When Leah Jones of Sonoma gets swelling, or lymphedema, in one of her arms — she knows the person to call.

A breast cancer survivor, Jones has been a patient of Kaiser Permanente Vacaville physical therapist Holly Rodriquez since 2019. Rodriguez specializes in lymphedema therapy that helps disperse fluid buildup in the arms when lymph nodes are removed or damaged.

“Lymph nodes often are removed during surgery to prevent the spread of cancer, or they may be damaged by the disease process or radiation therapy,” Rodriguez explained. “In those cases, they are unable to filter and remove fluids from the body.”

Rodriguez is proud to be one of only a handful of clinicians in California to attain the American Physical Therapy Association’s oncology rehabilitation specialist certification. The certification requires passing a 6-hour test, 2,000 hours of direct patient care in cancer physical therapy, and a patient case study.

“Holly is a shining star for people with lymphedema and for advancing herself and sharing her knowledge,” said Jones, a musician and wine-label merchant. “I am super inspired by her personally. I’ve had lymphedema symptoms off and on since I had breast cancer surgery.”

Whenever Jones’ lymphedema acts up, Rodriguez finds just the right places in her body to apply pressure to help disperse the fluid that is then absorbed by her body.

Motivated, dedicated, and enthusiastic

Rodriguez is serious about her work.

“Holly is self-motivated, dedicated, and an enthusiastic advocate for her patients and her profession,” said Gillian Kuehner, MD, the recently retired lead breast surgeon for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. “She has continually improved her knowledge base and skill set, providing exceptional care both for her patients and the providers she works with.”

A board member of Thriving Pink in Yolo County for the last 8 years, Rodriguez gives educational talks about lymphedema and teaches a course on the subject at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland.

Like many of her colleagues, she teaches the Recovery After Breast Surgery class to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. She also created a program, now used by all Northern California Kaiser Permanente medical centers, that trained medical assistants to measure the baseline circumference of arms of breast cancer patients before surgery to better predict the onset of lymphedema after surgery.  

“I do all this because it is my lifelong work to take care, time and dedication to be at the highest level that I can,” said Rodriguez, who has worked for Kaiser Permanente for 20 years.

Kaiser Permanente Vallejo breast surgeon Anita Gambhir, MD, who helped Rodriguez develop the medical assistant training program, has referred patients to her pre- and post-surgery for six years.

“Sometimes the last thing breast cancer patients are thinking of is physical therapy after surgery,” said Dr. Gambhir. “Then later they email me and say, ‘Oh gosh, Holly is just the best.’ She’s so calm and compassionate. When patients meet her, they really feel like it was something special. She lives her work, and it’s a true calling for her.”

In addition to helping with lymphedema, Rodriguez can help breast cancer patients who have had surgery regain range of motion, strength, and function in shoulders and arms.  

“When I visit Holly, she reaches areas on my back that I can’t. She’s like a fixture in my life,” Jones said. “What she brings to the table is how to manage my care, not just with the therapy but with the education she provides.”

Rodriguez loves her work because of the personal relationships she builds and because she can help people get back to doing the things they love.

“It’s a real gift to be able to spend time with my patients,” said Rodriguez. “I’m providing hands-on care, literally, throughout their cancer journey, and that’s what I love about my job.”

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