Treatment for breast cancer may have improved since Khadra Turley was diagnosed with the disease nearly 17 years ago, but one thing has remained the same. “When you go to that doctor’s office and they say you have cancer, that’s all you hear. You shut down your emotions,” Turley said. If there’s a common de- nominator uniting people who receive a cancer diagnosis, it’s the need for hope and comfort. That principle has led Turley, now 61, to volunteer for the Reach to Recovery pro- gram through the Ameri- can Cancer Society. Reach to Recovery pairs volunteers who have sur- vived breast cancer with newly diagnosed women and men. There are seven or eight volunteers in McCracken County alone, with more in counties throughout western Ken- tucky, according to ACS health initiatives represen- tative Mary Huff. Volunteers receive training to contact new patients either in person or over the phone, provid- ing them with support for as long as breast cancer continues to be a concern in their lives. “The only person who’s going to understand is going to be someone who’s been through it them- selves,” Huff said. And Turley has. She re- ceived a diagnosis of stage II breast cancer at the age of 45, and remembers what it was like not to have many friends or family in the immediate area. She said a friend in Memphis, Tenn., recom- mended the Reach to Recovery program, and Turley has been a partici- pant for the past 12 years. Turley describes herself as outgoing and a natural storyteller, and says she uses those traits to help break the ice with the pro- gram’s participants. “They’re a little hesitant because you’re a stranger, but as you talk to them and give them your history of breast cancer, they know you’ve been there,” she said. She often recounts anecdotes about her experiences in treatment — including embarrassing episodes involving her wig, or her hankering for a tuna sub after a round of chemo — to get others talking. Although the program often matches people based on the type of breast cancer they have, Turley says volunteers don’t go into too much detail or give medical advice to cur- rent patients. “We’re not there to give them that information. It’s just for us to help,” Turley said. Call Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641. Survivor uses experience to help BY LAUREL BLACK [email protected]Associated Press Khadra Turley of Mayfield was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly 17 years ago, at the age of 45. She uses her experience to help current breast cancer patients in the Reach to Recovery program, which pairs survivors with current breast cancer patients. For those without insurance, the cost of paying for breast cancer screening or treatment can seem insurmount- able. But a state-funded program offers some relief to those in need. To keep women up to date on their screenings for breast and cervi- cal cancer, local health departments across the commonwealth offer the Women’s Cancer Screen- ing Program. Uninsured women who meet up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level guidelines are eligible to receive mammograms at reduced cost through the program, according to Janice Downs, nursing supervisor at the Mc- Cracken County Health Department. If a mammogram does show a potential problem, the patient is eligible for follow-up care through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program. The Health department helps with screening, treatment costs BY LAUREL BLACK [email protected]The Kentucky Wom- en’s Cancer Screen- ing Program provides low-cost mammo- grams and pap tests through health de- partments in every county. Three factors are used to determine eligibility for breast cancer screening: ■ Age ■ Income at or be- low 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines ■ Lack of insur- ance, including pri- vate insurance, Med- icaid, and Medicare. Women age 40-64 who meet guidelines are eligible for screen- ings every year. Women younger than 40 are eligible to receive screening services if they have a family history of breast cancer. Information taken from the Kentucky Women’s Cancer Screening Program web site. When Georgia Nichols learned nine years ago, at the age of 47, that a large knot in her breast was a fast-spreading form of can- cer, her first thought was that she would not make it. “I felt like my life had just ended. I felt like I was going to die,” said Nichols, now 56, of hearing the grippingly fearful news from her doctor after a March 2003 biopsy. “Especially when the doctor showed me how big it was,” she said. “After she said cancer, I didn’t hear anything else that was said.” Nichols, who was working at the time in the pharmacy at Western Baptist Hospital, said that she initially noticed a small lump but failed to get it checked out until she was exercising one day and became sore. After that, she said everything moved at light speed, from the doctor’s visits to the mam- mogram to the biopsy and finally the surgery. The tumor that doctors removed from Nichols’ left breast during surgery was 4 centimeters