Austin radiologist Dr. Deborah O’Connell decided to specialize in breast imaging when she realized what an impact breast cancer has on society and how far-reaching the disease can be, as it affects not only patients, but also families, friends and ultimately, the community.

“It’s a problem that touches us all in some way,” the doctor reflects. “Women play such an important role in our world. They’re the backbone of the home. [They] manage to juggle children, jobs [and] volunteer service. The ramifications can really be staggering when breast cancer strikes, and I think I wanted to make things better … I wanted to help women cope.”

The commitment came while she was serving a residency in radiology at Case Western University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. It soon turned into “a passion, a calling.” And today, after more than 25 years of experience in the field, it has culminated in the Deborah O’Connell Women’s Imaging Center, a state-of-the-art facility founded about a year-and-a-half ago in the fast-growing Central Texas city of Austin.

Far from reflecting the austere atmosphere often associated with doctors’ offices, the center prides itself on being a warm and welcoming place that offers compassionate care. Appointments revolve around detection, diagnosis, medical guidance and frequently one-on-one consultation with the founder. The services include digital mammography, ultrasound to identify breast abnormalities, ultrasound-guided cyst aspiration, core biopsy, ductography and bone density tests.

No matter what procedure is going on, kindness is part of the prescription, and cutting-edge technology is paramount. O’Connell believes if we cannot live in a world without breast cancer, the next best thing is living in a world with resources that may prevent, diagnose and treat it. The clinic’s encouraging motto: “We create survivors.” “Our patients become more than cases to us; they become our friends,” O’ Connell emphasizes. “I give them my cell phone number and try to be there for them because I know the very words ‘breast cancer’ can be scary, and even coming in for a routine mammogram can be unsettling.”

The fear of what might be found always lurks at the back of your brain, she goes on to explain, and a gentle, understanding word from a physician or technician can go a long way toward making exams less intimidating. O’Connell, who was born in Lima, Ohio, and grew up in Dublin, Ireland, developed this “gentle approach” to doctoring thanks to the example set by her father, a kindly general practitioner.

“Our home was his office, and hearing about his cases and watching him work was a regular part of my life as I was growing up,” she recalls. “There was always the excitement of patients coming and going … my brother and sister both became doctors, and I think medicine was just naturally in our genes.”

O’Connell attended medical school at Trinity College in Dublin; came to this country for her residency at Case Western; and did a fellowship in computed tomography ultrasound with research interest in magnetic resonance imaging of the breast. While deeply engrossed in her medical studies, she met another dedicated physician: Dr. William Stassen, who now is an Austin gastroenterologist. They married and decided to move to southern climates, and Texas beckoned.

She joined the Austin Diagnostic Clinic and established the first comprehensive breast center in Austin by teaming with surgeons and oncologists to treat breast cancer; he opened his own practice and now is on the staff of a major clinic.

The two don’t have children, but O’Connell takes parental pride in her clinic – and in the testimonials of satisfied patients. According to Twila K., “I have been to other imaging centers where I felt like cattle being herded in and out. Here, the staff was wonderful, [the] wait time [was] short and they made me feel at ease.”

Michelle D.’s testimonial salutes the place “for making something not pleasant an easy, informative and painless experience.” Karen W. claims it was her best mammogram experience in 20 years. Even though O’Connell and her staff try to make every experience as positive as Karen’s, there are times when the test results are sobering. Especially tragic are the younger women struck by the dread disease – women in their prime who wonder if they will be around to accomplish their goals, achieve their potential, marry and give birth.

Indeed, statistics still show that one in every nine women – many of them just in their 20s and 30s – will still fight the breast cancer battle despite improved treatments and technology. And not everyone will win. That’s why O’Connell devotes much time to promoting awareness and ongoing research as a board member of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and is also an active member of the Society of Breast Imaging.

According to Dr. James Moyle, who has worked with her for more than 20 years, there isn’t a more dedicated breast-imaging specialist. “The compassion, respect and dignity she shows every patient goes far above the standard of care,” Moyle says, adding that his colleague is “a true gift to the women she takes care of,” as well as an asset to all those in the medical profession seeking answers to breast cancer.

And are answers being found?

“We’ve come a long way,” O’Connell declares. “But it’s essential to keep on raising public consciousness about the importance of early detection and to keep on raising money for research so that someday, every patient will be a survivor.” In recent years, digital mammography has made detection and diagnosis a much easier and more accurate process, contributing to the survival rate. The technology can pinpoint affected areas more accurately, especially in the dense breast tissue of younger women. And it’s also helping immensely by making records more readily available for reference, which can be a real advantage to a surgeon or a technician performing a procedure. Indeed, the doctor sees digital as imaging’s future – a future that will move medicine dramatically forward.

Such medical innovations aren’t the only ways to combat breast cancer, though. There also are simple steps that all women can take to protect themselves against the dread disease. For example, do breast self- exams on a regular basis. Get routine physicals. Have a yearly mammogram if you’re over 40. Watch your diet, and eat nutritious, non-fattening foods. Get plenty of exercise. Maintain the correct weight for your frame and height. Aim at a sensible, healthy lifestyle. And to stay as safe as possible, recognize your risk factor.

O’Connell warns that some families seem to carry a breast cancer gene and are more prone to problems than others, which makes frequent mammograms and checkups necessary regardless of age. Finally, if anything – anything at all – seems out of the ordinary or the least bit suspicious, don’t take chances. Pick up the phone, the physician advises, and make an appointment. During the year, O’Connell deals with dozens of appointments and is on the job almost every day. Though she loves the work, the pace can get stressful. So whenever possible, she takes a mini-vacation in the kitchen, indulging in her “second passion”: cooking.

“I’m a chef, ” the doctor announces enthusiastically. “I love to make fancy Mediterranean dishes and especially recipes that call for fish.”

She also likes to go golfing and hiking.

Of course, the clinic is never far away from her thoughts, and her cases have a way of surfacing even when she’s supposedly taking a little R&R. O’Connell thinks it’s probably every dedicated doctor’s lot in life to worry about patients, rejoice when remission comes and cry when a case is so tough that a cure’s impossible.

How does she manage to handle the tough cases without being emotionally shattered? The radiologist thinks that over for a few minutes and then quietly confides that maybe having a deep religious belief helps. In her darkest hours – in anyone’s darkest hours – faith proves to be very good medicine.

For more information about breast cancer and the Deborah O’Connell Women’s Imaging Center, visit www.austinmammo.com.