A founding member of Logan Health’s Breast Center is ensuring generations of future patients can continue to get cancer care there after a recent $1 million endowment.

Dr. Jim Bonnet was driven to develop a breast cancer surgical group in the Flathead Valley after watching his sister Carol struggle to find local care when she was diagnosed in 2003. Bonnet was lifelong surgeon himself who played an integral role in the Flathead Valley, but after watching his sister have to travel long distances to go to oncology appointments and radiation in California, he started thinking about what it would take to create a dedicated breast center for the patients he served in Montana.

“It turned into a very difficult life change for her, because not only did she now have breast cancer, but she had to go two hours down to UCLA in Los Angeles, and returned to see Anna from UCLA, another two hours, in order to have medical oncology and med services available,” Bonnet said.

It was a different world back then, said Bonnet. There wasn’t a lot of innovation for breast cancer prior to the 1990s and early 2000s. That’s when technology began to explode for cancer treatments of all kinds, moving from rudimentary mammograms to MRI mammograms and implementing new drugs for breast cancer. Many hospitals and medical schools began looking at creating programs specifically for breast cancer.

And in Northwest Montana, Bonnet was in talks with folks at what was then Kalispell Regional Medical Center and North Valley Hospital to create the region’s first dedicated breast cancer center.

“I presented to them the concept of a permanent breast center, and all of the things that would be required to call it a breast center, including a fellowship trained breast surgeon, and there was a very strong support of that after that meeting,” Bonnet said.

Fast forward nearly 20 years and the Breast Center at Logan Health has treated multitudes of breast cancer patients thanks to a dedicated team. Bonnet is continuing to honor his sister’s legacy by creating a $1 million endowment called Carol’s Fund, which will be used to support myriad services at the center.

So far, the money has been used to purchase a new MRI coil, which Logan Health Foundation Director of Operations Michael Barth said has already made a difference for patients at Logan Health.

“One of our physicians shared with me that a patient who had dense breast tissue — they were not able to see a cancer on the traditional mammogram but were able to catch that on the MRI,” Barth said. “So having those tools at our disposal will help ensure that when cancer is present, it’s caught early, and that the appropriate decisions and treatment protocols can be developed, hopefully leading to a good outcome.”

He said the foundation worked with Bonnet to set up a memorandum of understanding that will guide how the funds will be used going forward. The group overseeing it will include physicians as well as a former patient, among others, to make financial decisions. He said it was important to Bonnet that patients also had a voice in the process.

Barth said they will invest the money and make a portion of the fund’s balance available to spend over time, which can be used in many ways — including purchasing equipment, on preventative care, and covering the cost of treatment and travel.

“The gift is really to empower Dr. [Melissa] Kaptanian and her colleagues within the Breast Center to ensure that they have the resources available to diagnose and treat patients, that they have resources available to conduct outreach and education within the community, and to ensure that women are having every opportunity to have the screenings that they need to hopefully prevent occurrence of breast cancer,” Barth said.

Kaptanian is the breast surgeon at Logan Health in Kalispell. She described Bonnet as humble but said that the Flathead Valley “owes him a great deal,” adding that “Carol’s Fund is by no means the first gift he has given all of us.”

“He was one of the founding members of the surgical community here in Kalispell. All the surgeons who take care of patients who experience trauma, cancer, vascular injuries, you name it — we stand on his shoulders,” Kaptanian said. “The enduring commitment to ensure that women affected by breast cancer do not need to travel, should they wish to remain in the valley for their care, was his idea and only through the force of his will and the coalition of community members, survivors and other stakeholders that he brought together does this service exist.”

Thinking back to his sister, Bonnet said Carol had a gentle kindness in her eyes and a warm smile. She was a quiet force of compassion, finding joy in the simplest moments and sharing that light with everyone around her. Carol died of breast cancer in 2003 at 59.

Bonnet said it was always his plan to create a gift in honor of his sister. After a career dedicated to helping patients and expanding breast cancer treatment in Northwest Montana, he said he is happy to see the continued success of the Breast Center — all in honor of Carol.

“This is something I wanted to do and I wanted to do it in my sister’s name, because it was her experience that set me on fire. I decided that I was going to do everything I could to help organize a multidisciplinary clinic for the purpose of dealing with breast cancer,” he said.

