AnnuAl FAll BAzAAr˜ Since 1959 OCTOBER 4 - 10, 2018 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Beaufort restaurant owner arrested
COUNTING HER
blessings Beaufort High teacher beats invasive breast cancer thanks to 3-D mammogram
Story by Marie McAden Photo by Paul Nurnberg
F
ive kids and a demanding job as Beaufort Memorial general surgeon Dr. a Beaufort High School teacher Perry Burrus. He told her the results of left Wendy Lacombe with little the screenings were inconclusive and rectime to care for herself. ommended a needle biopsy. “I was busy and I felt great, so I became A few days later, she returned to the cavalier about my health,” the Lady’s Is- hospital to have the procedure. The tisland resident said. “It had been so long sue sample showed Lacombe had lobular since I had a mammogram, they couldn’t carcinoma in situ, an uncommon condifind a record of it.” tion in which abnormal cells form in the After her husband went in for a rou- milk glands or lobules of the breast. tine check-up last summer, Lacombe “He could have left it alone and just decided to follow his lead and made an monitored it closely, but he wasn’t comappointment with her gynecologist. fortable doing that,” Lacombe recalled. She followed up with a mammogram in “That was my second blessing.” October at Beaufort Memorial’s Breast A week later, Dr. Burrus performed Health Center. surgery to remove the lump. A biopsy The technician recommended she have of the tissue revealed it was an invasive a 3-D mammogram, an advancement in cancer. imaging technology clinically proven to “I was terrified,” the 55-year-old Laincrease cancer detection. Because La- combe said. “How was I going to handle combe has dense breast my family and classes? I October is breast tissue, it’s more difficult didn’t want to let my stucancer awareness for radiologists to detect dents down.” month. For more cancer using conventionBeaufort Memorial cerinformation, please visit al mammograms. With tified breast care naviganationalbreastcancer.org. 3-D imaging, fine details tor Dana Wilson relieved are more clearly visible, much of her anxiety. allowing doctors to pinpoint abnormal“Thank God for Dana,” Lacombe said. ities that might not be visible on a stan- “She was my advocate. She scheduled dard mammogram. my appointments so I could continue to After initially balking at paying an extra teach. That’s what was most important to $125 for the screening, Lacombe relented. me.” The X-ray showed an abnormality. Wilson accompanied Lacombe when “If I had not done the 3-D mammo- she met with Dr. Burrus, her medical gram, they never would have found it,” La- oncologist, and her radiation oncolocombe said. “That was my first blessing.” gist. After each visit, she would explain The 3-D mammogram was followed the treatment plan in terms the English by a diagnostic mammogram and ultra- teacher could understand. sound. That same day Lacombe met with “A diagnosis of breast cancer can be
overwhelming to patients,” Wilson said. “They get so much information, they can’t process it all. I’m there to answer questions and help guide them through the months of treatment that lie ahead.” The treatment plan started with a partial mastectomy. Along with the cancerous tissue, Dr. Burrus removed three lymph nodes to determine if the cancer had spread. “The trend is to perform less and less surgery on lymph nodes to reduce the risk of lymphedema, a very painful and often lifelong problem,” Burrus said. “Fortunately, the biopsy of the lymph nodes came back negative.” An Oncotype genetic test was performed on the tumor to determine the effectiveness of chemotherapy on her specific cancer. The test predicted a low response, sparing Lacombe of the side effects of the powerful drugs. However, to kill any microscopic cancer cells that could be present in her breast, Lacombe would need 35 treatments of radiation therapy. During the entire seven weeks of treatment, friends and the parents of her students provided Lacombe with meals every week night. When she completed her radiation this past January, she was cancer-free. Determined to stay healthy, she began exercising fives day a week at Beaufort Memorial’s LifeFit Wellness Center and has lost 20 pounds. “I was given a gift and I’m not going to squander it,” Lacombe said. “Cancer made me realize what’s important in my life.”
A Beaufort restaurant owner who helped lead a public protest against another Beaufort businessman’s treatment of women was arrested last week and charged with assault and battery and criminal sexual account. Kenneth Reed, 47, owner of Maggie’s Pub and Eatery in Habersham, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 27, and released the next day, according to the Beaufort County jail log. He was charged with three counts of second degree assault and battery and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The Beaufort County Sheriff ’s Office said five Kenneth Reed women have filed complaints against Reed since July 20. The initial report came from a former employee of Reed’s who said he physically assaulted her at his residence in Habersham. In the weeks that followed the woman’s report, four other women, who had also worked for Reed, reported that they suffered similar and more serious sexual assaults. The women reported the incidents occurred over a period of a year from May 2017 through May 2018 at Maggie’s Pub and at another business in Beaufort where Reed is an employee. Sheriff ’s Office investigators met with the five victims over the past few months to obtain statements and details of the incidents. Investigators also consulted the 14th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office during the investigation and, after the cases were reviewed by solicitors, they recommended that warrants be sought for Reed’s arrest for the five offenses. On Thursday, Sheriff ’s Office investigators met with a Beaufort County magistrate and presented the facts of the cases. The magistrate found probable cause existed and issued warrants for Reed’s arrest for the five offenses. Deputies assigned to the Sheriff ’s Office Warrants Section located Reed at his place of employment in Beaufort and arrested him for the five active warrants. Reed was transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center without incident. Reed was released on $29,000 bond. In August, Reed helped organize a protest in downtown Beaufort against Gene Brancho, the former owner of Eat Sleep Play Beaufort, and hosted a meeting for women who claimed to have been victims of bullying and unfair business practices.
Family, friends remember WBECHS student Morazan Story and photo by Justin Jarrett
The Warrior mascot usually brings excitement and comic relief to Whale Branch Early College High School events. On Friday night, it brought a wave of emotions, and plenty of tears. Carlos Morazan donned the costume at halftime of the Warriors’ home football game against Woodland and, surrounded by family and friends, made his way to midfield.
It was a tribute to his son, Kevin, who died Tuesday, Sept. 25, after a single-vehicle accident. Kevin Morazan was 17. Kevin was a popular student at Whale Branch, where he was a member of the JROTC, played on the soccer team, and entertained peers and fans as the school mascot. He was driving north on Bruce K. Smalls Drive when his SUV ran off the road, struck a mailbox, and
CENTER COURT Beaufort Academy’s top girls tennis player Jayda Scheper had a tough time with Colleton Prep on Thursday. PAGE B1
rolled several times. Kevin, who was not wearing his seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other students were in the vehicle; one suffered critical injuries and another was treated for minor injuries. On Friday, the Warriors wore “KM” stickers on their helmets to honor Kevin, and many students wore homemade T-shirts emblazoned with “Long Live Kevin.” An moment of silence was observed
STOCK THE SHELVES Thousands of books were up for sale during the annual Book Sale. PAGE B5
prior to the game in his honor. During an emotional halftime ceremony, a couple dozen friends and family members made their way to midfield, where Carlos, in full Warrior costume, mimed hugging gestures and blew kisses to the crowd. After a balloon release, the group made its way to the home sidelines, where Carlos comforted a weeping group of Whale Branch cheerleaders.
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