Melissa Porter, 30, a breast cancer survivor, says she took her cancer journey a day at a time, and that “everywhere I went, I had people supporting me.”
Today’s Woman / Cancer Supplement 2019
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Finding
Message from: Dr. Rebecca Redman Medical Oncologist and Deputy Director of Clinical Research, UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center
AMONG THE PUMPKINS AND LEAVES, October is decorated with pink to mark breast cancer awareness month. At UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center, this is a big month to celebrate our patients who are survivors of breast cancer. But we treat more than just breast cancer. While we show our support for those in pink, we can’t forget the alarming statistics Kentucky faces when it comes to ALL types of cancer. We are at ground zero with the highest death rates of cancer in the country. Our goal at UofL Brown Cancer Center is to change those statistics — To End Cancer, once and for all.
F
SHADOW
ighting cancer is an uphill bat, but when we have support, it is a war that can be won. Heidi Fuller is standing at the frontline arming these
cancer survivors with the essentials needed to cope with a difficult situation. Heidi, who was diagnosed with Stage III uterine cancer in 2015, is the owner of Awakenings Boutique: Wigs, Healing, Recovery, Gifts, which provides wigs and cancer products for women going through treatment. Read about how these women are rising above cancer.
PHOTO: CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER
Early detection is key when it comes to cancer. The first step you can take to improve our state’s statistics and ensure you don’t become one of them is to take advantage of screening programs and keep up with your annual exams. Educate yourself on the signs and symptoms of cancers for which you may be at risk. Screenings save lives! If you’re unsure when you need to be screened or need to make an appointment for a screening, learn more by visiting UofLBrownCancerCenter.org/screenings. If you or a loved one has cancer, please don’t hesitate to ask for a second opinion from the academic experts at UofL Brown Cancer Center.
Find out more: 502-562-HOPE (4673).
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Heidi Fuller helps Amber Ballinger prepare for her photo session as part of the Real Faces of Cancer awareness campaign. Heidi created the campaign to alleviate the anxiety cancer survivors experience when they’re searching for a wig. Primp Style Lounge, owned by Shannon Wanner Kessler, provided makeup artists for the shoot, and Jessica Ulery Taylor of That Cute Little shop provided the clothing. Style Coordinator Laura J. Widders helped the women with their outfits.
BY TIFFANY WHITE AND JULIE ENGELHARDT | COVER PHOTO: CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER PHOTOS: HOLLIE SAWYER COLWICK AND CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER
Light IN THE
OF CANCER
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On April 23, 2019, KAYLA HARRELL had gone in for her annual check-up at her gynecologist’s office, and after a thorough examination of her breasts, no abnormalities were found. Only a week later, her life changed. Kayla, 27, felt tenderness on her right breast and knew something wasn’t right. Further testing from her doctor showed that she had stage III invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer just six months after marrying her husband John. Kayla began weekly chemotherapy treatments of Taxol. After she completed 12 rounds, she was off treatment for a week and then resumed treatments every other week. Kayla’s hair began to fall out three weeks after she began her chemotherapy. “I was not going to sit and watch it fall out, so we cut it,” she says. “Then my husband and kids helped me shave it off. I went through a grieving process, but discovered that shaving it was one way I could take control of what cancer was doing to me.” Kayla has discovered many things about herself during her cancer journey. “I have more patience for things. Life is more beautiful now. Things used to irritate me more, but now I’m more relaxed,” she says. “I’m someone who has an anxious heart, and that can take a toll on you when you look at the big picture of everything you have to do. Now, I just try to focus on things one day at a time.”
PHOTOS: CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER
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Finding Light IN THE SHADOW OF CANCER 3
It was during the summer of 2012 while she was teaching at her high school’s band camp that ALANA AUSLANDER-PRICE, 44, discovered she had stage IV metastatic breast cancer. “I was having pain in my left breast during band camp — I thought that maybe it had to do with my menstrual cycle — so I let it go for a month to see if it would go away, and it didn’t,” she says. Test results from her doctor showed two masses in her left breast and inflammation under the armpit. Alana had a double mastectomy but later learned that the cancer had metastasized to her liver and spine. Alana began chemotherapy and hormone therapy, and by March of the following year she was in remission. The infusion chemotherapy stopped and Alana stayed on the hormone therapy pills, but about a year later, in 2014, she began having extreme chest pain. She called her doctor who did a body scan, and he discovered a tumor on her sternum. Alana had radiation on the sternum and started a new round of chemotherapy. She was in remission for three years, but in 2018 she began coughing and it wouldn’t stop. Scans were done once again, and it was discovered that her lymph nodes were pressing against her airway. They did a biopsy and discovered that her cancer had mutated. She began new oral medications and the lumps receded almost immediately, giving her relief from the coughing, yet at the beginning of the summer of 2019 she began coughing again and spots were discovered on her lungs. She’s once again on chemotherapy. PHOTO: CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER
On her three year ‘cancer-versary,’ Alana had a dragonfly tattooed on her chest. “My scars always looked like wings to me,” she says. “The artist drew it freehand on my chest.” She wanted to incorporate her family into the design, so she had ivy drawn in a heart shape around it, adorned by flowers that are the birthstone colors for her husband and daughter.