To learn more about Logan Health’s Breast Center, visit www.logan.org/location/logan-health-breast-center/.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.

The community is invited to celebrate the strength and resilience of cancer survivors and their families during a special event on Saturday, June 7.

In observance of Cancer Survivors Month in June, this event will unite the community in a show of support and solidarity with those who have braved a cancer diagnosis. The festivities will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Glacier Conference Center Field (1375 U.S. 93 North), with no cost for entry.

An individual is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the rest of their life, and the whole community is invited to attend and honor them. The event will have activities and games for all ages, a butterfly release symbolizing hope, cancer resource tables, door prizes, desserts, and a variety of local food trucks present.

The following Logan Health departments and community partners will also host tables with helpful resources: Wings Regional Cancer Support, Save a Sister and the Montana Cancer Screening Program, Don K Subaru and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Cancer Support Services, Journey to Wellness, Nicotine-Free Living, High-risk Lung Nodule Clinic, Genetics & Genomics, Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Palliative Medicine, Clinical Trials, Genitourinary Cancer Screening, and Colorectal Cancer Screening.

Join us for this uplifting day filled with hope, education and celebration, as we honor the many survivors and families who have walked through a cancer journey.

Advocates for both early breast cancer detection and existing breast cancer patients say the Government of Saskatchewan dropped the ball on preparing the health-care system to accommodate all breast health needs.

On Sept. 25, the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA) and the province said the eligible age for mammograms would drop from 50 to 40 with a “phased-in” approach.

“It’s not an automatic opening the floodgates to all women 40 and up. It’s a stage rolled out approach because we do expect 76,000 women are now newly eligible with the lowering of the age. We can’t flood the system that way,” said Deb Bulych, president and CEO of the SCA.

The phased roll-out will begin in January 2025 with ages 47 to 49. June 2025 will phase in ages 45 to 47. January 2026 will phase in 43 to 45 and June 2026 is when mammography eligibility will include all of the 40 to 50 age bracket.

This news was a big upset to Jennie Dale, co-founder and executive director of Dense Breasts Canada, which advocates for early detection of breast cancer across the country.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) released its ‘Breast Pathway Vision Report’ in September 2020. In the document the SHA said that “annual mammography screening beginning at age 40 has the largest mortality reduction benefit in terms of life years gained.”

WATCH | Dense Breasts Canada says Sask. isn’t acting fast enough to catch and treat breast cancer:

Dense Breasts Canada says Sask. isn’t acting fast enough to catch and treat breast cancer Duration 0:55 The executive director of Dense Breasts Canada, Jennie Dale, says the Saskatchewan government didn’t properly prepare to drop the mammography age from 50 to 40. The province is dealing with a backlog of women seeking detection and treatment.

Now, Dale is asking what the province has done to prepare in the last four years.

“Saskatchewan has had a long time to prepare for this. It has had a long time to find additional staff. To say that you are now going to stall another year from January until you get to 40 then you are definitely not only putting lives at stake, but people will suffer,” Dale said.

“You have failed.”

Dale said continuous follow-ups and the ability to get timely care is essential for breast cancer patients and survivors.

“When you have breast cancer, you have breast cancer. There is a possibility that it can return at any time. Attention needs to be paid to women with breast cancer as well,” said Dale, who herself is a breast cancer survivor.

Saskatchewan has had a long time to prepare for this. It has had a long time to find additional staff. To say that you are now going to stall another year from January until you get to 40 then you are definitely not only putting lives at stake, but people will suffer. – Jennie Dale, Dense Breasts Canada

“We are advocating for early detection of breast cancer, but that applies to women who do not have breast cancer as well as women who do have breast cancer because of the risk of recurrence.”

Dale said the province’s long phased-in approach will impact women, families and communities. Some women in their 40s will have cancer, and their survival can be prevented by detecting the cancer early.

“You have a choice. You can find them at stage 1 or you can find them at stage 2, 3 or 4. So you are losing a year plus by doing this. So to me, it’s just stalling. Absolute stalling,” Dale said.

