Worthy Women 2014

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October 15, 2014 A supplement of Suburban Newspapers Inc.

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Honoring fighters and survivors of breast cancer

Transcript of Worthy Women 2014

Page 1: Worthy Women 2014

October 15, 2014A supplement of Suburban Newspapers Inc.

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Honorees for the 2013 WorthyWomen of Distinction were, from left,Terri Alberhasky, Vanessa Wheeler,Twila Stuhr, Sherry Slater, TammyKleymann and Chris Tucker.

S U BRUBAN NEWS PA P ER S I NC .

WORTHY WOMEN OF DISTINCTIONSpecial Sections Editor: Shelley Larsen • Section Editor and Designer: Tom Knox •Retail Advertising Manager: Dan Matuella • Special Projects Manager: Paul Swanson

This special section is published by Suburban Newspapers Inc.To advertise in future sections, contact Marie Douglas at 402-444-1202.

2013 HONORESS

BY TOM KNOX

Suburban Newspapers Inc.

This special section is de-signed to recognize women bat-tling and surviving breast cancer.The honorees, whose stories

are throughout this section, were

nominated for their courage,their zest for life, their attitudeand their sense of humor.Their stories are varied, com-

pelling and important.This group of women has

thrived, survived and given backto their communities.

WORTHY WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

These women are worthyThrough their struggles and triumphs thisgroup of fighters has stories worth sharing.

THE 2014 WORTHY WOMEN OFDISTINCTION AWARD HONOREES ARE:

Eileen BoslaughKay BurggraffShannon FalkinburgTami Gast-KohrellKristi MiskiminsGina SimonMartha Todd

Eileen Boslaugh’s sonand husband shavedtheir heads in solidaritywhen she lost her hairduring her battle withcancer. Find her storyon Page 15.

Kay Burggraff countsthe support of herhusband, Terry, forhelping her get throughher battle with cancer.Find her story onPage 7.

Shannon Falkinburglearned she had breastcancer following a visitto an emergency roomafter she passed out athome. Find her storyon Page 6.

Tami Gast-Kohrell isn’ta person who sits still,and that spirit hascarried her through herfight with cancer. Findher story on Page 12.

Kristi Miskimins seesbreast cancer survivorsas a sorority, sharing abond that was formedout of their battles.Find her story onPage 14.

Gina Simon credits herfaith and taking life oneday at a time that gother where she is today.Find her story onPage 10.

Martha Todd, whoearned a Ph.D innursing while fightingbreast cancer, has hersights on the future.Find her story onPage 13.

MORE INSIDE

Breast cancer geneticscreening offersvital information anduncertainty. Page 8

Make exercise a priority afterbreast cancer treatmentsto help fight fatigue anddepression. Page 4

What are yourbreast cancerrisks? Page 11

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Survivor photo sponsors:Valley Boys and Hilton

Thanks to the generosity and support of sponsors, participants andvolunteers for the 2014 Race for the Cure® held on October 5, Susan G.Komen Nebraska® continues to advance the fight against breast cancer.

LOCAL IMPACT• Seventy-five percent of Race for the Cure® net funds support local

programs in Nebraska.• In 2014, Komen Nebraska awarded more than $541,000 to Nebraska

organizations for education, screening and treatment programs forwomen and men in need.

• Over the past five years, programs have touched more than 76,000Nebraskans.

GLOBAL IMPACT• Twenty-five percent of Race for the Cure® net funds support

groundbreaking national research.• Susan G. Komen is the largest private funder of breast cancer research.• Since its founding, five-year breast cancer survival rates have risen

from 74 percent to nearly 99 percent in the U.S.

Thanks to your support, we are one step closer to our mission to end breastcancer forever.

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Suburban Newspapers Inc. willhonor seven women fromthroughout Sarpy County whohave shown tremendous courageand grace while battling breastcancer.The 2014 Worthy

Women of Distinctionevent will be held onOct. 23 at BellevueBerry Farm and Pump-kin Ranch.Hor d’oeuvres and

drinks will be servedbeginning at 4:30 p.m.,with the presentation and honoree recognition startingat 5:30 p.m.Honorees will receive an Ashley Arthur Pink Crystal

Ribbon Pendant.Sherry Wachtler will again be the emcee for the

evening.

JOIN US

Recognizing the 2014breast cancer

fighters and survivors

SAVE THE DATE• Oct. 23 — Social gathering begins at 4:30p.m.; program from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.• Bellevue Berry Farm and Pumpkin Ranchat 11001 S. 48th St.• Tickets are $30, of which $10 is donatedto Susan G. Komen Nebraska.• Admission includes hors d’oeuvres, dinnerand two free drink tickets.• Order tickets by Oct. 17. Email [email protected] or call 402-505-3624.• Presented by Suburban Newspapers Inc.and Red Ribbon Sponsor: Shadow LakeTowne Center. Floral sponsor is Town &Country Floral from Gretna.

Honorees will receive an AshleyArthur Pink Crystal Ribbon Pendant.

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BY DANIELLE BRAFF

The Chicago Tribune

While going through treatment forbreast cancer, many women are nause-ated, sore, hormonal and cranky — andexercising is not on the top of their to-dolist.But doctors are recommending that

they prioritize it to increase their chanc-es of beating breast cancer, improvingtheir mood and making sure the cancerdoesn’t return.“The largest study to date followed

survivors over five years and found thatone to two hours of brisk walking perweek was associated with 40 percentlower risk of death overall comparedwith those who were less active,” saidSusan Brown, managing director ofhealth and mission program education atSusan G. Komen Breast Cancer Founda-tion.A 2011 meta-analysis of studies found

that the mortality rate for breast cancerwas 34 percent lower for women whowere very active when compared withwomen with breast cancer who weren’tactive.