large and had already moved into her lymph nodes. The surgery lasted 11 hours and doctors removed the breast and tissue by cut- ting her open from hip to hip, she said. But even after the sur- gery was over, her struggle was far from over. Nichols said she experienced issues during recovery and ended up having to go into a sec- ond surgery. The compli- cation of a collapsed lung made the surgery even tougher but at the end of it all, and with help from her friends and family and who stayed by her side the whole time, Nichols came out of it alright. Nichols underwent six chemotherapy treatments and 33 radiation treat- ments to get to the healthy, positive state she is in now. She said she goes back every six months for check ups and feels happy and blessed to be alive. “The only thing I had to hold onto was just hope. I have great faith,” she said. I just wanted to be normal, I thought I’d never be nor- mal again. But I found that there is life after it and it’s tough and you might think you’re not going to make it but you can.” Even as a nine-year breast cancer survivor, Nichols, who still works at the hospital supporting nurs- ing computer systems, still becomes emotional when she talks about her experi- ence. But she said she will continue to share it and she hopes that her story will help save others’ lives. “If there is anything I could say or anything I could do to prevent one person from going through what I went through it would be worth it,” she said. Nichols encourages any- one who notices a change in his or her body to have it checked out. She said that if she had been paying more attention and gone to the doctor when she first noticed something on her breast, she could have dis- covered the cancer sooner and saved herself from going through everything she did. Contact Mallory Panuska, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8684 or follow @mallorypanuska on Twitter. Survivor hopes her story will help other women with cancer BY MALLORY PANUSKA [email protected]Submitted photo Georgia Nichols (front), a nine-year breast cancer survivor and Western Baptist Hospital employee, participates in the annual Pink Glove Dance video recorded at the hospital this month. Nichols hopes that by sharing her breast cancer story that she can help save others’ lives. Please see COSTS | 6 Think P nk! The Paducah Sun | Wednesday, October 24, 2012 | paducahsun.com A portion of all money from Think Pink goes to the American Cancer Society for local breast cancer programs. Sponsors
Transcript
Treatment for breast cancer may have improved since Khadra Turley was diagnosed with the disease nearly 17 years ago, but one thing has remained the same.
“When you go to that doctor’s offi ce and they say you have cancer, that’s all you hear. You shut down your emotions,” Turley said.
If there’s a common de-nominator uniting people who receive a cancer diagnosis, it’s the need for hope and comfort. That principle has led Turley, now 61, to volunteer for the Reach to Recovery pro-gram through the Ameri-can Cancer Society.
Reach to Recovery pairs volunteers who have sur-vived breast cancer with newly diagnosed women and men. There are seven or eight volunteers in McCracken County alone, with more in counties throughout western Ken-tucky, according to ACS health initiatives represen-tative Mary Huff.
Volunteers receive training to contact new patients either in person or over the phone, provid-ing them with support for as long as breast cancer
continues to be a concern in their lives.
“The only person who’s going to understand is going to be someone who’s been through it them-selves,” Huff said.
And Turley has. She re-ceived a diagnosis of stage II breast cancer at the age of 45, and remembers what it was like not to have many friends or family in the immediate area.
She said a friend in Memphis, Tenn., recom-mended the Reach to Recovery program, and Turley has been a partici-pant for the past 12 years.
Turley describes herself as outgoing and a natural storyteller, and says she uses those traits to help break the ice with the pro-gram’s participants.
“They’re a little hesitant because you’re a stranger, but as you talk to them and give them your history of breast cancer, they know you’ve been there,” she said.
She often recounts anecdotes about her experiences in treatment — including embarrassing episodes involving her wig, or her hankering for a tuna sub after a round of chemo — to get others talking.
Although the program often matches people based on the type of breast cancer they have, Turley says volunteers don’t go into too much detail or give medical advice to cur-rent patients.
“We’re not there to give them that information. It’s just for us to help,” Turley said.
Call Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641.
Khadra Turley of Mayfield was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly 17 years ago, at the age of 45. She uses her experience to help current breast cancer patients in the Reach to Recovery program, which pairs survivors with current breast cancer patients.