Jennie Dale, executive director of Dense Breasts Canada, says the Saskatchewan government has ‘failed’ to prepare its health-care system to accommodate the need for breast cancer screening. (Submitted Jennie Dale)

Weyburn advocate says women are waiting over a year

Lisa Vick, a breast cancer survivor and advocate in Weyburn, told CBC she is concerned that the province is overloading an already stretched out, over-capacity system by lowering the mammography eligibility age from 50 to 40.

“Is there going to be some bumping? Is there going to be some priority for those women who are already cancer patients and need that yearly screening? Because let me tell you, waiting and waiting is horrific. I went through it myself,” said Vick.

“I would love for those women from 40 to 50 to be in there. If I’d have been in there, [my cancer] might have been caught sooner, right? But I just feel like those that are already in the system and are supposed to be getting those yearly check-ups, they’re waiting almost two years at this point.”

Is there going to be some priority for those women who are already cancer patients and need that yearly screening? Because let me tell you, waiting and waiting is horrific. I went through it myself. – Lisa Vick, breast cancer survivor and ‘thriver’

Vick is organizer for WeyStrong, a group that aims to provide support to women in the Weyburn community who have been diagnosed with cancer. She said a top concern for women is waiting for follow-up MRI scans.

Women are also sharing with Vick that mammogram appointments that should be in six to 12 month increments are now 12 to 18 months.

Vick said a woman in the community she advocates for was on a long waitlist for a CT scan, and her cancer had metastasized during that wait.

Lisa Vick of Weyburn, Sask. says the province needs to work on lowering wait times for breast cancer patients in need of follow-ups. She worries the province will not recruit enough health-care workers to accomodate the needs of these women, as well as increased mammogram demands in time. (Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC)

Meanwhile, Vick said women are still waiting months for diagnostics on found lumps.

“It’s just, it’s unbearable really. We need to do better for the women of this province,” she said.

NDP highlight alleged breast health failures

In a press event Friday, Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck also told reporters that women are waiting for months in anxiety for mammograms and biopsies and other critical cancer tests.

“Hearing that diagnosis or worrying [if] you have a lump . . . cancer is already a fight for those who find themselves in this situation, and under Scott Moe and the Sask. party, this trend is going to get worse,” Beck said.

On Friday Beck was joined by Kayla Deics and her partner Logan Seidlik. Deics was recently diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at age 35. They said they have had to travel out of province to Calgary to receive care.

Beck said that had they not travelled out of province – at their own expense – to receive a biopsy, Deics would still be waiting for test results confirming her diagnosis. The earliest appointment she was offered in Saskatchewan was February 2025.

Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck, right, said on Friday that had Kayla Deics and her partner, Logan Seidlik, left, not travelled out of province – at their own expense – to receive a biopsy, Deics would still be waiting for test results confirming her breast cancer diagnosis. The earliest appointment she was offered in Saskatchewan was February 2025. (Radio-Canada)

SHA and Ministry of Health share recruitment progress

In a statement to the CBC, the SHA and Ministry of Health said that since September 2022, the province’s Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan “has accelerated efforts to attract and retain health-care workers of all profession types.”

The province said it’s focused on connecting with future graduates and medical residents in both Saskatchewan and out of province, and “sourcing high priority needs,” including anesthesiologists, medical oncologists, hematologists and medical radiology technicians.

Progress on the action plan is updated monthly on the Government of Saskatchewan website .

“The Ministry of Health, SHA and SCA are working on a staffing plan to ensure we are able to meet the demand for the breast cancer screening program as it expands to include women from 40 to 49,” the statement continues.

The Ministry of Health, SHA and SCA are working on a staffing plan to ensure we are able to meet the demand for the breast cancer screening program as it expands to include women from 40 to 49. – Government of Saskatchewan

In the meantime, the SHA has approved funding for breast cancer initiatives, including screening programs. This includes funding for seven full time-equivalents (FTE) of specialized Medical Radiation Technologists (MRT) to support enhanced screening, and one FTE for an MRT supervisor to also support screening.

According to the statement, the SHA also recently funded two radiologists to attend six-month fellowships to become specialized in breast imaging and intervention. One of these physicians began working as a breast radiologist in September in Regina, and the second is expected to start work in Regina in early 2025.

The province said it’s funded additional supports for surgeons who provide breast cancer surgeries “to ensure adequate capacity to meet surgical timelines,” but did not elaborate on what those supports are.