Makeexerciseapriority tohelpfight fatigueanddepressionafter breast cancer treatment

METRO CREAT I V E CONNECT I ON

See Exercise: Page 5

“It can increase yourenergy, which sounds a littlebackward. You’re expellingenergy to gain more. If youincrease your calorie burn,it can decrease the fatigue.”Julie Everett

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Still, a 2013 study found that breastcancer survivors aren’t meeting nationalexercise recommendations.“Someone who is in active treatment

may not feel like walking nine hours aweek, but walking a small amount oftime can help,” Brown said.Even though much of the research

has focused on the long-term effects ofexercise, many of the results can be feltright away, said Julie Everett, physicaltherapist at Johns Hopkins Hospital inBaltimore, and a certified lymphedemaspecialist.“It can increase your energy, which

sounds a little backward,” Everett said.“You’re expelling energy to gain more.If you increase your calorie burn, it candecrease the fatigue.”She said that exercise also combats de-

pression, which is common with cancerpatients.The key is figuring out how to get

back into exercising — or even to starta fitness routine from scratch — after awoman is undergoing breast cancer treat-ment or has had a mastectomy.Most people who have had a lumpec-

tomy or minimal surgery should be ableto start an exercise regimen within sixweeks, after getting approval from theirdoctor, though those who have under-gone a more extensive surgery may havea longer wait, said Lidia Schapira, assis-tant professor of medicine at HarvardMedical School and staff oncologist atMassachusetts General Hospital.If the person undergoing treatment is

fit and already used to exercising beforeshe was diagnosed, she can continue her

routine, simply running a little slower ifshe was a runner or lifting weights thatare a little lighter, Schapira said.Everett said she recommends beginner

yoga and tai chi for breast cancer patientsbecause both forms of exercise will startto stretch the patient’s arms, targetingthe areas that were affected through thetreatment.She said that patients would also ben-

efit from simply lying on a bed on theirback, arms outstretched with a cane or anumbrella overhead, reaching their armsoverhead to get a good stretch.Those who are sore and are having

trouble moving their upper body cansimply walk, do steps or ellipticals with-out arms or stay on a stationary bicyclewhere the focus is on the lower body,Schapira said.However, certain forms of exercise

are not recommended to breast cancerpatients.“Stay away from Bikram yoga,” Ever-

ett said, warning that the heat from thisstyle of yoga increases the blood flow,which is especially bad for breast cancerpatients who are already at an increasedrisk for lymphedema, a swelling in thearms or legs caused by a blockage in thelymphatic system.Regardless of the type of exercise that

patients choose, Everett said that the keyis to not exercise too ardently, which maybe the case if someone wants to take aspin class or to train for a marathon atthis point.“You should still be able to hold a

conversation, to talk on the phone,” shesaid. “If you’re not able to communicate,you’re working too hard.”

Exercise: Fend off depression, fatigueContinued from Page 4

The key is figuring out how to get backinto exercising— or even to start afitness routine from scratch— aftera woman is undergoing breast cancertreatment or has had a mastectomy.

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Women of Distinction

By Katherine LeszczynskiSuburban Newspapers Inc.

It all started with a cry in the middleof the night.In 2011, Shannon Falkinburg

went to soothe her 10-month-old son inthe middle of the night when she passedout on his bedroom floor. She wantedto brush it off, but her family wouldn’tallow it.“My in-laws and parents were on

me,” she said.After a trip to the emergency room

and some scans, Falkinburg was giventhe OK from her doctors to leave. It wason her way out that she figured shewould ask one question.“As we were leaving I asked, ‘I don’t

know if you normally look at this kindof thing, but I have a lump.’”After being sent to a specialist and a

biopsy, Falkinburg got the diagnosis: anearly stage of breast cancer.Falkinberg was worried about how

life would change for her. “I was reallyworried about my job,” she said.Falkinburg, who owns Hearing Data

Inc. in Papillion, started teaching herhusband, Brian, how to do her work justin case.But she wasn’t going to lie back and

let the cancer take over. Falkinburg,who was just 36 and had children rang-ing in age from 10 months to 9 years,was ready to fight.“I said that even if it’s early, I wanna

do everything for it to not come back,”she said.After her initial surgery, Falkinburg

received a bigger shock: Her cancer hadjumped from stage 1 to stage 3.“That was a roller coaster,” Falkin-

burg said. “My doctor told me becauseof staging, history and age, they weregonna ‘throw the kitchen sink’ at me.”Falkinburg’s family was shaken by

the diagnosis.“It’s hard when your kids ask you

to stop going to the doctors,” she said.“I could’ve laid on the couch. I felttrapped. Every day you still feel icky.But they kept me going.”Her family was a great support sys-

tem, but friends that Falkinburg madeduring her chemotherapy sessions had aspecial understanding.“I didn’t go to any organized sup-

port groups, but I had the girls I wentthrough chemotherapy with,” Falkin-burg said. “We would go to dinner oncea month and say ‘Are we ever gonna nottalk about cancer?’”It was the special connection Falkin-

burg had with these women that helpedfill a spot others couldn’t relate to.“Unless they’ve gone through it, they

don’t totally know.”After seven surgeries in two years,

including bilateral mastectomy, re-moving her ovaries and reconstructionsurgeries, Falkinburg’s cancer is undercontrol.“They never consider breast cancer

in remission,” she said. “I still go see anoncologist every three months. They’rekeeping an eye on me.”Falkinburg’s breast cancer diagno-

sis changed everything, including herfamily.“We became so much more compas-

sionate as a family,” she said. “There’sa lot of love. Instead of doing every-thing, we slowed down. We were moreconscious about making memories forthe kids.”One memory Falkinburg and her

family won’t soon forget is Creightonbasketball coach Greg McDermott in-viting them to a practice and game afterreading a letter her son Colin wroteDoug McDermott.“That was so special to me because

he’s very quiet,” she said, tearing up.“That was just a huge, huge deal.”Through her journey, Falkinburg has

overcome so much. To others who arediagnosed, she has advice.“One day at a time,” she said. “And

sometimes it’s literally one hour at atime. You have to celebrate every victo-ry.”Writing down thoughts and the

process can also be a helpful tool whenlooking back on a battle with cancer.“Keep a journal. Your mind is in such

a fog,” Falkinburg said. “Write downhard days and good days. When youlook back, you can say, ‘Wow! Lookwhat I’ve done.’ ”

With family by her side, Falkinburglearns to celebrate every victory

KATHER INE LE S Z C Z YN S K IS U BURB AN NEWS PA P ER S I NC .

