Early Detection & Cancer-Free for Team Patty

Every year, St. Cloud Support Supervisor Patty Quick schedules and attends a mammogram screening. So, when she first heard about the Prevea Health mobile mammography bus coming to Sargento for these appointments, it was a no-brainer.

“A 20-minute visit near work, it costs nothing, and I can check this off my to-do list? Talk about a win-win-win,” said Patty.

Patty used the mammo bus for the first time in Plymouth in 2024 and was impressed. “It’s cool how the bus is set up with private dressing and exam rooms. It’s convenient and easy to schedule. You’re there for a few minutes, then back at work in no time,” explained Patty.  

In 2025, Sargento announced that the mammo bus would be visiting all Sargento facilities. Patty made sure to schedule her visit in St. Cloud when the bus stopped in June to make it even easier.

“I don’t really remember the day I went in for the exam, but I do remember the following day, a Friday, when I got the call. They [Prevea mammo bus providers] noticed something,” said Patty.

The mammo bus wanted Patty to receive a more extensive mammogram at an on-site clinic, so she did. The mammo bus transferred all of Patty’s paperwork and information over to the clinic so they could continue supporting her care.

“That’s when we realized that it was cancer,” said Patty. “Everything progressed so fast from there. It seemed like I was going to appointments every other day.”

Patty’s care team explained that they found a lump, but it was small and caught very early. A biopsy was needed to determine a diagnosis and course of treatment. After visits and scans, Patty learned she could either have a double mastectomy or a lumpectomy. In August—just two months after her mammo bus visit—she underwent a lumpectomy.

“I chose the same surgeon as my sister because she went through what I was going through just three years earlier,” said Patty.

Patty was back at work two weeks after surgery, surrounded by Mutual Support from her Sargento Family.

“The people I work with are the best support you could have. We’re all very close here. People would ask me how I was doing all the time,” said Patty.

“Without the support of my family and friends, it would have been very difficult. My family knows I like different style tumblers, so they made ‘Team Patty’ ones during all of this with the breast cancer stuff on it. They knew Barb Schneider could help get them to people here at work to show support, too, which was such a sweet surprise,” added Patty.

She learned after surgery and additional follow-up tests that she did not need chemotherapy but did need radiation treatments. Five treatments later and about a week before Christmas, Patty was done with radiation.

“And to this day, I am cancer-free,” said Patty.  

While Patty can no longer use the mammo bus due to her breast cancer diagnosis, she can’t emphasize its importance enough. “Everyone who can use this bus should. If you’re hesitant, don’t be because you just never know. I look at it like, ‘What if I didn’t? Where would I be now?’”