For those without insurance, the cost of paying for breast cancer screening or treatment can seem insurmount-able. But a state-funded program offers some relief to those in need.
To keep women up to date on their screenings for breast and cervi-cal cancer, local health departments across the commonwealth offer the Women’s Cancer Screen-ing Program.
Uninsured women who meet up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level guidelines are eligible to receive mammograms at reduced cost through the program, according to Janice Downs, nursing supervisor at the Mc-Cracken County Health Department.
If a mammogram does show a potential problem, the patient is eligible for follow-up care through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program. The
Health department helps with screening, treatment costs
en’s Cancer Screen-ing Program provides low-cost mammo-grams and pap tests through health de-partments in every county.
Three factors are used to determine eligibility for breast cancer screening:
■ Age■ Income at or be-
low 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines
■ Lack of insur-ance, including pri-vate insurance, Med-icaid, and Medicare.
Women age 40-64 who meet guidelines are eligible for screen-ings every year.
Women younger than 40 are eligible to receive screening services if they have a family history of breast cancer.
Information taken from the Kentucky Women’s Cancer Screening Program web site.
When Georgia Nichols learned nine years ago, at the age of 47, that a large knot in her breast was a fast-spreading form of can-cer, her fi rst thought was that she would not make it.
“I felt like my life had just ended. I felt like I was going to die,” said Nichols, now 56, of hearing the grippingly fearful news from her doctor after a March 2003 biopsy.
“Especially when the doctor showed me how big it was,” she said. “After she said cancer, I didn’t hear anything else that was said.”
Nichols, who was working at the time in the pharmacy at Western Baptist Hospital, said that she initially noticed a small lump but failed to get it checked out until she was exercising one day and became sore. After that, she said everything moved at light speed, from the doctor’s visits to the mam-mogram to the biopsy and fi nally the surgery.
The tumor that doctors removed from Nichols’ left breast during surgery was 4 centimeters large and had already moved into her lymph nodes. The surgery lasted 11 hours and doctors removed the breast and tissue by cut-ting her open from hip to hip, she said.
But even after the sur-gery was over, her struggle was far from over. Nichols said she experienced issues during recovery and ended up having to go into a sec-
ond surgery. The compli-cation of a collapsed lung made the surgery even tougher but at the end of it all, and with help from her friends and family and
who stayed by her side the whole time, Nichols came out of it alright.
Nichols underwent six chemotherapy treatments and 33 radiation treat-
ments to get to the healthy, positive state she is in now. She said she goes back every six months for check ups and feels happy and blessed to be alive.
“The only thing I had to hold onto was just hope. I have great faith,” she said. I just wanted to be normal, I thought I’d never be nor-mal again. But I found that there is life after it and it’s tough and you might think you’re not going to make it but you can.”
Even as a nine-year breast cancer survivor, Nichols, who still works at the hospital supporting nurs-ing computer systems, still becomes emotional when she talks about her experi-ence. But she said she will continue to share it and she hopes that her story will help save others’ lives.
“If there is anything I could say or anything I could do to prevent one person from going through what I went through it would be worth it,” she said.
Nichols encourages any-one who notices a change in his or her body to have it checked out. She said that if she had been paying more attention and gone to the doctor when she fi rst noticed something on her breast, she could have dis-covered the cancer sooner and saved herself from going through everything she did.
Contact Mallory Panuska, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8684 or follow @mallorypanuska on Twitter.
Survivor hopes her story will help other women with cancerBY MALLORY [email protected]
Submitted photo
Georgia Nichols (front), a nine-year breast cancer survivor and Western Baptist Hospital employee, participates in the annual Pink Glove Dance video recorded at the hospital this month. Nichols hopes that by sharing her breast cancer story that she can help save others’ lives.
Please see COSTS | 6
Think P nk!The Paducah Sun | Wednesday, October 24, 2012 | paducahsun.com
A portion of all money from Think Pink goes to the American Cancer Society for local breast cancer programs.
Sponsors
If experience is the best teacher, then the senior girls at Fulton High School received a vital education in life out of the classroom, as their teacher’s experi-ence battling breast cancer inspired a lesson in early detection.
