Eternally Grateful:

When faced with a breast cancer diagnosis, your entire world is instantly upended. In the earliest moments of navigating this imminent and potentially life-altering condition, we often felt as if we were drowning in a vast sea of information. Trying to wrap our heads around what the cancer was, what this new medical terminology meant, and what location Holly should work with for assurance she would be taken care of made the early days a whirlwind. This was all being done at a time when, emotionally, it was nearly impossible to focus on anything personally or professionally.

After some preliminary rounds of imaging with Women’s Wellness, the first step into her journey truly began with the exceptional diagnostic care led by Dr. McAlarney. While she delivered what felt like an absolute gut punch after the biopsy—with the news that whatever Holly had, it wasn’t benign—her words were frank and honest. This necessary conversation instantly propelled our family into overdrive to quickly gather all available information, reach out to others who faced a similar diagnosis, and shift our focus to getting up to speed on breast cancer…and fast. Dr. McAlarney’s precise work laid the foundation for our entire roadmap.

Following the imaging, our family physician, Dr. Tyler, stepped in to share the initial diagnosis. Delivering this kind of news requires a rare balance of honesty and hope, and Dr. Tyler handled it masterfully. Beyond just sharing the results, Dr. Tyler gave Holly the vital psychological boost she needed at undoubtedly her lowest point. We completely trust Dr. Tyler’s judgment with our health because of his unmatched work ethic and medical knowledge. Even though ultimately it would be Holly’s decision, Dr. Tyler’s recommendation and confidence that a mastectomy was the right path forward—based on her age, lifestyle, and health history—reassured her that she was structurally healthy, strong, and a perfect candidate to recover swiftly. That early validation was an invaluable anchor for us.

When we transitioned to the surgical team, we were introduced to Dr. Michael Peyser and his extraordinary nurse, Jayda McNett. Dr. Peyser’s profound knowledge and clinical professionalism are world-class, but his humanity was our biggest takeaway from our initial visit.

While this was going on, we were also scrambling to get into Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo for a second opinion. In our minds, we wanted to ensure Holly would get the best care available, and even though we were highly satisfied with the care at Samaritan thus far, it was important to continue seeking information on her cancer. As a side note, kudos to Samaritan for quickly sending any and all medical information over to Roswell whenever asked to assist us with this possible transition, as well as for not cutting ties with us for seeking data elsewhere. Roswell Park was exactly what we expected: a massive institute with an impressive staff and world-class equipment. We traveled to Buffalo multiple times for oncologist visits, additional MRIs, and tremendous chicken wings.

My wife and I discussed the two facilities and teams for hours, trying to tell ourselves that surely we would be making the correct call by going with Roswell instead of Samaritan. They had everything we needed to end this journey, not to mention the earfuls we were constantly getting from family and friends that the obvious choice was to leave Watertown for treatment. After working with Roswell Park, we found that their diagnosis and treatment plan for her cancer perfectly mirrored Samaritan’s. We knew an incredibly difficult decision on which facility to commit to was imminent.

At perhaps our largest fork in the road, next on the schedule was a visit with Dr. Paley. At this point, we hadn’t talked to any professionals about the reconstruction phase of Holly’s cancer journey. We both knew that because of the complexity of the mastectomy, the collaboration between oncology and plastics was paramount. Our initial consultation with Dr. Paley was a godsend. She made Holly feel completely taken care of. Dr. Paley gave Holly a profound sense of security, assuring her that she would stand by her side and continue to work with her through every step of this multi-stage reconstruction until Holly felt beautiful again. To a woman facing a mastectomy, that promise of long-term, compassionate restoration meant everything. It was the first time in this journey that the momentum began to pause internally and turn ever so slightly in a direction whispering that this will truly be okay.

“Dr. Peyser’s profound knowledge and clinical professionalism are world-class, but his humanity was our biggest takeaway…”

That trajectory continued as Dr. Peyser’s gentle touch really began to show itself. When we reached out to his office with various clarifying questions about Holly’s surgical path, Dr. Peyser did something we never expected: he contacted Holly multiple times on his personal time to thoroughly answer questions and have an open discussion with us with immense professionalism and compassion. In addition, these conversations carried underlying tones showing he just knew we needed a “check-in” for Holly’s well-being. It became clear that this was a level of personal outreach from a lead surgeon that simply did not exist from a massive, institutional cancer institute.

Alongside him, his nurse, Jayda, became our lifeline. Jayda was consistently kind, deeply receptive, and always available to answer our endless questions, calm our worries (especially during one specific rough day for Holly—again, thank you for answering the phone), and navigate our concerns whenever we contacted the office or walked through the door.

A cancer journey is about so much more than clinical data on paper—it is about the human beings who guide you through the darkest moments of your life. Ultimately, it was the unmatched approachability, profound compassion, and seamless coordination of the entire Samaritan team that made our choice clear: the end of this journey would be right where it began, at home.

The surgery itself was a complete, definitive success. Every member of the surgical and hospital staff we interacted with during her time in inpatient care felt like one unit with only one mission: taking care of Holly.

As we embark on the recovery phase of this journey, we want the leadership at Samaritan and the entire North Country community to know that the breast care team here doesn’t just treat a disease—they care for the person and the family behind it. We are eternally grateful to Dr. McAlarney, Dr. Tyler, Dr. Peyser, Jayda McNett, and Dr. Paley for keeping us whole, keeping us confident, and keeping us here.

Holly’s Care Team

Learn more about the Samaritan Physicians who played a role in Holly’s cancer care journey.