AUSTIN, Texas — Kate Peck was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. That meant she was even more at risk of getting sick with COVID-19.

It didn’t stop there -- Peck had to have a partial mastectomy at the same time hospitals were reaching capacity because of the coronavirus.

“It’s a very isolating event now,” she said. “The waiting rooms are very empty. When you come in to check in, you’re given a surgical mask, you’re not allowed to wear your mask — which makes perfect sense — a lot of your pre-registration is online or on the phone.”

It took some adjustment, but to Peck some protocols appeared the same.

“The treatment is still the same, they’re still very gracious, very caring,“ she said. “It’s just that they’re strictly gloved up and masked and a lot of sanitation going on in between.”

In a physical sense her procedure went well, but emotionally recovery took some time.

“The hardest part for me was coming out of surgery to an empty room because they won’t allow you to bring family with you, anymore,” Peck said. “When you’re diagnosed with breast cancer or any kind of cancer, there’s an uncertainty there. There’s a little bit of fear. I certainly didn’t want COVID to kill me before cancer did because I’d really be upset. I know that the facilities are doing everything they can to keep patients healthy, to keep their staff safe and their doctors safe. We’re probably healthier and safer and cleaner now than before COVID because people are really making the effort to clean."

Peck didn’t have to stay in the hospital for long because of COVID-19 safety precautions. Her prodedure was conducted as an outpatient surgery and she was discharged a few hours later.