It was ten years ago in February that Geneva Storey, the school’s Span-ish and calculus teacher, received the news from her physician: She was fac-ing a stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis. But catching it early in development was the light in a dark place.
“The fi rst words out of my doctor’s mouth were, ‘You caught it early and we’re just going to have to deal with this,’” she said.
In the weeks that fol-lowed her surgery and subsequent chemotherapy, Storey read as much as she could about breast cancer, coming to the conclusion that she was in a unique position to help young women in her community become aware of the dis-ease’s scope.
“I did a lot of research, and I found that women of rural communities and of lower socio-economic standing were more likely to die of this disease. And I thought that could be my homeroom,” Storey said.
With that realization, the high school began an annual day devoted to the high school’s senior girls where students would learn about the importance of screenings, self exams
and promote awareness for the disease that kills about 1 in 8 women yearly.
This year, the senior class of 10 visited Park-way Hospital where they toured the mammography department and took the opportunity to discuss breast cancer.
“I don’t want to teach young girls to live in fear, but to be educated and live smart,” Storey said. “No one is exempt from this dis-ease and should they have to fi ght this battle, they, too, can be survivors.”
The yearly girls-day-out is something that the com-munity rallies behind, as well, with local businesses offering free lunches and gift bags to the class.
While the students, generally, aren’t at a high risk of developing breast cancer in their teenage years, the information they take away from the day can be passed along to the signifi cant woman in their lives. And it’s Storey’s hope that the now-decade-long day will make a difference in the community, today, and for years to come.
“It’s a battle that takes everyone to fi ght,” she said. “It’s the community, the school, it’s the teachers and parents, and it’s the young ladies. As long as we work together we can have more survivors. There’s no need to put things off or be afraid.”
Call Will Pinkston, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8676.
Teacher gives life-saving lessons to studentsBY WILL PINKSTON
Gabby Madding and Alexia Jaycox, Fulton High School seniors, review material they received from Parkway Re-gional Hospital as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The school has sponsored the senior girls’ luncheon for the past 10 years.
•
• Generation Fit
• Meeting Well
• Active for Life
• School Health
• Breast Cancer Update
strong community coalition for a cure
For our second entry in the national Pink Glove Dance contest for breast cancer awareness, Western Baptist Hospital partners with Murray State University to spread the message that early detection saves lives.
See our video at PinkGloveDance.com. The national winner gets $10,000 for breast cancer awareness, so we ask you to vote one time every day via Facebook.
PinkGloveDance.com.
Tell your friends, family and co-workers to
for WESTERN BAPTIST at pinkglovedance.com
SCHEDULE YOUR MAMMOGRAM AT (270) 575-2662
OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
2 • Wednesday, October 24, 2012 • The Paducah Sun Think Pink paducahsun.com
www.paducahsun.com
Fighting breast cancer once is a life changing event in and of itself, but after battling a second diagnosis, Dr. Lisa Chaney Lasher’s resolve in promoting breast cancer awareness is stron-ger than ever.
It was 13 years ago that Lasher, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lourdes hospital, learned she had a malignant tumor in her right breast that would eventually require a partial mastectomy, six months of chemotherapy and daily radiation treatments to declare her cancer free.
And though it was a process that certainly left her weakened, Lasher opted to continue work-ing through it all to help her own patients, all the while assuming the role as a spokeswoman for breast cancer awareness.
With those personal experiences at heart, years later, Lasher and a team of other physicians would be instrumental in helping to open the Lourdes’ Wom-en’s Center in 2010 in the Marshall Nemer Pavilion.
“It’s a place where pa-tients could be supported throughout the process,” Lasher said. “Just helping them get through their tests, and while the major-ity of things are going to be benign, it still can be scary.
“If you can make it more comforting or soothing for women, then it helps everyone.”
Coming from that posi-tion of experience battling cancer, and being on the front line of women’s de-tection, helped provide an additional layer of comfort with her patients, as well, Lasher said.
