Perhaps most importantly, she’s come to realize that breast cancer is not only a physical disease-it affects the mind as well. Breast cancer attacks the very essence of being a woman. It is betrayal by women’s own female organs. This realization is what separates Dr. Schneider from her peers. Her practice is not solely about treating a woman’s breasts; rather, it is about treating the whole woman.
Though she had know from the time she was a child that she wanted to be a doctor, Dr. Schneider had no specific specialty in mind when she started medical school. The untimely death of a friend convinced Dr. Schneider that she could make the most difference as a surgeon. Dr. Schneider performed all types of general surgery in her private practice, but it was her growing list of patients with breast problems that most intrigued Dr. Schneider. Recognizing the sensitive and deeply personal nature of breast diseases, Dr. Schneider worked closely with a plastic surgeon in her quest to treat “the whole woman”. When results for breast conservation were no longer questionable, Dr. Schneider performed fewer mastectomies and more lumpectomies, more cosmetic in nature than fellow surgeons and saving more of the breast than what was traditional at the time. While she now has stacks of letters, cards and thank you gifts from patients she has treated and cured, Dr. Schneider says her patients have done as much for her as she has for them.
