Karlyle Young

Early detection saves ‘regular mom’

Karlyle Young was your regular mom, wife and employee – until she went in for a routine mammogram and received a follow-up call that she needed to come in for further testing. She knew she had “fibrous” breasts and they may need a closer look, but when her physician came back in after running the biopsy, she knew that something was wrong.

“Her compassion for me was evident through the look on her face as she delivered the news that I had advanced stages of breast cancer,” said Karlyle. “My doctor allowed me to be human, and fully understood that I was a patient. She gave me time to process what I had just been told and ask all the questions, ensuring me that there was nothing too dumb to talk through.”

The staff at Baptist Health became her chemo posse. They uplifted her, made her laugh and supported her during some of the most difficult days of her life. As part of her treatment plan, Karlyle underwent a double mastectomy and total hysterectomy to mitigate the likelihood of cancer recurring down the road. During the procedures, her medical team discovered that she also had ovarian cancer. As it turned out, the preventative treatment wound up being a measure that may have saved her life through early detection.

“It’s been a crazy year,” said Karlyle. “I’ve lost my hair twice. My kids have seen me too sick to hold up my head. My husband has had to become Mr. Mom, but without Baptist Health and their oncology services, my family would be planning my funeral. I don’t know God’s plan for me. I don’t know how long I have on this planet, but I do know that because of the excellent medical professionals at Baptist Health that I have a fighting chance to irritate my kids into old age."