Shannon Falkinburg was diagnosed withbreast cancer in 2011. After seven surgeriesin two years, her cancer is under control.“I still go see an oncologist every threemonths. They’re keeping an eye on me,”she said. Falkinburg lives in Papillion withher husband, Brian, and her four children —Alison, Colin, Connor and Owen.

“We became so much more compassionate as a family.There’s a lot of love. Instead of doing everything, weslowed down. We were more conscious about makingmemories for the kids.”Shannon Falkinburg

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By Kristan GraySuburban Newspapers Inc.

Kay Burggraff’s life was like every-one else’s — that is, before “The BigC,” as she refers to her breast cancerdiagnosis.With three breast biopsies in a num-

ber of years, Burggraff got a positivereport in January 2008. The Ralstonwoman was wrapped up in her careeras a corporate security manager forOmaha Steaks when she learned shehad invasive ductal carcinoma.“When you hear the word ‘cancer,’

you’re pretty much lost to time,” Burg-graff said. “I have maternal aunts whohad breast cancer and helped care formy Aunt Irene during her illness, butthat cancer wasn’t in my genes. It was asurprise.”Burggraff believes she could have

never made it through the experiencewithout the support of her husband,Terry.“He was my rock,” she said. “He,

and my family and friends. People saidsomething good would come out of it;the good was that I’d never felt so lovedin my life.”“Going through cancer is frightful.

You have to make life-threatening deci-sions, research, talk with doctors … it’sa real tailspin,” Burggraff said. “But Ihad support from Omaha Steaks to takethe time I needed and was able to goback to work afterward.”“I decided March 3 to have a mas-

tectomy,” she said. “After that, I hadfour chemo treatments, one every threeweeks. I should have had a port, be-

cause I had trouble with my veins, andgot an infection in my arm, but it wasminor. ”However, her reconstructive pro-

cess was quite painful, and medicinalside-effects spurred her body into meno-pause, caused extreme bone pain andleft her with even more to deal with.“The hair loss, the wigs, the scarves,

the hats, whatever you choose is really ahard piece,” she said.Chemotherapy claimed even her

eyelashes, eyebrows, and the fine hairsinside her nose, causing it to continuallyrun.Burggraff also had a hysterectomy

after ovarian cysts were discovered.“The mental piece of it all is huge,”

Burggraff said. “I wanted to get throughit on fast speed ahead so I could get onwith life.”The impact hit hardest in October

while reading her journal.“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I have cancer!’

I was so focused on getting past cancer,that I didn’t totally deal with the factthat I had cancer.”She then went to her first Susan G.

Komen breast cancer awareness walk.There, she learned of the organizationcalled A Time to Heal.“That’s when my healing process

began. It’s a 12-week rehab programfor survivors and caregivers to getback your best life. The program andthe ladies (founding doctors StephanieKoraleski and Kay Ryan) were truly agift to me,” Burggraff said. “It was atime to work out relationships, copewith the process, the illness, spirituality,exercise, relaxation, mental attitude, sex-

ual functioning, and all types of topics.”She was determined to help others,

and to make good come out of thetrouble.“Well by week two, I realized I

needed to help myself before I couldhelp anyone else. A Time to Heal helpedme focus on my best life. Caregivers gothrough as much, or more, and needsupport too, so they’re encouraged toattend the meetings,” she said.“I’m also a graduate of a Brain Fog

course. (Up to 50 percent of cancersurvivors are affected by cognitive loss.)Even without chemo, the brain can haveside effects of memory loss, etc. fromcancer,” she said.Now Burggraff serves on the foun-

dation, A Time to Heal, and is a co-or-ganizer of an upcoming event in Maycalled the Art of Living with Cancer.Dr. Ed Creagan, author of “How Notto Be My Patient,” will be the keynotespeaker.“In the beginning I was set on getting

past it, but I had to realize I needed tofocus on my best life,” she said. “I’vealways cherished relationships, but therelationship value has increased. Try tokeep stress down —my grand-daugh-ters are always singing, ‘Let it Go.’That’s important. ”“I know some who have metastatic

cancer but are living full lives,” she said.“Stay positive, and fight it. The sooneryou get that mind-set the better. Don’tlet cancer take everything from you —don’t let it win or define you — cancer isnot who you are.”

Focused on getting past cancer,months passed before diagnosis sunk in

KRI S TAN GRAYSUBURB AN NEWS PA P ER S I NC .

Survivor Kay Burggraff has been cancer-freefor six years. “Don’t let the cancer takeeverything away from you,” Burggraff said.“It’s not who you are.”

