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Page 1B • The Leader • October 12, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com

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Oak Forest artist celebrates survivorship by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com Oak Forest resident Sam Van Bibber is enjoying art and life these days. She’s thankful to make an impact on the artistic community after it supported her while she battled breast cancer. “The art community held me up,” Van Bibber said. “I have a big strong support group of friends. Mitch Cohen gave me a beneﬁt after I’d been diagnosed.” Van Bibber, 65, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2010 after she discovered a tennis-ball sized lump under her arm. “I didn’t realize it was as bad as it was,” she said. Doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center removed all 26 lymph nodes in Van Bibber’s Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Through chemotherapy, radiation and three surgeries -- including the removal of her left breast -- Van Bibber never gave up. “Chemo was terrible, and I got really sick,” Van Bibber said. “I was determined that I was going to beat it. I never once thought I was going to die.” Van Bibber enters her third year of cancer survivorship, and she told the story of her journey on her blog, lifeisshortdancefast. wordpress.com. She said keeping the daily blog helped her cope with the overwhelming challenges of cancer therapy. Good things are happening for Van Bibber, who creates Steam Punk jewelry and is involved in the Houston Art Car Community. “You can carry your art with you any-

where with an art car,” said Van Bibber, who drives an art car. “(Being in the Art Car Parade) kind of makes you feel like a celebrity for an hour.” She lives in Oak Forest with her ﬁancee, W.T. Burge, 52, who is very involved with art cars as well. “I love it over here (in Oak Forest),” said Van Bibber, who previously lived in the Heights for 17 years. “I know almost all of my friends live here. If they don’t live here, they live in the Heights.” A native of Memphis, Van Bibber moved to Houston in the 1970s and opened a vintage clothing store aptly named, “Wear It Again, Sam” in the 1980s. It stayed open until the mid-1990s when Van Bibber and her husband, Chris, were both injured in a motorcycle accident. Chris was severely injured, to the point that Van Bibber had to take care of him fulltime until he passed away in 2002. That caused her to close down the popular store, which was located in the Montrose area. Van Bibber believes that the stress caused by taking care of her husband’s severe injuries may have impacted her. “I was still grieving when I got sick,” Van Bibber said. “Stress can cause you to be sick, and I really think that’s what caused me to get cancer.” Through the local arts community, Van Bibber is involved in Brazarre, which raised $12,000 for breast cancer awareness last year. “I get all of the artists to make art using a

Heights resident Kiki Neumann survived breast cancer. She credits early detection with helping to save her life. (Submitted photo) “I no longer take wellness for granted,” Neumann said. “I see that we have to do our part to stay well, not just assume cancer won’t happen. I was a healthy woman who got cancer but caught it early with preventative screenings. I’m the biggest believer in yearly mammograms since I have seen it help not only me but numerous friends.”

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Oak Forest resident Sam Van Bibber, a breast cancer survivor, is an active member of the Houston arts community. She drives an art car and sells handcrafted jewelry. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter) bra for inspiration, and we auction it off at an art gallery,” Van Bibber said. Van Bibber encourages women diagnosed with breast cancer to stay strong and close to their support networks.

“Never give up, and you have to stay positive even though it’s hard as hell,” she said. “Surround yourself with friends and family.”

by Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader

For Heights resident Kiki Neumann, art is one of the most important things in her life. “I own art studios that I’ve built for artists to rent three years ago -- they are called Finch Street Studios,” Neumann said. “I work in my studios and not at home because I get more done if I go to a workspace. I have been a full time artist and blessed to sell everything I make. The world of repurposed and recycled art has always been my niche.” But Neumann, 60, knows that personal wellness comes before anything else in her life. She was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer in 2002 at age 49 after a regularly scheduled yearly mammogram. She credits the mammogram with helping to save her life. “Early detection was a huge factor in not having to do more major treatment,” Neumann said. “However, I did have a double mastectomy because at the time, in 2002, that was the recommended treatment.” Neumann, who graduated from Lamar High and the University of New Mexico, said it’s important for women to be proactive when it comes to health.

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Survivor won’t MHNW oﬀers personal touch take wellness for those facing breast cancer for granted by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com

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As breast cancer survivors who’ve been trained to inform, comfort and support newly diagnosed patients, Reach to Recovery volunteers Mary Helen Martinez and Shirley Cato provide a very personal touch at the American Cancer Society’s Resource Room, located within Memorial Hermann Cancer Center-Northwest. Personable and positive in their outlooks, the dedicated, vibrant women are the faces of recovery and the voices of experience as they interact with patients referred to them by Angela Sisk, the Center’s oncology nurse navigator. “We do whatever can be done to make patients more comfortable and to encourage them,” says Cato, 77, of Garden Oaks, a twotime breast cancer survivor. “We listen to them,” she says. “The biggest thing I bring them is hope,” Martinez says. She believes that patients see her thriving survival and tell themselves: “if she can do it, maybe someday, I can.” Sometimes, it’s the patient’s husband who sees her as proof that his wife is going to be OK, Martinez says. An Oak Forest resident, Martinez, 73, has also fought breast cancer twice. About a decade after recovering from a lumpectomy while she was in her 40s, she had a double mastectomy as part of her second round of treatment,

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Mary Helen Martinez of Oak Forest has battled breast cancer twice. She volunteers at Memorial Hermann Northwest to help women ﬁghting the same battle to keep up their spirits by looking their best. (Submitted photo) which also included radiation therapy and chemotherapy. She well-remembers her shock at losing her hair, including her eyebrows and eyelashes – all of which grew back. Photos from that phase of her cancer experience are posted in the Resource Room, a repository of treatment-related literature, information on support groups and activities, handmade heartshaped pillows for use in treatment rooms, and a collection of colorful scarves and hats. The inventory also includes an array of wigs and breast prostheses, since eligible patients can receive one of each for free. Empathy and action Martinez and Cato are alive and well, energetic and eager

to share what it takes to take on breast cancer and recovery. Their vitality is part of their message to women – and their families – who are coping with a breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and side effects, including body image matters that can occur with and without reconstructive surgery. When requested, Martinez or Cato will meet with a patient in the hospital right after her surgery. More often, however, they ﬁnd their counsel isn’t sought until days or weeks later, once the patient has adjusted to her treatment and processed a lot of complex medical information – and emotions.

see MHNW • Page 6B

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Girls’ Night Out Join us on Tuesday, October 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. for a fun evening to learn about a variety of women’s health concerns, including breast and gynecological cancer care, from a panel of physicians afﬁliated with Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital. We’ll also have tips for early detection, prevention and proper screening techniques. Plus, enjoy complimentary wine and light bites. The event is free but space is limited. To register, call 713.222.CARE (2273). ��

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Memorial Hermann Northwest 1635 North Loop West South Tower Conference Center (park in Garage 2) October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please remember to schedule your yearly mammogram. To schedule a mammogram call 713.867.3336.

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