American Cancer Society

Southwest Ohio Celebrates

A Century of

Birthdays

Survivors Maureen “Mo” Dunne and Ed Mathis

SUPPLEMENT TO

Happy 100th Birthday to the American Cancer Society...

From Your Partner, OHC As The Official Sponsor of Birthdays®, the American Cancer Society has brought new meaning to the importance of celebrating another year.

In honor of your 100th birthday, OHC would like to say thank you for a century of fighting cancer and making a difference in our patients’ lives.

OHC’s partnership with the American Cancer Society serves patients throughout our 16 neighborhood locations in the tri-state area. We are happy to share this anniversary year as our practice celebrates 30 years of putting patients first.

To learn more about how OHC specialists can help you, visit ohcare.com or call (513) 751-CARE. Oncology Hematology Care, Inc.

Celebrating 100 Years of Birthdays, and Many More!

Contents

Dear Friends, The American Cancer Society began the fight of a lifetime 100 years ago – to raise awareness about cancer, a disease that no one spoke about. Since then, the Society has been at the forefront of discovering lifesaving breakthroughs to help improve the quality of life for those affected by the disease. One hundred years later, the Society embarks on a new journey to finish the fight against cancer within the next century.

In Southwest Ohio, the Society works hard to raise awareness and fight back against cancer. Since opening in 2004, the Musekamp Family Hope Lodge has provided more than 23,700 nights of free lodging to patients receiving treatment and their caregivers. In October, more than 16,000 people in the area joined us in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and raise funds for breast cancer education, programs and services. Starting each spring, close to 20,000 people participate in one of Southwest Ohio’s 50 Relay For Life events to celebrate survivors, remember those lost and continue the fight against cancer.

We’re making noise because silence won’t finish the fight! Sixty years ago, one out of three people diagnosed with cancer had a five-year survival rate. Today, two out of three people survive. We’ve come far, but we still have a long way to go. We’re not stopping until we make that three out of three people. Join us in creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays!

Sincerely,

Joe Muraca, Advisory Board President Meredith Niemeyer, Southwest Region Vice President

Events Calendar Pan Ohio Hope Ride July 25-28 panohiohoperide.org

Hope Lodge Relay

Aug 24 • 4-9pm Musekamp Family Hope Lodge relayforlife.org/cincyhopelodge

Golf Classic

Dayton Golf Classic June 24 • Moraine Country Club daytongolfclassic.org Cincinnati Golf Classic Aug 26 • Kenwood Country Club cincinnatigolfclassic.org

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Greater Cincinnati and NKY: Oct 13 • Yeatman’s Cove Springfield: Oct 12 • Springfield Regional Cancer Center Dayton: Oct 19 • Dragons Fifth Third Field makingstrideswalk.org

Coaches vs Cancer Tip-Off Reception

Oct 10 • Savannah Center, West Chester cvcsouthwestohio.org

Nov 2 • 7pm-12am Adath Israel Congregation cincinnatidiscoveryball.org

Relay For Life

The American Cancer Society’s signature event is a fun way to raise money for the battle against cancer. Relay For Life events are overnight events filled with entertainment and inspiration. Visit relayforlife.org to find an event near you.

Through CPS-3, the Society hopes to determine causes of cancer and ultimately learn to prevent it. The study is open to those between 30 and 65 years old who have not been diagnosed with cancer and willing to commit to answering a survey every few years for over a 20-year period. Cincinnati enrollment is June 18, 19, 20 and 27. Dayton enrollment is May 21, 22, 23, and 29, June 1 and June 6. Visit cincinnaticps3.org or miamivalleycps3.org for more information.

Look Good Feel Better®

Laugh and talk with other women and learn how to cope appearance-related side effects of cancer. A trained cosmetologist

Events Calendar Cover Story Survivor Profiles Volunteer Profile

Published in partnership with Cincy Magazine and Dayton Magazine

Cincinnati Club Building 714 East Monument Ave. 30 Garfield Place, Suite 440 Suite 131 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Dayton, OH 45402 Tel: (513)-421-2533 Tel: )937) 329-9060 www.cincymagazine.com www.thedaytonmagazine.com

Cincinnati Discovery Ball

Cancer Prevention Study-3

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teaches every session. The program is partnered with the Personal Care Products Council Foundation and the Professional Beauty Association/National Cosmetology Association. For more information, call 800277-2345.