“When you’ve been through this kind of situation, you can defi -nitely relate to patients going through something similar,” she said. “Like with side effects from treatment, that’s some-thing that I could work with other patients on and working them through it, encouraging them to listen to their bodies.”
Then in January, Lasher found another lump that a subsequent mammogram, ultrasound and MRI high-lighted as highly suspicious. A biopsy confi rmed this tumor malignant, as well.
“The fi rst time was such
a shock because I was so young,” she said. “Once you’ve had breast cancer you’re at a higher risk, and
it wasn’t any easier when I found out, but it wasn’t as shocking once you’ve been through it before.”
Lasher decided since this was her second diagno-sis, she would undergo a double mastectomy and opt for reconstruction.
Using a MammaPrint diagnostic test to follow up — a test that analyzes the genetic structure of the tumor to determine its like-lihood of metastasizing at other locations in the body
— physicians determined Lasher would not have to face chemotherapy again.
Through both diagno-ses, Lasher said the strong encouragement of her fam-ily — husband, Blaine, and daughter, Anne — friends and church helped her through those treatments, and offered advice to women facing a similar diagnosis.
“Try to stay positive and turn to God for help, just surround yourself with positive people, and fi ght back,” she said.
“Make the most of every day and spend time with your family.”
Call Will Pinkston, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8676.
Staying in the fightDoctor’s second bout with cancer bolsters determination to help othersBY WILL PINKSTON
Dr. Lisa Chaney Lasher, obstetrician/gynecologist at Lourdes hospital, talks with a patient in her office in October 2010. Lasher has battled two separate breast cancer diagnoses, something that she feels helps her to connect with patients going through similar experiences.
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MURRAY — When so much seems to spin out of a patient’s control after a breast cancer diagnosis, simple exercise during treatment provides both a physical and emotional boost, putting power back in the woman’s hands.
While individual cases may differ and patients should always consult their physician before starting an exercise regimen, light, routine activity during treatments can help get someone off the couch and back doing the things they love.
Tiffany Stanger, exer-cise specialist certifi ed in cancer recovery at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital Center for Health and Wellness, said the hos-pital’s recovery program offers an individualized treatment plan designed to improve patients’ fl exibil-ity, strength and stamina.
“A lot of (the exercise) is just getting back to their daily activities,” Stanger said. “We’ve had a lot of people who might hurt after they’ve been in the garden for a while or doing something they love doing, so we focus on stretching out those fi bers that tight-ened because of surgeries.”
In the case of lumpec-tomies or mastectomies potentially followed by chemotherapy, muscles tighten and bodies fatigue easily, making one of the most diffi cult aspects to the rehab regimen actu-ally just getting started, Stanger said.
“The more in shape they are prior to chemo or during chemo, the more likely the side effects won’t be as bad,” she said. “If they do this while they’re on chemo or in radiation or soon thereafter, it feels like they move through the process faster.”
While the Exercise and Cancer Recovery program at the wellness center pro-vides services for all people battling cancer, about 75 percent of the center’s patients are breast cancer survivors or someone cur-rently undergoing treat-ment.
Typically a breast cancer recovery exercise plan will focus on activities like stretching, through the fi rst few weeks to month of rehab, to return range of motion to the weak-ened arm and shoulder musculature. From there,
patients begin to lift small weights, no more than 3 pounds, to bolster their recovery.
The recovery program doesn’t only focus on strength of muscle, but also strengthening of
willpower at a time when patients might feel the most vulnerable. Stanger recounted a message from
one of the women in the program.
“The doctors told her when to take the medicine, the medicine told her how to feel, but the exercise was something that she had control of in her life, something that she got to choose what to do and help herself feel better,” Stanger said. “It’s really about tak-
ing back control.”Patients can be referred
to the Exercise and Cancer Recovery program by their physician. For more infor-mation contact the Center for Health and Wellness in Murray, at 270-762-1348.
Call Will Pinkston, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8676.
Exercise puts recovery back into patients’ handsBY WILL PINKSTON
Tiffany Stanger, exercise specialist at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital Center for Health and Wellness, fills out a patient’s weekly exercise log inside the center’s weight room Oct. 16. Light exercise during or following cancer treatment can help patients attain a swifter recovery.