“In the beginning I was set on getting past it, but I had torealize I needed to focus on my best life. ”

Kay Burggraff

Page 8: Worthy Women 2014

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WomenOF DISTINCTION

BY JUDY PERES

The Chicago Tribune

New technologies, and a little helpfrom the U.S. Supreme Court, have madeit possible for large numbers of womento find out whether they carry geneticmutations that increase their risk ofbreast cancer — a development warmlywelcomed by experts in the field.But the availability and relative af-

fordability of multigene-panel tests canalso lead to anxiety and confusion aboutwhat course of action to choose, becausethe risk associated with many of thosegenes remains unknown.“Genetic testing holds a lot of poten-

tial and a whole lot of uncertainty,” saidBeth Peshkin, a professor of oncologyand senior genetic counselor at George-town University’s Lombardi Compre-hensive Cancer Center in Washington.“The more genes we test, the more

variants we’re likely to find,” Peshkinsaid. “A recent study found that about 40percent of people who underwent paneltesting had variants, or genetic changes,that we don’t know how to interpret.”In 2013 the Supreme Court invalidat-

ed Myriad Genetics’ patents on the twomajor genes that predispose women tobreast and ovarian cancer, ruling thathuman genes cannot be patented.Since then, several companies have

begun testing for mutations in thosegenes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are re-sponsible for about 80 percent of hered-itary breast cancer cases; and the geneshave been incorporated into panels thatuse so-called next-generation sequencingto test for multiple genes simultaneously.The problem arises because some of

the mutations detected in those panelsare relatively rare and scientists do notyet know how much additional risk theyconfer, if any.In August, the New England Journal

of Medicine published a study showingthat certain mutations in a gene calledPALB2 were associated with a lifetimerisk of between 33 percent (for carriers

with no family history of breast cancer)and 58 percent (for those with a strongfamily history). That’s similar to the riskassociated with a BRCA2 mutation, butlower than that for BRCA1.The average lifetime risk for an Amer-

ican woman is about 12 percent. The vastmajority of breast cancer cases are notlinked to any known hereditary factor.“Investigators from 14 centers around

the world pooled data from all of theirfamilies with PALB2 mutations,” saidDr. Jane Churpek, co-director of theComprehensive Cancer Risk and Preven-tion Program at University of ChicagoMedicine. “So, for the first time, we hada large enough series to get an estimate(of risk) for carriers of mutations in thisgene. The hope is we’ll see similar effortsfor each gene on these panels.”When actress Angelina Jolie an-

nounced last year that she carried aBRCA1 mutation, her choice was rela-tively straightforward. She decided tohave a preventive double mastectomyafter her mother died of ovarian cancerand Jolie learned she herself had up to an87 percent chance of getting the disease.Some breast cancer experts noted

that the “Angelina Jolie effect” — thedramatic upsurge in testing for breastcancer genes that followed her story —was a good thing. It raised awareness of

Breast cancer genetic screeningoffers vital information, uncertainty

T R I BUNE NEWS S ERV I C E

Twin sisters Kristen Maurer, left, and Kelly McCarthy were diagnosed with breast cancer severalyears ago, and genetic testing for both sisters showed no BRCA mutation.

See Screening: Page 9

Page 9: Worthy Women 2014

A multidisciplinary team approach, state-of-the-art technology andaccess to the latest clinical trials have made our breast care centera national leader in education, prevention and early detection.

More important is the impact it’s had on our patients.

bestcare.org/cancer

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a problem about which something couldbe done. A study presented in earlySeptember at a meeting of the AmericanSociety of Clinical Oncology found thatreferrals for genetic testing at one largemedical center doubled in the six monthsfollowing Jolie’s announcement.But BRCA1 is a well-studied gene

for which there is good evidence of theassociated risk. Although there can bemany different mutations in that gene,and they don’t all confer the same risk,researchers have investigated most ofthem and have a pretty good idea howthey affect a person’s chances of gettingbreast cancer.“Over a million women have been

tested for BRCA,” said Peshkin. “Veryfew variants (of unknown significance)remain.”Geneticist Mary-Claire King, who

discovered BRCA1, stirred controver-sy recently by calling for all Americanwoman over 30 to be tested for BRCA1and BRCA2. (Current guidelines forhealthy women say only those with afamily history should be referred forgenetic counseling and testing.)But King added that women should

be told only about mutations that areassociated with known cancer risk.Many of the newer gene mutations

have not been studied in enough carriers

for scientists to be able to quantify therisk associated with them. So learningshe has one of those mutations wouldalmost certainly cause a woman concernand anxiety, but it wouldn’t provideenough information for her to make aninformed decision about how to proceed.Only by knowing the likelihood that

someone who carries a given mutationwill actually develop breast cancer can adoctor help a patient decide whether it’sappropriate to take certain risk-reductionsteps. Those may include:

•More intensive screening (typically,an annual MRI in addition to mammog-raphy)

• Chemoprevention (taking a drugthat blocks the effect of estrogen on thebreasts)

• Prophylactic salpingo-oophorec-tomy (surgical removal of the fallopiantubes and ovaries)

•Mastectomy (surgical removal of thebreasts)“It’s going to take a national, or inter-

national, effort to learn how to interpretvariants that are rare, or found only inindividual families,” Peshkin said.Such efforts are already underway.

A number of labs and medical centers,including Georgetown, the University ofChicago and Memorial Sloan Ketteringin New York, are participating in a newregistry to collect genetic informationand outcomes data on patients who

undergo multigene-panel testing andconsent to be followed.The registry will focus on the kind of

genes for which cancer risk is uncertainand no clinical management guidelinesare currently available.Even after the level of risk is known,

however, good genetic counseling isneeded, Churpek explained, becausethat estimate may be affected by otherthings, including lifestyle factors, othergenetic factors, family cancer history andcountry of residence. “It’s why those ofus who practice cancer risk make suretesting is done by someone who knowshow to interpret the results,” she said.Churpek stressed that genetic testing

is only one component of estimatingsomeone’s cancer risk. “We take intoaccount personal factors — such as ageat first period and first childbirth — aswell as the family history,” she said. “If

genetic testing does not identify a muta-tion, but there is a strong family historyof breast cancer, we take care of thatwoman differently.”That was the case for Kelly McCarthy

and Kristen Maurer of Crown Point,Indiana, twin sisters who were bothdiagnosed with breast cancer at age 32,shortly before their mother died of coloncancer. McCarthy, a nurse, had a veryaggressive tumor; Maurer’s was lessaggressive and less advanced.Genetic testing showed no BRCA

mutation and no conclusive breast cancerrisk in any other gene on the panel. Nev-ertheless, both women opted for doublemastectomies.“It was a peace-of-mind situation,”

said Maurer, now 35, who works inenrollment services at Indiana WesleyanUniversity and has two young daugh-ters. “I didn’t want it to ever come back.”

