34
INSPIRE
ELAINE MIELCARSKI
Advocating for women's health By Alyssa Dearborn
E
laine Mielcarski - Central New York’s first licensed midwife and a gynecologic nurse practitioner - may not be practicing at the level that she had once enjoyed, but she has been able to continue helping Central New York women live healthier lives. She has been open about her cancer experience with very few people in the past. But as new information about women’s health issues has evolved, Mielcarski believes that she can help more women by talking about her cancer story. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 42.” Mielcarski said, “My second breast cancer was pre-menopausal. My third breast cancer was probably menopausal or almost menopausal. One of my two sisters was diagnosed with breast cancer and died of it. A cousin and aunt also died of it. I want women to be advocates for themselves.”
October 2020
One thing about her story that Mielcarski wants women to know is that even though she was able to survive her cancers and even manage a rewarding career and personal life, she also experienced similar struggles that other cancer patients face every day. When asked about how her life changed through her diagnoses, she replied, “I was on call morning, noon, and night, weekends, holidays. I delivered somewhere between 2,500 to 3,000 babies in my career. [Dr. Waldman] took my calls when I was having radiation therapy if I couldn’t, but I also took calls delivering babies when I was having radiation therapy. But at the end of the treatment, it became exhausting.” “So many people feel that their body has failed them.” She continued, “So many people feel that their body doesn’t work because they were perfectly healthy and doing
Survivor Edition