Free Wig Salons

Hair loss is often one of the first visible signs of cancer treatment. The American Cancer Society Free Wig Salon program offers quality, new, free wigs to cancer patients who experience hair loss due to treatment. To find a Free Wig Salon near you, contact the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345.

National Cancer Information Center

Get information and the tools you need to help you through treatment including help with lodging and transportation. NCIC will also direct you to local and online support groups for patients and their families. Call 24/7 at 800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

For more events and programs in Southwest Ohio, please visit cancer.org.

www.cancer.org

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The 100-Year Battle for Birthdays Musekamp Family Hope Lodge puts patients at ease with the comforts of home

BY JULIE BE THLENFALV Y

Musekamp Family Hope Lodge

I

n the early 1900s, cancer was tantamount to a death sentence. Any discussion of the disease was considered off limits. Doctors sometimes didn’t tell their patients and patients rarely told their friends and families about their diagnosis.

We’ve come far in 100 years thanks to 15 physicians and businessmen who formed the American Society for the Control of Cancer, which evolved into the American Cancer Society, to raise awareness about the disease in 1913. As the American Cancer Society celebrates its 100th birthday, the organization continues to fight the disease as the proud sponsor of birthdays with programs and support for patients and their families.

“Once you get early detection, most cancers can be cured,” says George Musekamp III, who is the namesake for the American Cancer Society Musekamp Family Hope Lodge on what is historically referred to as “Pill Hill” (because of the hospitals and medical facilities) in Avondale.

Sixty years ago, only one out of three

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AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

people survived five years after a cancer diagnosis. Today, two out of three survive.

And facilities like the Musekamp Family Hope Lodge bring comfort, convenience and support. “When you see the people and how they respond, it just makes you feel good,” says George. “They have a place to go when they’re having treatment.”

With 22 guest rooms, cozy fireplaces, a common dining area and much more, the Musekamp Family Hope Lodge provides a home away from home. “They’re not isolated. It has warmth about it,” says George.

“It gives them a sense of belonging and togetherness.”

The Musekamp Family Hope Lodge was renamed in appreciation of the $1 million gift from George and his family in 2006.

George became involved because of his late wife, Joan, who was the great-niece of Sigmund Freud and the daughter of Josephine Freud Rollman, who founded the Society’s Hamilton County unit. If you combine the Musekamp family’s

George Musekamp

III

years of volunteering, it’s almost a century of service, and George alone has volunteered for about 45 years.

In 2013, 1,660,290 new cancer diagnoses are expected in the United States, and about 580,350 Americans could die from the disease. That’s almost 1,600 people per day, and one is too many. Although nearly 14 million survivors celebrated birthdays in 2012, the war against cancer isn’t over.

This year, the American Cancer Society celebrates its 100th birthday and battles to make the survival rate three out of three in the next century. The American Cancer Society’s investments in cancer research ($3.8 billion in 2012) and commitment to its survivors and volunteers, to programs such as Hope Lodge, Relay For Life and Making Strides will help them finish the fight. ■

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Survivor Profiles “Cancer never takes a break, why should I?”

E

d Mathis was already volunteering for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Colerain when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2000. Although he was in his mid-50s and with a history of cancer in his family, Ed never had a prostate exam.

“The only reason I went to the doctor is because I had the flu and had to get a note

from the doctor to go back to work,” he says.

Ed’s PSA levels were high, so his doctor performed a biopsy. “At first, it was really upsetting,” he remembers. “At the time, you think, ‘how long do I have?’ ” Dealing with shock, Ed went home and didn’t tell his wife, Ina. A week later he went back to his doctor, was told to go home and tell Ina. “I thought I could weather this by myself. She wasn’t too happy when I kept her out of the loop for a week.”

Ed, Ina and their four children banded together through his radical prostatectomy, forgoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment. “My wife took care of me as long as I was nice,” he jokes. Ed’s recovery took two months, and in March 2001, he went back to work as a U.S. Postal Service mail handler.

Since 1999, the 68-year-old Colerain Township resident has been involved in the Relay For Life of Colerain. The event has

raised more than $1 million in the past 19 years. “Several Relays raised over $100,000,” Ed beams. “We get a lot of support from the Colerain community.”

The next Relay For Life of Colerain is May 18 at Colerain Park, and Ed will be there to make sure the event runs smoothly such as the Luminaria Ceremony where bags lit with candles inside line the track at dusk bearing the names of survivors and loved ones who lost the battle to cancer.