Screening: Treatment path not always clear after BRCA testingContinued from Page 8 “It’s going to take a national,

or international, effortto learn how to interpretvariants that are rare, orfound only in individualfamilies.”Beth Peshkin, oncology professor

Page 10: Worthy Women 2014

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Gina Simon was more than a soccermom when she was diagnosed withbreast cancer eight years ago. She

was the coach.“I was 41 and in the prime of my

life,” the Fremont woman said. “Withfive kids and a full schedule, it blindsid-ed me.”Even though treatment wasn’t

optional, Simon said, it was hard toadd aggressive treatments to her heavyschedule.“Trying to keep up with treatments,

soccer and all, I didn’t miss a beat,” shesaid.Support groups were extremely ben-

eficial after she was diagnosed.“I found camaraderie with other

women who were going through thesame thing, trying to work as a realestate agent and juggle soccer,” she said.“It was difficult.”She remembers the week she started

chemo having tremendous ups anddowns — some that had little to do withthe disease.“My daughter won the state cham-

pionship that week, and then two dayslater she was offered a scholarship atCreighton,” she said. “It was the worstand best week of my life.”Simon said among all of the day-to-

day struggles with cancer, there wasalways good sprinkled in with them.“Amongst all of the pain and suffer-

ing, the chemo and surgeries, there wasgood, too,” she said. “Life goes on, andthat’s how it’s remained since. You havegood days, and you have bad days.”Since the beginning of her diagnosis,

Simon has developed a greater appreci-ation for life.“I live differently now,” she said.

“I appreciate yesterday and today andlook forward to tomorrow. The onlydifference is I don’t look too far in thefuture because you live for now.”Simon looked at her children’s mile-

stones and set goals for herself.In 2006, her hope was to see her

daughter graduate from high school.“Then it became a matter of hoping tosee her graduate from college,” she said.She feels blessed that she’s had such

an amazing recovery and has stayedwell, but looking back, she watched hermother struggle and persevere with thesame diagnosis.“Back in 1975 she was diagnosed

with breast cancer, and many years latershe passed away from a non-cancer re-lated illness.” she said. “Nearly 30 yearsto the day after my mother’s diagnosis, Icame across the bill from when she wasin the hospital going through the samething. It made me reflect on what I hadbeen through and showed me how farI had come and how far treatment hadprogressed.”She’s confident with the radical

treatment and early detection that thedisease stops with her.“I’d hate for my daughter to have to

go through this, too,” she said.Simon credits her faith and taking

one day at a time to get where she istoday.“My advice for others who have the

same prognosis is to take things slow,seek those that can counsel you,” shesaid. “Sometimes with other womenwho have had the disease, the fear setsin and their husband or families don’tunderstand. It’s amazing how peoplewho don’t have cancer don’t know howto talk about it. You need to talk aboutit, on both sides of cancer.”Another life lesson she had learned

prior to her cancer experience was to letothers minister to her when she neededit.“It can be hard for us to be humble,

to ask for help,” she said. “Others don’tknow what to do, but we need to letthem help us.”Simon has enjoyed getting to know

many people who are in the same situa-tion, those who are seeking out wisdomfrom cancer survivors, like Simon.“It’s usually someone who knows

someone who knows someone,” shesaid. “People have reached out to methrough Facebook and other means. Iusually give them my number, and westart communicating that way. It’s niceto have a network of others who can re-late to it. You need to talk, talk and talk.Women are really good at that.”

With a greater appreciation of life,Simon learns to live for now

CHRI S LEGBANDSUBURBAN NEWS PA P ER S I NC .

Gina Simon was 41 when diagnosed withbreast cancer. Among all the day-to-daystruggles, there was always good sprinkledin with them, she said. “I live differently now. I appreciate yesterday and today and

look forward to tomorrow. The only difference is I don’t looktoo far in the future because you live for now.”Gina Simon

Page 11: Worthy Women 2014

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We’re proud to sponsor and honor the Worthy Womenof Distinction. Battling adversity with strength and courage

is truly an inspiration to us all. We will continue to support thefight against breast cancer until a cure can be found.

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Breast cancer is the most common can-cer among American women, aside fromskin cancers.About one in eight women in the

U.S. will develop invasive breast cancerduring her lifetime.Fortunately, 90 percent of patients di-

agnosed with breast cancer will survivethe disease.A diagnosis of cancer can be diffi-

cult for patients and their caregivers toreceive.David Moeckly, a specialist phar-

macist in the Express Scripts OncologyTherapeutic Resource Center, helpspatients understand the condition andmanage the complex treatment regimens.“What most people may not realize

is that men can get breast cancer as well,although it is 100 times more commonamong women,” Moeckly said.Breast cancer usually originates in the

linings of either the tubes (ducts) thatcarry milk or the glands (lobules) thatmanufacture milk.“The first symptom is often the most

common one — a new lump or mass,”Moeckly said. “A painless, hard massthat has irregular edges is more likely tobe cancerous, but breast cancers can betender, soft or rounded. They can evenbe painful.”

Getting annual mammograms canhelp detect breast cancer early and saveyour life, he said.“It is also important to have any new

breast mass or lump or breast changechecked by a health care professionalbecause mammograms do not catch allbreast cancer cases,” Moeckly said.Treatment for breast cancer can be

difficult and invasive, including chemo-therapy and radiation.Both the treatment and the stress can

have a detrimental impact on your healthand appetite. Ensuring proper nutritionduring treatment is very important, headds. Paying careful attention to whatyou eat can also help ease the side-effectsof treatment.

