Mary Jo: Absolute Confidence

Traveling to Seek Treatment

"I had absolute confidence that Dr. Im would do whatever it took to take care of me," Mary Jo said. That's why Mary Jo traveled from Virginia Beach, where her military family was currently stationed, to Baltimore in order to seek treatment from renowned gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Dwight Im at The Gynecologic Oncology Center at Mercy.

For Mary Jo, a military spouse and stay-at-home mother of two children, she needed to be well and healthy in order to homeschool her children and manage the family schedule. She became desperate for a solution since she was sometimes the solo parent in the home while her husband was on active military duty.

Suffering from recurring endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts, Mary Jo experienced debilitating pain. Mary Jo recalled many physicians declined to treat her because of the complexity of her condition and her extensive scar tissue from previous surgeries.

Skilled in traditional surgical methods, in addition to minimally invasive procedures, Dr. Im performed an open, total abdominal hysterectomy and removed Mary Jo's endometriosis along with an ovarian mass. Mary Jo was referred to Dr. Im by a family friend. He offered treatment and, most importantly, he offered hope. "Reviewing her case, it became clear that Mary Jo did indeed have treatment options," said Dr. Im. "Together we developed a plan to address her case," Dr. Im continued.

Recovering with Family

"The first time I could pick my daughter up without pain was emotionally overwhelming." Now, free of the pain, she has returned to homeschooling her children and participating in activities with her husband, son and daughter.

"My family lives in North Carolina so they couldn't always be with me throughout my recovery, but Dr. Im always made a point to visit me and comfort me. He feels like family. There just aren't many doctors like Dr. Im," Mary Jo said.