The SHA and Ministry of Health tell CBC the province is focused on connecting with future graduates and medical residents in both Saskatchewan and out of province, and “sourcing high-priority needs,” including anesthesiologists, medical oncologists, hematologists and medical radiology technicians. (Trevor Bothorel/CBC)

Meanwhile, Dale and Dense Breast Canada said it’s important to go directly to students and incentivize them to sign up to train X-ray technologists.

“And you have to start teaching, put mammography into the curriculum. It’s not in the curriculum right now. And you have to perhaps pay for their schooling — do something with the tuition to make it attractive,” Dale said.

She pointed to Alberta and its success with training X-ray tech to become a thermography techs. And in British Columbia, Dale said they’re training their mammography techs to become ultrasound techs.

The province told CBC that any decisions to speed up or slow down the gradual phasing-in of the new screening program criteria will be made as it progresses through the transition period.

The new Breast Health Centre in Regina is expected to open to patients later this fiscal year.

The province said the team at the centre is working on developing standardized education material for use across the province.

Simone Webster always struggled with her emotions and mood swings. But the floodgates really opened last year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 31 years old. “There must have been something I did,” said Webster, her eyes watery. “What did I do to cause this?”

The depression came in waves, a deep hopelessness overwhelming Webster, now 33, and making her feel like she needed to escape reality. “There’s so much you lose,” Webster said, including her right breast, her boyfriend and her chance of having kids. “It feels really dumb to feel hopeful.”

About a third of cancer patients struggle with depression, anxiety and other psychiatric disorders, although these conditions often go undetected and undiagnosed. Kristin Kilbourn, a clinical psychologist at the University of Colorado Denver, said oncologists often don’t want to open up this “can of worms,” not to mention that mental health has long been deprioritized, with health care centers losing money caring for psychiatric patients.

But this neglect comes at a significant cost, with mortality rates up to 39% higher among cancer patients with depression when compared to those without mental illness. Research also shows that the risk of suicide is 13 times higher in the week following a cancer diagnosis — and three times the average even a year later.

As Webster knows well, cancer’s toll isn’t limited to the body; it wages war on the mind too. While physicians and cancer centers have slowly increased mental health services, it’s often up to patients to fill in gaps in care by advocating for themselves and proactively seeking out mental health support.

“There’s so much you lose,” Webster said, including her right breast, her boyfriend and her chance of having kids. Kyna Uwaeme for NBC News

“Your oncologist is not going to identify your mood swings for you,” Webster, of Washington, D.C., said. “They don’t know if you’re having suicidal ideation or depressed unless you tell them.”

How are cancer and mental illness linked

Fear and sadness are normal reactions to a cancer diagnosis, said Dr. Santosh Rao, an oncologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, but clinical depression and anxiety are distinct. “It’s having a lack of interest in the things you like, changes in sleep patterns and food, potentially panic attacks” over a prolonged period and with a significant impact on daily life, he said.

Cancer can both aggravate and precipitate mental illness. In a 2023 study of 230,000 patients, 10% of people had depression or anxiety before their cancer diagnosis, and 22% were diagnosed afterward. New cases were most common among those with metastatic disease.

This connection is often brought on by the psychological stress of a new cancer diagnosis, the existential dread of facing death, and the strain this disease places on relationships. “Cancer sometimes will bring people closer together, but a lot of times it’ll actually exacerbate already frayed relationships,” Rao said.

Other drivers are the direct effects of cancer and the side effects of treatment, said Dr. Zev Nakamura, a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Uncontrolled pain, for example, can make people quit everyday activities and have trouble sleeping. Similarly, hormone-blocking drugs, which are commonly used for prostate and breast cancer, can contribute to fatigue and mood changes, while cancer surgeries can profoundly affect one’s body image and sense of self. These can range from losing one’s ovaries and uterus in a total hysterectomy to needing to use a colostomy bag to collect waste.

They don’t remember when they met. Anna Marie and Christine were born about two weeks apart and grew up in the same small Mississippi town. Their families were friendly, and they all attended the same church.

Christine and Anna Marie had tea parties and sleepovers. They made prank phone calls and got equal punishments after they ordered 20 pizzas once as a joke.

“That was Anna Marie,” Christine said. “I blame every bit of it on her.”