RISK FACTORS FOR BREAST CANCERINCLUDE:Family medical history: About 5 to 10 percentof breast cancer cases are thought to behereditary, meaning that they result directly fromgene defects (called mutations) inherited from aparent. Having one first-degree relative (mother,sister or daughter) with breast cancer doubles awoman’s risk. Having two first-degree relativesincreases her risk about three-fold.Personal history of breast cancer: A womanwith cancer in one breast is three to four timesmore likely to develop a new cancer in the otherbreast or in another part of the same breast. Thisis different from a recurrence (return) of the firstcancer.Ethnicity: Overall, white women are slightly morelikely to develop breast cancer than are African-American women, but African-American womenare more likely to die of this cancer.

A FEW NUTRITION TIPSTO REMEMBER:Eat enough calories: Treatment can often resultin a poor appetite. One way to offset the lowerfood intake is to ingest high-calorie foods suchas hard-cooked eggs, peanut butter, cheese,ice cream, granola bars, liquid nutritionalsupplements, puddings, nuts, canned tuna orchicken, and trail mix.Tempt yourself: Eat your favorite foods anytimeof the day. Eating small meals or snacks everycouple of hours rather than three large mealsis usually more successful to increase foodconsumption.Foods that offset nausea and vomiting: Manytreatments can cause nausea and vomiting. Eatsix-to-eight meals a day, consisting of easy-to-digest foods such as soups, crackers, toast, drycereals, broth, sport drinks, water, juice, gelatinand frozen fruit treats to help minimize thesesymptoms. Avoid spicy, greasy and overly sweetfoods. Ginger and peppermint can also helpreduce nausea.Stay hydrated: Severe diarrhea during treatmentcan cause dehydration. Eating foods suchas oatmeal, bananas and rice can help treatdiarrhea. Fried, spicy or very sweet foods maymake it worse. And remember to drink plenty ofwater.Stay adherent: As always make sure to take yourmedication as prescribed by your doctor and donot self-adjust.— Brandpoint

Whatareyourbreast cancer risk factors? The answers could surprise you

“What most people maynot realize is that men canget breast cancer as well,although it is 100 timesmore common amongwomen.”David Moeckly

Page 12: Worthy Women 2014

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By her own admission, Tami Gast-Kohrell doesn’t do sitting still.Nor does she do lying down, acqui-

escence, bowing, suffering in silence orwaxing maudlin.So when Gast-Kohrell’s Stage 3 breast

cancer diagnosis last summer stoppedher heart for a moment, there was onlyone thing to do: exactly what she doesbest.“I’m a goer,” she said, remembering

Aug. 16, 2013 — a day not quite threemonths after a crystal-clear mam-mogram had given her a clean bill ofhealth. “And when you’re a goer, youdon’t sit down very well or for verylong. That’s been one of the challengesfor me in this whole thing. Maintainingmy patience level. But on that day, asany woman who has heard that newsknows, your whole world freezes for aminute. Then, you say, ‘All right, let’sgo get it.’”Within a month, Gast-Kohrell, a vice

president of sales for human resourcesspecialists Robert Half International, un-derwent a double mastectomy and wasinto her early rounds of radiation andchemotherapy at the Nebraska CancerCenter.There, her natural buoyancy, even in

the face of a harrowing fight, continuedto carry over. But Gast-Kohrell saidshe learned quickly that every cancer isdifferent and every fighter battles in herown way.“I go in, and I just want to hug

everybody and say hello to everyone,”she said. “But that’s how I fight. You

fight like you have to fight. Everyoneowns their cancer in their own way, andthere’s no wrong way to fight it.”And for Gast-Kohrell, the fight means

having the right people in her corner.“The right oncologist, the right

radiologist, the right nursing staff,” shesaid. “I had the most phenomenal care awoman could ever have. And of course,there is the absolute and total blessingof my husband.”Mike Kohrell said a good illustration

of his wife’s breast cancer fight arisesevery time he goes out to cut the grassat the couple’s Papillion home.“She does not like to see me behind a

lawnmower,” Kohrell said with a laugh.“Mowing the lawn is her job, always hasbeen. Even when I tell her that she justcan’t do it right now, it still makes hercrazy because she wants to be out there,doing it. Doing something. She’s anincredibly strong woman. She is a goerand a doer.”Another prominent presence in Gast-

Kohrell’s fight has been her longtimefriend, Kathy Nettleton.Though she lives in North Carolina,

Nettleton has nevertheless been a fixtureat Gast-Kohrell’s chemo sessions, a dailyor, if needed, an almost hourly voice onthe telephone.In her friend, Nettleton sees the very

embodiment of the pink army uponwhich Gast-Kohrell has called since theearliest days of her battle.“Most people, when we’re sick, we

just go home and lie down,” Nettletonsaid. “Tami, when she comes homefrom chemo, she walks around, shedoes things. She says, ‘I can’t sit still orthis will make me even sicker.’ I call her

the poster child. Nobody wants to bethe poster child for breast cancer, butif there has to be one, if there has to besomeone who we should emulate in thefight, it’s Tami.”Gast-Kohrell speaks of breast cancer

in terms not typical to the illness.Breast cancer is a “blessing,” an

“opportunity,” she said. It’s somethingshe’s given a deadline: the end of thisyear. A scan earlier this year revealedshe was cancer-free. She now hopes towind up her last treatments in the nexttwo months.Said Nettleton, that’s the language

and attitude Gast-Kohrell uses in herapproach to any situation, even a sig-nificantly less-than-attractive one.“She’ll do it with a smile on her face

and a ‘hello’ to everyone,” Nettletonsaid. “Because she is the most positiveperson I’ve ever met. That runs throughher fight.”If Gast-Kohrell can be a model and a

voice for another woman going throughit, it’s just the next job she has to go anddo.“Nobody wants to get cancer, but

what are you going to do once you dohave it?” she said. “It has blessed me tocome into contact with a lot of incred-ible people. It has also revealed to methe blessings I have in being able to fightthe way I’ve fought, with the best careimaginable, with good insurance froma good employer. Not every womanwill get the blessings I have. Right now,there’s a woman with breast cancer whois deciding between her treatment andfeeding her children. If I have an op-portunity to call attention to that, whywould I not use my situation to do it?”