Although Ed retired in 2005 after working at the post office for more than 32 years, he’s not taking a break from the fight against cancer. Ed is on the Relay For Life committee of Colerain, Relay Advisory Team and chair of the Survivor Committee. “Every year, I say this is the last (Relay), but I can’t do it,” says Ed. “Cancer never takes a break, why should I?” ■ — JULIE BETHLENFALVY

“You pull yourself up by the bootstraps.

Concentrate on getting well.”

B

efore her diagnosis, Maureen “Mo” Dunne was always on the go. Career driven and with a Type A personality, she rose through the ranks in the banking industry as a commercial real estate lender. But after a routine mammogram in 2003, her world turned upside down.

“Those are the three worst words when somebody says, ‘you have cancer,’ ” says Mo. “It was like being struck by lightning.”

After the mammogram, Mo received a letter from her doctor to come in for more tests.

She ignored it for a month, but then decided to follow up. Mo was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2003. A lumpectomy, single mastectomy, lymph node removal, and an aggressive chemotherapy protocol followed.

“If I would have ignored the letter, I was told I probably would have died within a year,” she says.

A friend of Mo’s contacted the American Cancer Society soon after the diagnosis, and Mo received a care package that included three pamphlets: “Nutrition During Cancer

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AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

Treatments,” “Talking with your Doctor” and information about the Look Good Feel Better® program.

“That thing was a godsend!” Mo says about the last pamphlet. “The aestheticians teach you how to put makeup on so you don’t look like the walking death that you feel like. You’re treated with dignity.”

Mo, who lost all of her thick blonde hair, still worked while struggling with fatigue and nausea from the chemo. “My coworkers put a cot in my office. I napped when necessary, left by 2, would be home and in my pajamas by 3.”

In addition to her cancer diagnosis, Mo suffered a massive stroke three years later.

She used humor to cope with both terrifying medical emergencies. “I won every piece of business in town. Who was going to deny someone that had both cancer and a stroke?” jokes Mo. “For the good, cancer taught me how to slow down and have patience.”

As a senior vice president at PNC, Mo’s life is still busy. But she makes room for yoga,

vacations and is on the executive committee for the American Cancer Society’s Golf Classic, which is presented by PNC and supported by Duke Realty. She was also named their 2012 Golf Classic honoree.

“It’s a fight,” says Mo, who had her ups and downs while battling the disease. “You pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Concentrate on getting well.” ■ — JB

Volunteer Profile “People with cancer shouldn’t have to take the bus or worry how they will get to treatment. It’s an easy way to help.”

D

espite remarkable progress in the fight against cancer, many patients’ greatest challenge is how to get to their treatments. Meg Wilkens, a two-year Road to Recovery® driver for the American Cancer Society, was taught the importance of giving back to others growing up. “My parents were children of the Depression, and I was taught to take care of other people,” says Meg.

When she was in college, both of Meg’s parents became involved with the American Cancer Society. “My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in the ‘70s, and there wasn’t a lot of support for patients back then.

My parents found out about programs the Society offered and decided to start those same programs in Buffalo,” she says. “My mother started Reach to Recovery and my father started Road to Recovery in our area.”

More than 40 years later, Meg retired from working in administration at the University of Cincinnati and volunteered as soon as she could. “Last year, I drove almost 10,000 miles taking patients to treatment,” says Meg, who averages about 10 rides per week.

“No one is required to drive that much, but the need is there.”

Road to Recovery drivers ensure that

the last thing a patient and their loved ones have to worry about is transportation to treatment. “I do it because I know I’m helping people get their treatments. People with cancer shouldn’t have to take the bus or worry how they will get to treatment.

It’s an easy way to help,” says Meg. “I’ve developed a lot of lasting friendships. That in itself is rewarding.”

There’s a great need for Road to Recovery® drivers. Last year alone, the Society provided 1,312 rides to patients in Hamilton County. To be a driver, you need a vehicle, a valid license and insurance. Rides are coordinated based on the volunteer’s availability. For more information, contact the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org. ■ — NIKKI J. WILLIAMS

No one should face cancer alone.

Experiencing cancer can be a difficult time for you and your loved ones, physically, mentally and emotionally.

At St. Elizabeth Healthcare, we are here for you along every step of your journey. We offer a unique approach to your care with your treatment and procedures carefully chosen specifically to meet your needs. With a team of professionals from many disciplines working closely together on your behalf, we offer comprehensive, holistic care to achieve optimum results for you.

To learn more go to

stelizabeth.com/cancercare

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www.cancer.org

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