WILL PINKSTON | The Sun
Tiffany Stanger, exercise specialist at Murray-Calloway County Hospital Center for Health and Wellness, demonstrates a range of motion exercise with a thera-band inside the center’s weight room Oct. 16. The light stretching helps to rehabilitate muscles tightened by scar tissue after breast cancer surgeries.
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4 • Wednesday, October 24, 2012 • The Paducah Sun Think Pink paducahsun.com
MURRAY — Minutes be-fore sharing her battle with breast cancer, Murray na-tive Loretta Jobs laughed as the realization of speak-ing to a room full of strang-ers sets in. “Never in my wildest dreams or night-mares did I think I’d ever be up there,” Jobs said.
Being diagnosed in July 2010, Jobs received a call requesting her perspective at the 2012 Murray-Cal-loway County Hospital’s Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon on Oct. 17 in the Murray Room of the CFSB Center. Open to the public, the luncheon drew about 100 people, including area breast cancer survivors as well as Murray’s local breast cancer support group.
Melony Bray, direc-tor of marketing for the hospital, said that their main goal is to educate and create awareness. “The key to breast cancer detection is early detec-tion, it’s so important to get early mammograms because when you fi nd out you have breast cancer in late stages that is when it can become critical,” Bray said.
Jobs shared tips with the attendees such as what to eat the day before and of a chemotherapy treatment, and suggested things to say to someone who has been diagnosed. “I want to remind people not to shun individuals who have been diagnosed. Just because you don’t know what to say or you might feel awkward doesn’t mean it’s any less important to say it,” Jobs said.
Other speakers included Mark Dycus, who shared his perspective of being a caregiver to his wife
Nancy Dycus after she was diagnosed in the Spring of 2007. Radiologist Dr. Adam Lyles also shared
information on the latest technology in breast imag-ing.
Rounding off the lun-
cheon were some yoga relaxation techniques demonstrated by Cadelia Turpin and Gayle Rogers.
Call Allie Douglass, a Sun photographer and staff writer, at 270-575-8617.
Raising breast cancer awareness in MurrayBY ALLIE DOUGLASS
Mark Dycus plays a song for a crowd Wednesday afternoon at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital’s Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon at the CFSB Center in Murray. Dycus’ wife, Nancy Dycus, was diagnosed with breast cancer in the spring of 2007 and was asked to speak about his perspective of being a caregiver to her throughout those years. Approximately 100 people attended the luncheon, including breast cancer survivor Loretta Jobs and Dr. Adam Lyles who both spoke to the crowd as well.
Life-saving treatments can have life-altering effects on some breast cancer patients. One of the most common side effects of chemotherapy is periph-eral neuropathy — numb-ness, tingling, and pain, usually felt in the hands or feet — that can impair daily functioning.
Agents called taxanes are commonly used in early-stage chemotherapy treat-ments to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence, said Dr. Julie Means-Pow-ell, a breast cancer oncolo-gist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn.
But such treatments are also known to cause neu-ropathy in 70 to 90 percent of patients, she said.
In the majority of those cases, the side effect stops when treatment ends. But about ten percent of patients are left with long-term neuropathy that can keep them from daily activities, Means-Powell said.
“It can affect their ability to open jars, to walk up and down stairs,” she said.
Whether or not a patient will develop long-term neuropathy may depend on factors such as age, the intensity of treatment dos-age, duration of therapy and alcohol abuse.
Conditions such as diabetes can also cause neuropathy. The presence
of pre-existing neuropathy can make a patient more likely to experience the ef-fects of nerve damage after treatment is over, Means-Powell said.
Oncologists must moni-tor their patients closely for symptoms of neuropa-thy, and may reduce the dosage of the chemother-apy drug if they see signs that the nerve disorder is developing.
If symptoms of nerve damage are detected, an otherwise effective treat-ment may be lessened or stopped altogether, Means-Powell said.
