Some of Endeavor Health’s most trusted patients are also employees. Jhomayra Dayrit, RN, joined Endeavor Health in April 2018 as an emergency room (ER) patient care technician. She eventually earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and was hired as an ER nurse.
Having worked at Endeavor Health since she was 23, Dayrit found both strong support and access to advanced care when she recently faced a difficult medical decision. Because she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation, she chose to undergo a risk-reducing double mastectomy after years of monitoring.
“I originally chose to work at Endeavor Health because I had friends who worked here and I had heard great things about the organization. After working here for the last several years, I’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand how passionate the doctors, nurses and staff are about taking care of their patients,” said Dayrit.
“When it came time to make an important decision about my own health, I already knew the people here and trusted the care they would provide. I knew I would be in good hands and heard great things about my surgeons. That made my decision to have my surgery and care at Endeavor Health very natural,” she added.
Katherine Kopkash, MD, a surgical oncologist with Endeavor Health, performed the procedure — a state-of-the-art robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) using the da Vinci Single Port (SP) surgical system.
Dr. Kopkash has been performing the procedure since 2021 and is currently the only surgeon performing the robotic NSM in Illinois. Dr. Kopkash was also the principal investigator for the two U.S. randomized clinical trials using the robotic approach for NSMs.
Dr. Kopkash said: “We studied the robotic approach to NSM through two large multicenter clinical trials under FDA oversight and found the approach to be safe from a cancer perspective and saw an improvement in patient-reported outcomes compared to open NSM, specifically in regards to wellbeing and sensation of their skin and nipple.”
“This practice-changing research would not have been possible without the incredible support from Endeavor Health and my colleagues here,” she added.
Family history
Dayrit has relied on her family to support her through her decision-making process. Unfortunately, she is not the only member of her family who has faced a tough medical decision. Two of Dayrit’s aunts have a history of breast cancer, and her cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer and a BRCA2 gene mutation in 2019 at age 25.
Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that produce proteins that help to repair damaged DNA. We inherit one copy of each gene from our parents, giving us two copies in total. If a person has a harmful change (mutation) in either BRCA1 or BRCA2, there is an increased chance of developing cancer at an earlier age compared to someone without the mutation.
Not everyone with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation will develop cancer, but they do cause a lifetime risk of breast cancer that approaches 55-72%.
With this family history, Dayrit advocated for herself and met with Allison DePersia, MD, a genetic oncologist with Endeavor Health. Through that meeting and subsequent genetic testing, Dayrit discovered that she has the BRCA1 genetic mutation.
She noted: “Learning that I carried a mutation that could significantly increase my risk for certain cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer, was scary, especially knowing that my cousin had been diagnosed at such a young age.”
Dr. DePersia noted that BRCA1/2 are also associated with increased risks of ovarian, pancreas and prostate cancer and possibly melanoma.
Dayrit, then 25 years old, reviewed options with Dr. DePersia, including increased surveillance through annual imaging tests, risk-reducing surgery, and medication to decrease the risk of breast cancer.
Surveillance to surgery
For about five years, Dayrit had annual breast MRIs and ultrasounds to closely monitor her breast health. She was also advised to perform regular self-breast exams during which she found a lump in 2021. A biopsy showed it was benign, but Dayrit’s anxiety surrounding the concept of "could this be the one?" was heightened.
At the age of 30, Dayrit started doing more research about risk-reducing mastectomies and reconstruction. The exploration led her to Dr. Kopkash, who offered Dayrit the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial looking at the robotic approach to mastectomies.
“Dr. Kopkash was incredibly compassionate and supportive throughout the entire process,” said Dayrit. “She took the time to explain the risks and benefits, answered all of my questions, and really allowed me to make my own decisions. I never felt pressured into anything. I felt like she was there to give me the information and support I needed to make the decision that was right for me.”
Dayrit also consulted Mark Sisco, MD, a reconstructive plastic surgeon at Endeavor Health, to discuss breast reconstruction.
In November 2025, when Dayrit was 30 years old, she had a bilateral robotic NSM with reconstruction.
During the procedure, Dr. Kopkash used the da Vinci SP robot to remove the breast tissue, and Dr. Sisco placed tissue expanders as the first step in breast reconstruction. After 12 weeks, Dr. Sisco performed a second surgery to exchange the expanders to implants.
“The nipple-sparing aspect was important to me because I felt like going through this surgery was already such a big change,” said Dayrit. “Being able to preserve that part of my body made me feel like I could still recognize myself afterward. I knew I was making a major decision to reduce my cancer risk but I also wanted to feel as much like myself as possible on the other side of it.”
Today, life has less worry for Dayrit. The NSM has allowed her to truly focus on her quality of life and the family she loves, including her husband. Still serving her community as an Endeavor Health ER nurse, she has become a dedicated advocate who is always open to sharing her story with patients, co-workers or anyone needing encouragement.
Advancing surgical care through clinical research
Dr. Kopkash’s research was presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons’ national meeting this year and published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology in July 2026.
She noted: “We are able to perform the robotic NSM through a 3.5 cm incision that is hidden in the bra line, as opposed to the large incision under the breast, which is used for the open approach. Our goal is not just to perform an oncologically excellent mastectomy, but to do it in a way that offers an excellent cosmetic outcome as well.”
While clinical trial data highlighted promising outcomes for the robotic approach, surgical choices and individual results can vary for every patient. Endeavor Health’s multidisciplinary breast care team offers a full range of procedures, tailoring each surgical and reconstructive plan to the patient’s unique medical needs and personal goals.
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