Rosie Birdwell

Rosie Birdwell has lived in the Atascosa area with her family for over 40 years. She has always been one to enjoy each day with her family and church community, as well as prioritizing her health. 

“I’m very diligent every year to get my mammogram because I’ve always felt like catching something early is a lot better than letting years go by with something that can cause harm,” said Birdwell. 

Birdwell had become very familiar with the local hospital, Methodist Hospital | Atascosa, and knew the staff would be her lifeline when she heard the words “we found something” after completing her mammogram. 

“When I got the report that they saw a spot and wanted me to come back in for further testing, I was a bit nervous, but knew I needed to trust God and the medical professionals,” said Birdwell. The radiology team found that Birdwell’s spot was cancerous, they were thankful to share that it was very small and something that was caught early enough. “When I heard it was only 6 mm, I knew that was tiny and had nothing in the margin. I was so thankful to hear that and know that I got checked early enough before it got worse.” 

The Methodist Hospital | Atascosa team referred her to a surgery specialist to remove the malignant tumor and ensure she was set up for comfortable care. “My specialist was amazed with the care from Methodist Hospital | Atascosa and how quickly they were able to catch this,” said Birdwell. “They were so impressed”

Birdwell shared that she was also so thankful that she had a local hospital that could help her with her journey. She shared that the hospital and its staff were kind and compassionate with all her questions about the next steps. After her surgery in December 2023, Birdwell was given the best news – not only was the cancer removed, but she also would not need to do any type of chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy. 

“I was beyond thrilled to know that I only had to do minor things after the surgery and avoid chemotherapy. I never even thought that was an option, but because we found the cancer so early, I was able to avoid that.”

Birdwell is now the biggest advocate within her community to ensure friends and family are getting their mammograms done each year. She knows exactly where to refer them to and the team that will take care of them. She also credits her daughter who is a nurse and helped guide her through the journey. 

“I am so thankful for the Methodist Hospital | Atascosa team and all they did for me. I encourage everyone to take their health seriously, get checked, and if you do see something, just know you have the kindest people guiding you.”