Certain drugs, such as Neurontin and Lyrica, reduce the symptoms of neuropathy and make life more manageable for the patient. Vitamin B6 has also been shown to help, she said.
However, no drug to treat the actual nerve dam-age exists.
Means-Powell hopes that research can show which populations are more vulnerable to neuropathy, but says that information is not yet available.
For now, the key to cop-ing with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy is communication between patients and their oncolo-gists, who can decide if the risks outweigh the benefi ts of treatment.
“(Make) sure patients communicate when those symptoms develop, to try to reduce the severity of peripheral neuropathy so they can have better qual-ity of life,” she advised.
Call Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641.
Chemotherapy can have life-altering, permanent effects
paducahsun.com Think Pink The Paducah Sun • Wednesday, October 24, 2012 • 5
Jane Viterisi doesn’t like to waste time.
When she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago, she took the fi rst available opportunity to receive treatment.
“I wanted to get it over with, and I wanted (treat-ment) to start as soon as it could. I was ready to get that tumor out,” she said.
Viterisi still believes every moment matters, and would rather spend her hours gardening or making art than in front of the TV.
“I try to surround myself with things that are beauti-ful,” she said.
Some of the beauty comes from Viterisi’s own mixed-media art-work. She studied art and horticulture at Murray State University, and then went on to complete an MFA in sculpture at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Although she takes com-missions — including one for the Western Baptist Imaging Center entitled “Five Years Later,” about her experience with breast cancer — she says her work is more a means of self-expression than a way to make money.
“I think it’s important ... to have an outlet, or something where you can remove yourself from what’s actually going on, whether it’s art, or reading, or maybe volunteering,” she said.
Viterisi has been known to lend a hand to fellow survivors. She rowed with the Kentucky Thor-oughbreasts, a team of breast cancer survivors from Northern Ken-tucky, during Paducah’s dragon boat festival in September. She starred in Western Baptist Hospi-tal’s “Pink Glove Dance” in 2011, and participated again this year.
She also builds con-nections with others she comes across at Western Baptist Hospital, where she works as a pharmacy technician.
“It’s not an active sup-port group, but when you see those people, you know you share something that most people don’t want to share,” Viterisi said of the survivors she comes into
contact with at work.For all that, Viterisi still
considers herself some-what of a hermit. She keeps a few close friends among the Wasteland-ers, a group of Paducah artists.
“I’m kind of reclusive in a sense, except for when I go visit family and friends,” she admitted.
Viterisi said she has put her experience with breast cancer fi rmly be-hind her.
“‘Remission’ is not a word in my vocabulary. It’s over, it’s done, that word doesn’t exist,” she said.
Call Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641.
Jane Viterisi, a seven-year breast cancer survivor, says she is careful not to waste her energy. She pre-fers working in her garden or art studio to watching T.V.
A long-time Marshall County High School edu-cator and cheerleading coach hopes her expe-rience detecting breast cancer early encourages young women to be per-sistent and understand choices.
Debbie Bushart taught and served as cheerlead-ing coach at Marshall County High School for nearly three decades be-fore retiring from full-time duties at the end of 2011. Her fi ght against
cancer began when she was referred to Dr. David Koelsch, of Murray, after a lump was found during a routine mammogram. Although it didn’t appear to be cancerous at fi rst, Bushart said Koelsch pur-sued the alternative.
“Protocol was that I wouldn’t get anything done, but I went ahead and had it biopsied,” Bush-art said. “Even though it didn’t look like cancer, Dr. Koelsch had it tested and it came back that it was. We caught it early. I’m in pretty good shape, I think.
It was contained.”Bushart received a sec-
ond opinion as a precau-tion before undergoing a lumpectomy in December 2011 and radiation therapy from January to March of this year. She said her two daughters, fellow teachers and community gave her the support needed during treatments and surgery in Paducah. Within a month of her diagnosis, Bush-art’s fi rst granddaughter was born, giving her more determination to beat the cancer.
Bushart, who still teach-
es two days each week, said she hopes her experi-ences will encourage her students and athletes to persevere.
