Published: February 23, 2007 11:33 pm      

Candidate's wife hails Windber's cancer care

WINDBER — When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, one thing Elizabeth Edwards knew she did not have to worry about was finding quality medical care.

The wife of Democratic presidential candidate and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards had the best hospitals in the nation within reach.

None had better technology than the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center in Windber, Edwards said after touring the center Friday.

“I think it is absolutely incredible,” she said. “The smallest detail that can change a room has been thought of.”

Edwards said the Windber center’s patient-focused design and comforting atmosphere reflect its namesake, Joyce Murtha, wife of U.S. Rep. John Murtha.

“None of the places I go are remotely like this,” Edwards said.

“It’s a shame they are not.”

Edwards was a guest during the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center’s fifth anniversary observance Friday. She believes the Windber center should be a model for breast care facilities in the nation.

When it opened, the $5.5 million center boasted leading-edge technology in a one-stop shop for breast cancer diagnosis and support.

The technology has improved since then, and the holistic approach and patient-centered philosophy have grown, John Murtha said.

“This is something that all of us have worked on together,” Murtha said.

The approach is working, said breast cancer survivor Taunia Oechslin, 36, of Westmont.

“It’s a state-of-the-art center, but it’s really the people there who really made a difference,” Oechslin said. “They know my name when I walk in the door.

“They call and check on me.”