‘Goer’ Gast-Kohrell goes at cancerfight with passion, compassion

ADAM KL INKERSUBURB AN NEWS PA P ER S I NC .

Tami Gast-Kohrell of Papillion holds apainting of a pink ribbon given to her bya nurse during the early stages of hertreatment for breast cancer. Gast-Kohrellsaid that since her diagnosis last summer,not a day goes by that she doesn’t bearsome article of clothing that’s pink, anoutward expression of her own fight and, shehopes, an inspiration to women also battlingtheir breast cancer. “Nobody wants to get cancer, but what are you going to

do once you do have it?”Tami Gast-Kohrell

Page 13: Worthy Women 2014

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Atattoo ribbon runs across MarthaTodd’s chest, and it is pink.Breast cancer pink.

The ribbon weaves in and out of Jap-anese cherry blossom trees, chosen byTodd because in Japanese culture theysymbolize the transience of life.“They bloom, they’re beautiful for

a short period, and then they’re gonefrom this world,” she said. “You bloom,you be a good person, and then you’regone.”Except that Martha Todd is by no

means gone.Some four years after her initial

breast cancer diagnosis at age 46, duringwhich she endured a bilateral mastecto-my, bladder surgery, acute pancreatitis,gall bladder disease, implant surgery,and lost her mother and father, Toddis very much here — on the faculty ofCreighton University, in fact, whereshe teaches undergraduate nursing andnurse practitioners.No one could have complained if

her astonishing run of bad luck sinceJuly 2010 caused Todd to hole up athome and question the fairness of theuniverse. Instead, despite the effects of“chemo brain,” a fog-like slowness thatcan affect the brain for up to five years,she earned a Ph.D in nursing, graduat-ing this past spring from South DakotaState University.“Graduating with a Ph.D was closure

for me,” she said. “All the bad stuff

happened during the time I was goingto school, so graduating was closure ona lot of stuff that needed to be closed.”Todd, like her husband of 31 years,

Rick, is a native of St. Joseph, Missouri,and moved around the globe duringher husband’s 22-year career in the AirForce. He’s retired now, and the couplelive in Bellevue. They recently saw theirson, Levi, head to Ohio State University,where he is pursuing a Ph.D in neu-roscience, and they await the pendinggraduation of their daughter, Rebekah,with a degree in art history from theUniversity of Nebraska at Omaha.Things are better.The sun began breaking through the

clouds about eight months ago, Toddsaid, when she woke up one morningand realized the brain fog had dissipat-ed.“I woke up and told my husband,

‘I’m back!’” she said.It had been an arduous absence.The first hardship was the bilateral

mastectomy, although Todd said thedecision came easily.“Most definitely an easy call,” she

said. “We knew the initial lumpectomydidn’t get all the cancer, and I had threeother suspicious lesions. I was lookingat MRIs every six to seven months,with all that stress and tension and thenerve-wracking tests. I just wasn’t goingto do that for the rest of my life.”So she accepted that she was one of

the bad-luck people.One woman in eight will get breast

cancer, she said, most after the age of

60. Those are the bad-luck people. Theyoften have no genetic predisposition tothe disease. It’s just bad luck.Women who are struck in their 40s

usually have a genetic predisposition.Todd had no genetic predisposition

but was struck in her 40s nonetheless.Particularly bad luck.Like all cancer survivors, Todd said

she awaits the day when she will be asmentally free from the disease as shecurrently is physically.“It’s always there in the back of your

mind, when something goes wrong inyour body,” she said. “You just fear it’scancer again. The doctors say that fearwill fade with time.”Having come so far, and survived so

many dangers, toils and snares, Toddsaid her eyes are fixed on the future,where, as Grandpa Potts reminded usin “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” fromthe ashes of disaster grow the roses ofsuccess.Todd’s roses are on display in north

Omaha, where she is back serving as anurse practitioner two days a week ata free clinic, in addition to her teachingduties at Creighton.And then there is that tattoo, which

Todd said plays a healing role as well asbeing a useful tool to disguise surgicalscars.“Every day now I can look into the

mirror and see a work of art instead ofreally scarred breasts,” she said. “That isa healing experience. My entire chest isa work of art. It’s awesome.”

Road to a Ph.D ran right throughher breast cancer struggles

EUGENE CURT I NSUBURB AN NEWS PA P ER S I NC .

Martha Todd, professor of nursing atCreighton University, embarked on a wide-ranging battle with a number of diseasesafter being diagnosed with breast cancer in2010.

“Graduating with a Ph.D was closure for me. All the bad stuffhappened during the time I was going to school, so graduating

was closure on a lot of stuff that needed to be closed.”Martha Todd

Page 14: Worthy Women 2014

CongratulatesITS GRADUATES:

• Eileen Boslaugh• Gina Simon• Kay Burggraff• Martha Todd• Kristi Miskimins

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By Mike BellSuburban Newspapers Inc.

It’s a sorority that no one wants tojoin.That’s how Kristi Miskimins of

Papillion described surviving breastcancer.“It’s a sorority you don’t want to join,

but you would not believe the bond thatis shared between survivors,” she said.While working for the Sienna Francis

shelter as a donations coordinator, shefirst began to notice she wasn’t feelingas well as usual.A shortness of breath and lack of

energy was apparent to her friends, whosaid Miskimins should get a physical.Despite taking good care of herself andexercising regularly, Miskimins under-went a mammogram.Which turned out to reveal a growth.The news was devastating for her

and her husband, Doug. It was love atfirst sight when they met at an airportin 2001. She was on a trip to Hawaii andnoticed his Husker cap. And more than10 years later, she was diagnosed withStage 2 breast cancer.It was Oct. 3, 2011, a date she won’t

soon forget.“I was in total disbelief. Total shock,”