“Our moms made us pay for them,” Anna Marie recalls.

Later, they went to college together and are now both teachers.

Christine married Anna Marie’s cousin Bryson. It’s a rare day that they don’t talk or text or both.

These lifelong friends have shared so much. Now, both have daughters (fourth cousins) who are patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. They’re St. Jude moms — together.

In early 2023, Anna Marie’s daughter, Logan, now 4, and Christine’s newborn daughter, McClain, were both diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma is a very rare type of cancerous tumor that almost always affects children. Tumors generally develop in the adrenal glands, located on top of the kidneys. It accounts for 50 percent of cancers in infants, making it the most common tumor in infants less than a year old. Most children with neuroblastoma are diagnosed before age 5.

As difficult as this situation is, these friends are grateful to have each other.

“I hate that we had to have each other. It’s terrible that we are both here, but it’s wonderful at the same time,” Christine said.

Logan’s Story

After 2-year-old Logan complained of leg pain and spiked low-grade fevers, her parents took her to their pediatrician. As Logan’s symptoms persisted over a two-week period, her pediatrician sent her to the emergency room at their local hospital where she was admitted for treatment. From there, she was transferred by ambulance to a children’s hospital two hours away. Anna Marie rode with Logan, while Jake, Logan’s dad, followed on ice-slick roads in his truck.

An MRI scan showed a mass on Logan’s right adrenal gland.

At the hospital, an MRI scan showed a mass on Logan’s right adrenal gland. Because the scan results suggested a possible diagnosis of neuroblastoma, Logan was transferred to St. Jude that same day for diagnosis and to begin care.

“From a mom’s standpoint, my heart was breaking for her,” Anna Marie said. “My heart was breaking for my child. There were so many emotions going on at that point.”

McClain’s Story

Thirty-six weeks into her pregnancy, Christine saw a specialist for an ultrasound. The scan showed a mass on the baby’s right adrenal gland. Christine and her husband Bryson were also sent to the children’s hospital two hours away.

At 9 days old, McClain was referred to St. Jude .

Two weeks after that fateful ultrasound, on Feb. 3, 2023, McClain was born weighing less than six pounds.

At 9 days old, McClain was referred to St. Jude. Over the course of her treatment, she’s had surgery and chemotherapy. By McClain’s first birthday, she was out of treatment and at home for a celebration.

“I feel like she didn’t really have a babyhood,” Christine said. “That makes me sad. That whole year was kind of surreal. I was (at St. Jude) every minute of every day. But now, it’s like it didn’t even happen.”

Everyone is in this fight

Having both girls at St. Jude was a lot to process. But the two families found ways to come together to support each other, being there for surgeries, tests and scans.

Over the course of her treatment, McClain has had surgery and chemotherapy.

Jake was the first person Christine and Bryson saw on their first day at St. Jude. When Christine checked in to family housing at St. Jude, Anna Marie was the first person to knock on her door.

Back home in Mississippi, the dads are grateful they were close enough to St. Jude to drive in when needed. The grandparents from all sides have been a godsend.

“The unfortunate thing is, in a way life stops, but in a way, it has to keep going,” said Jake, a police officer.

Whenever Anna Marie is away with Logan, he’s been home working and looking after their 8-year-old son, Earlea, and 7-year-old daughter, Elizee.

“They just know their sister’s really sick and momma’s got to be away for a while,” he said.

Logan is still in treatment but has been able to spend time at home, play with her siblings and make demands on how high her brother should push her swing.

Meanwhile, Bryson, a lineman for a power company has also been caring for Bryar, their 4-year-old son while mom has been at St. Jude with McClain.

Dads Jake and Bryson

“It’s been rough,” Bryson said. “But somebody’s got to work.”

It’s a relief now to watch McClain play with her brother, test her balance and hang on to furniture as she moves through the living room.

“She’s been through so much at her age,” Bryson said. “You really want her to be into everything.”

St. Jude donors make it possible

Jake knows of other St. Jude patients in their town.

He didn’t know about the commitment St. Jude provides to families.

“I had no idea until we got there,” Jake said. “Thank you is not enough.”

Christine and Anna Marie joke about how they imagine their daughters will be when they’re older and this journey is behind them. They hope McClain and Logan will be close.

“They’re going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Anna Marie said.