“Ask questions,” Bush-art said. “If there is any chance, go the extra mile to have extra tests. It made me understand that I per-sonally have that respon-sibility. Cancer is such a very scary word and it was to me, too, but it taught me some life lessons.”
Call Jody Norwood, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8658.
Flashy ads promise “scientifi c breakthroughs” that can cure all cancer, and well-meaning friends recount stories of alterna-tive treatments that have made tumors vanish.
While some comple-mentary therapies may provide benefi ts — im-proved quality of life, or reduction of pain or nausea — the American Cancer Society warns that if a treatment sounds too good to be true, it prob-ably is.
The ACS differentiates between proven treat-ments, which clinical trials have shown to be ef-fective and relatively safe, and complementary or alternative treatments.
Complementary treat-ments are used alongside mainstream medical treat-ments — a patient under-going chemotherapy may use ginger tea to combat
nausea, for example.Alternative treatments
are used to replace the standard therapy for cancer, sometimes to the detriment of patients.
While alternative thera-pies may seem harmless — they often offer benefi ts with no side effects — they can prevent a patient from undergoing proven
treatment that would keep their cancer from spread-ing.
Taking some “natural” supplements can be a health risk on its own, as these substances are not as closely regulated by the FDA as mainstream medicine is.
The best way to avoid the risks associated with
these treatments is to discuss a complementary or alternative approach with your health care team.
The American Cancer Society contributed to this report.
Call Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641.
Understanding alternative, complementary therapyBY LAUREL [email protected] Signs of treatments to avoid
While some complementary therapies can safely help patients feel better, others can hurt them. A treatment may be questionable if it does any of the fol-lowing:
■ Promises a cure for all cancer.■ Tells you not to use recommended or standard medical treatment.■ Claims to offer benefits, but no side effects.■ Is only offered by one person or clinic.■ Requires you to travel to another country.■ Is described as a “scientific breakthrough,” “miracle cure,” “secret ingredi-
ent,” or “ancient remedy.”■ Offers personal stories of amazing results without any actual scientific evi-
dence.■ The promoters of the treatment attack the medical or scientific community.*Source: American Cancer Society.
health department will print patients a medical card that covers the cost of their care.
“We’ve sent people to (Vanderbilt Medical Cen-ter in) Nashville before and they’ve had no prob-lem accepting this card,” Downs said.
The Centers of Dis-ease Control and Pre-vention began provid-ing breast and cervical cancer to under-served women at the national level after Congress passed the Breast and Cervical Mortality Prevention Act of 1990. Downs said the local program began in the late 1990s.
Although the screen-
ing program has existed for more than a decade, Downs feels it doesn’t reach as many women as it should. “We have very limited dollars to adver-tise and communicate to people in our community,” she said.
“Some women just don’t realize, if they don’t have a payor source, that there is this option,” she contin-ued.
Downs said that women in western Kentucky’s
more rural counties are less likely to take advan-tage of the screening and treatment programs. She believes diffi culties with transportation are largely to blame.
The Purchase District Health Department serves McCracken, Ballard, Carl-isle, Hickman, and Fulton Counties.
Information about the screening and follow up programs can be found online at www.purchaseh-
ealth.org, or by calling your local health center. The number for the center in McCracken County is 270-444-9631.
Call Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641.
COSTSCONTINUED FROM 1 “We’ve sent people to (Vanderbilt
Medical Center in) Nashville before and they’ve had no problem
accepting this card.”
Janice DownsNursing supervisor
“I think it’s important ... to have an outlet, or something where you can
remove yourself from what’s
actually going on, whether it’s art, or reading,
or maybe volunteering.”
Jane ViterisiBreast cancer survivor
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6 • Wednesday, October 24, 2012 • The Paducah Sun Think Pink paducahsun.com
www.paducahsun.com
Contributed photo
Pink prideEmployees at the Paducah Bob Evans on Hinkleville Road show off their pink attire in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During weekends throughout October, the restaurant crew decided the change in wardrobe would be their way of showing support for the many women who fight breast cancer and promoting awareness of the dis-ease that kills about 1 in 8 women each year.
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