Notes from the Publisher

My latest outing of note

was Payne Pest Management’s Customer Appreciation Cruise aboard Admiral Hornblower on a sunny Saturday in August. Willie and Kathy Payne, along with their son Jason (company president and chief operations officer), chartered the 151foot, three-deck vessel, and entertained 140 guests with passed appetizers, an open bar and a DJ for two hours before getting underway for an additional three-hour excursion around San Diego Bay. Many of our readers know the Paynes from their generous support, sponsorships and production of Southern California smooth jazz concerts and festivals. However, to Payne Pest Management customers, they are the reliable source for all pest control services. To their employees, this family owned business is a place of inclusion and opportunity where they are treated with respect. The Paynes host this annual sailing for their employees and top clients to acknowledge and show appreciation for helping their company grow from a three-employee, one office business in 2006 to a multimillion-dollar corporation with three offices and a staff of 45 today. For Kathy, however, her gratitude rises beyond any business or monetary measures. After battling breast cancer for the past year, she was recently declared cancer-free! “I was officially diagnosed on June 26, 2018, but I received the call on Friday, around 5 p.m., the day of The San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival kickoff. I was preparing to host a pre-party in our suite at the Hyatt,” Kathy recalled. “I remember Kathy and Willie Payne hearing the doctor’s words but not really absorbing ‘You have a malignancy that spread to the lymph nodes.’” Although she and her husband, Willie, were expecting the results of her 3D mammogram any day, she waited until the next morning to share the news with him. She wanted to tell him when it was quiet, before the hustle and bustle of the festival they were co-partnering. “I found a small lump in February 2018, and requested a mammogram. But due to HMO restrictions––only one allowed per year, on or after the anniversary date of the last mammogram––I was not able to have my annual checkup until April,” she said. During the appointment, she showed the technician the location of the lump and explained to her that it had grown in size. Kathy was stunned to receive the usual “all clear” letter two weeks later. “The results really bothered me,” she said. “So, I made another appointment with my doctor. She thought it was a fibroid, and ordered a 3D mammogram.” The official term is breast tomosynthesis, an imaging test that combines multiple breast X-rays to create a 3D picture of the breast. During that mammogram, the radiologist saw something that concerned him, and he immediately ordered an ultrasound, then a biopsy. The resulting diagnosis was estrogen receptor positive HER2 negative. In that moment, Kathy joined a grim statistic: she was one-in-eight women in the United States diagnosed with breast cancer. Photos: Pat Benter “It was probably the most common and most treatable, however, it had broken through the duct wall and into the lymph nodes, so it was categorized as stage 2B,” she explained. “That’s when I went into full research mode. The most comprehensive website I found was breastcancer.org. It’s very informative and user-friendly, using terms I could really understand.” Treatment was next. But, it was delayed for two months because she wanted to change her insurance plan from an HMO to a PPO.

“I was so done jumping through hoops to get preapprovals and having someone dictate when and where and then wait, wait, wait,” she explained. “I was determined to find the best possible treatment available. Fortunately, I was blessed to find UCSD. My surgeon, Dr. Anne Wallace, and oncologist, Dr. Richard Schwab, believed I was a good candidate for a clinical trial known as the ISPY2

“My husband and I have been together for 40 years. He is the epitome of our vows ‘in sickness and in health.’”

program. It utilizes known immunotherapies successful in other types of cancer to treat breast cancer.” The good news was that she got approved for the trials. The bad news was she qualified because she was at high risk of recurrence. In mid-August 2018, Kathy began 12 weekly treatments of combined immunotherapy and chemotherapy, followed by eight weeks of biweekly treatments of traditional chemotherapy as well as seven MRIs throughout the process to monitor the tumor. “Within the first three weeks of immunotherapy, the tumor had shrunk 50 percent by volume. Upon completion of chemotherapy, there was nothing left of the tumor!” she exclaimed. “I then underwent a lumpectomy to basically remove marginal tissue plus lymph nodes. The final part of treatment was 30 daily treatments of radiation, which I completed at the end of May 2019.” Throughout the ordeal, Kathy said she was lucky to have had minimal side effects. The anti-nausea medication she received before each treatment helped alleviate most typical reactions. “I really didn’t feel that bad,” she said. “I had my treatments on Tuesday, took Wednesday off and went back to work on Thursday. I credit God first, as I immediately handed it over to Him. I really didn’t have time for cancer––I have my husband, a business to run, a home, my 88-year-old mother lives with us, grandchildren to love, and we love to travel.” Kathy and Willie did, however, have to cancel several preplanned trips: a cruise to Israel, Brian Culbertson’s first Chicago Getaway and their annual family reunion. “But we were able to attend the 2018 Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival,” she said. “And, my doctors did allow me to take a break between surgery and radiation to go to Australia on the 2019 Dave Koz cruise. I was very grateful for that time.” One of the worst symptoms the grandmother of eight, philanthropist, avid jazz fan and Payne Pest Management’s chief financial officer experienced was fatigue. “I felt like my feet were stuck in the mud, and my body weighed 1,000 pounds some days,” she recalled. However, the most devastating side effect was losing her hair. “My doctor told me women would rather lose any body part, including a breast, than lose their hair; and he’s correct. The morning I stood in the shower and huge clumps of hair started running down my back, I was beside myself. I knew it was coming, but I still couldn’t stop sobbing in my husband’s arms when I got out of the shower. Silly, right? It’s just hair. “My husband and I have been together for 40 years. He is the epitome of our vows ‘in sickness and in health.’ He attended every doctor’s appointment, every test, took me to every infusion visit and was there for me every step of the way. He was so supportive, especially during the last few chemo rounds when I wasn’t feeling well. He helped me up the stairs when I didn’t think I could take another step. He did the dishes, the laundry and so much more. The biggest compliment he gave me was when he told me he didn’t realize how much I meant to our family, our business and our lives, that I was the center and rock of our world!” The couple met when Kathy started her first job at Terminix, where Willie worked as a termite inspector-salesman. They started dating two years later, when Willie was a single father of three kids, then aged 4, 8 and

Kathy Payne cupid shuffles alongside clients, employees 12 years old. and friends during the Payne Pest Management Last New Year’s Eve, with two Customer Appreciation Cruise aboard Admiral Hornblower of their now-grown children and their spouses in attendance, the Paynes were partners of a two-night event at the US Grant Hotel in San Diego. Kathy hoped that, after her final chemo treatment four days prior, she would be feeling well enough to party into 2019. It turned out that she barely had enough energy to dance through one song. So, when Gerald Albright started playing “Champagne Life,” Willie stood her up, walked her to the dance floor, and held onto her as they danced to the entire song. “It was the best moment of 2018-2019,” Kathy exuded. However, Kathy needed no assistance to dance on their Hornblower cruise, as she and Willie danced with each other and friends to several songs. While she didn’t have the long blond locks of her wig to whip around when she was cupid shuffling—it’s now on its stand in a closet awaiting donation to Michelle’s Place—her natural hair is growing back into a cute short style, and the fatigue has subsided, freeing her to dance with even more abandon. In the spirit of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Kathy’s advice to everyone (including men) is “Be very aware of your body. Perform monthly self-exams and receive annual mammograms. Early detection saves lives and makes treatment more effective.” She added, “Having the support of family and friends can make all the difference when dealing with this or any disease.”