she said. “This doesn’t happen to me. Itdoesn’t run in my family.”A quick response for surgery was

assigned, and her doctor told her adouble mastectomy would be the wisestcourse of action. The MRI showed whatlooked to be a 4-centimeter tumor, butthe growth could be more extensive, soa lumpectomy wasn’t considered thor-ough enough.It was a nerve-racking decision, she

said, one that worried her she could bejumping the gun.But it was the right one.When the surgery was over, her doc-

tors told her instead of a 4-centimetergrowth, it was 9 centimeters, more thandouble the original estimate.“There were hidden tumors that

hadn’t been picked up on the MRI,” shesaid.But the surgery was just part of her

trial back to being cancer-free. Januaryof 2012 meant four rounds of chemo-therapy and 32 rounds of radiation. Itdamaged her tissue, drained her energyand made her sick.But she kept going, relying on the

strength lent her through God, familyand friends.“I got through by faith, the people in

my life, and the support of my family,”she said.Head bald, she wore a cover to work.

When she told others she was undergo-ing treatment, she tried to take a lighterside to it, joking about the fact she re-sembled the character Uncle Fester from

the “Adams Family.” She even stuck alightbulb in her mouth as a joke, so ofcourse that’s when her boss walked in.“He tells that story to this day,” she

laughed.The Livestrong program at YMCA

caught wind of her story, and shebecame a poster child for them. Literal-ly, she was on a poster to promote theprogram.“I participated in the 12-week

Livestrong program at the YMCA, andcontinue to go to reunions and encour-age other cancer survivors to sign up forthe program,” Miskimins said.Miskimins has also given talks at

events to help raise money and aware-ness about the Livstrong program.Working with other cancer survivors

gave back a sense of being alive, a senseof motivation for Miskimins. Somethingshe had lost in the mix after treatmenthad ended.“When the treatment was going there

was just this drive to live, but once it’sover you feel overwhelmed by whathappened,” she said.Miskimins has checkups every four

months to make sure the cancer hasn’tcome back. And it hasn’t.“It was terrifying. It was absolutely

terrifying, but now I meet other survi-vors and tell them they can make it,”she said. “And that helps me, as well.”

Encouraging others helped restorePapillion woman’s motivation

MIKE BELLSUBURB AN NEWS PA P ER S I NC .

Kristi Miskimins of Papillion found motivationfor a life after cancer through a progam atthe YMCA.

“It’s a sorority you don’t want to join, but youwould not believe the bond that is sharedbetween survivors.”Kristi Miskimins

Page 15: Worthy Women 2014

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By Toni FurmanskiSuburban Newspapers Inc.

When Eileen Boslaugh wentbald during her chemotherapytreatments, her husband, Paul,

and 8-year-old son, Max, shaved theirheads so they could look like her.Boslaugh was diagnosed with breast

cancer in 2007 at the age of 47. She wasa stay-at-home mother of three, includ-ing 3-year-old twin girls, Rachel andAndrea.“I think for me, that was my first

fear,” she said. “‘What am I going to dowith my kids?’ I guess it’s every wom-an’s thoughts, so that was probably oneof the hardest things.”She is originally from Arkansas, so

her parents weren’t able to drive overwhenever she and her husband neededhelp. Her in-laws, who live in Lincoln,were able to help, but figuring out whatto do with her children when she wasgoing to treatments and appointmentswas a huge concern for her.“Unlike a working woman, I didn’t

have my child care already set up,”Boslaugh said. “So it was like I had tofigure that out at that point, and wedidn’t have a lot of family here.”She said it was amazing to her all

the people who stepped up to help herand her family when they were in need,including her church family.

“My church was wonderful,” shesaid. Her church, St. James UnitedMethodist in Bellevue, “was veryhelpful with the support there, as faras bringing meals and helping us withanything we needed,” she said.Her doctor always made her feel very

positive. Even though she had a tumorthat was “considered rather large,” shedidn’t have negative thoughts.When someone hears the word can-

cer, she said, there is always a negativeconnotation, but she had to think aboutwhat having cancer meant for her.She said during her treatments it was

important for her to stay active.“My children, of course, kept me

very much motivated to keep going,”she said. “Just to be there for their activ-ities and to feel good for those kinds ofthings.”All her treatments took place in 2007,

and then in 2008 she had reconstructivesurgery. She was diagnosed in Januarybut was done with active treatment bySeptember of that year.Boslaugh now takes a maintenance

pill once a day, which reduces her riskof a recurrence of breast cancer.It was after all of her treatments and

surgeries that Boslaugh started goingto a support group, A Time to Heal.The group focuses on what is going tohappen next.She said about 18 women were in

the group. They did a 12-week programwhere they talked about certain topics.She still meets with about half of thosesame women on a regular basis. Thispast May they even met for a weekendretreat.“It was a weekend refresher coarse,”

she said. “We make a goal with our-selves, and it’s healthy goal setting, Ithink, and so we went over that again.”The support group encourages mem-

bers to figure out where they are goingto go after the disease. Her new way oflife includes a new job as a facilitator atGifford Farms, a job she got through awoman in her support group. She saidnot being sick anymore was strange atfirst. She had to readjust to this newway of life.“It’s sort of scary at first when you

quit going to the doctor,” she said. “Ithink you feel that that’s your safety net,so it is sort of like you have to remem-ber you don’t have to go to the doctorevery week now. I think it was justfinding a new routine.”

Support group, family have kepther positive and motivated

MIKE BELLSUBURB AN NEWS PA P ER S I NC .

Eileen Boslaugh was diagnosed with cancerin January of 2007. Married with threechildren, she stayed positive and activethrough her cancer battle. “My children, ofcourse, kept me very motivated,” Boslaughsaid.

“My children, of course, kept me very muchmotivated to keep going. Just to be there for

their activities and to feel good for those kindsof things.”Eileen Boslaugh

Page 16: Worthy Women 2014

CHARMING CHARLIE

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