mastectomy.
“If there was cancer in one breast, what were the
chances that eventually there would be cancer in the
other breast too?” Fritz said. “We didn’t want to go
through this trauma for a second time, when Becky
would be older. Opting for the double mastectomy gave
us peace of mind that we wouldn’t have to go through
this all over again.”
On Oct. 29, less than a month after she learned
the results of the biopsy, Becky underwent a five-
hour surgery in the state-of-the-art surgical center on
Kootenai’s main campus. Dr. Torgenson began with the
mastectomies, and Dr. Mandel finished the surgery by
implanting expanders into Becky’s chest as the first
phase of breast reconstruction.
“Dr. Torgenson and Dr. Mandel worked very well
as a team,” Fritz said. “If we had to face this earlier,
—Continued from page 9
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CANCER SERVICES