On her three year ‘cancer-versary,’ Alana had a dragonfly tattooed on her chest. “My scars always looked like wings to me.” 4
Cancer Supplement 2019 / TodaysWomanNow.com
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Finding Light IN THE SHADOW OF CANCER 3“Don’t not say
PHOTO: HOLLIE SAWYER COLWICK
PHOTO: CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER
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LEASHA TWYMAN, 30, believes encouragement from others is integral for cancer survivors during and after their treatment. Encouragement is what sustained her after she was diagnosed with myoepithelial carcinoma in 2018. “The struggle is more emotional than it is physical. I got connected with Gilda’s Club early in my diagnosis, and I made so many good friends through that,” she says. Leasha says she would like to become an advocate for other cancer survivors and wants them to understand the value in relying on each other for support. “My fellow survivors have helped me the most. They empathize whenever you get bad news, and they understand when you have to cancel plans or talk about side effects. Instead of sensing pity, you sense an understanding that doesn’t really come from people who don’t have cancer.”
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Cancer Supplement 2019 / TodaysWomanNow.com
anything. Say something. It’s more important to be there for somebody than what you actually say sometimes. Say you are sorry. Tell people how you can help. Instead of saying, ‘Call me if you need anything,’ say, ‘I am going to bring dinner to you. What day is a good day?’” Michelle Posten, 41 breast cancer survivor (invasive ductal breast carcinoma)
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Finding Light IN THE SHADOW OF CANCER PHOTOS: HOLLIE SAWYER COLWICK
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MICHELLE HENDERSON, 36, isn’t letting cancer derail her happiness, and she wants other cancer patients to know life doesn’t cease after a cancer diagnosis. “It is not the end of the world. It is just a season you are having. It is going to be hard, and it is going to try you, but find your inner warrior. Don’t let it defeat you.” Michelle, who was diagnosed with stage II ER PR Positive HER2-Negative, in January, discovered a lump in her left breast while showering. After six months of chemotherapy, a full bilateral mastectomy, and two additional surgeries, Michelle continues to maintain a positive attitude. “Cancer took my fingernails, my hair, and my identity. But it didn’t take my life so I’ve learned to focus more on things that are more important such as being in the moment and less about what I am wearing or if my hair is perfect.”
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Finding Light IN THE SHADOW OF CANCER PHOTOS: CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER
5JACKIE JONES and her daughter KAYLA ALVEY couldn’t have imagined that they would be facing cancer together as patients. In October 2018, Jackie, who is 47, was diagnosed with stage I invasive ductal carcinoma. Less than a year later, Kayla, 28, learned that she had stage I breast cancer after being tested for the BRCA-1 gene. “It was harder for me when I found out about her [cancer], because when it’s your kids, it makes it 10 times harder. But I did feel like I could tell her what to expect. Both of us are a lot stronger than what I thought,” Jackie says. Kayla describes her experience as “not feeling real,” and says she could only focus on raising her 1- and 2-yearold sons and supporting her mom. Finding comfort in each other has helped them overcome the rough patches. “We have a respect for each other. We know what it’s like...it is hard to explain what it [cancer] is like to someone who hasn’t gone through it,” Kayla says. They are also committed to living a joyful life — whether they are going to a movie or taking a weekend trip. “If I see something I want, I am going to get it, because you don’t know what is going to happen from one day to the next,” Jackie says.
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5Jackie is with husband Sean Jones and their daughter Kayla Alvey.
PHOTO: HOLLIE SAWYER COLWICK
Finding Light IN THE SHADOW OF CANCER
“You can’t fight when you are self-loathing.”
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When CORTNEY HENRY, 33, was diagnosed with Stage III triple negative breast cancer in 2018, she questioned her resilience. However, being a mother gave Courtney the emotional fortitude she needed to face a difficult situation. “Had I been diagnosed before my son was born, I would be that patient crying in bed all of the time and eating Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Two days after my mastectomy, I was taking Advil only so that I could be awake to play with him,” she says. Feeling anger and sadness is normal for cancer patients, but she says concentrating on those emotions is destructive. To cope with her frustration, Cortney began writing a blog which gave her the freedom to communicate openly about her experience. “My chemo nurse would say, ‘It is OK to have a crappy day and be angry. You are allowed to feel those things, because you were dealt a crappy hand, but fighting is the only way you can survive it. You can’t fight when you are self-loathing.’”
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PROMOTION
THE WIG SHOPPE MAKES ONE ASPECT OF WOMENS' CANCER JOURNEYS EASIER By Carrie Vittitoe | Photos by Melissa Donald
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cancer diagnosis is frightening, but for some women, losing their hair as a result of cancer treatment feels particularly defeating. There can be a psychological toll that comes from looking sick, even if a woman never feels very sick during the course of her chemotherapy or radiation. For 17 years, The Wig Shoppe, located on South Hurstbourne Parkway, has been helping women manage hair loss with compassionate expertise. Owner Candyce Slade grew up in the wig industry and has passed her love of the trade to her daughter and co-owner, Kelsey Spaulding. Their staff is trained to assist women no matter what stage of hair loss they are in. One of their employees, Miriam Hans, experienced hair loss herself and has worn wigs for two decades, making her an empathetic guide for clients. The shop features hundreds of wigs, as well as scarves, night caps, shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. Both synthetic and human hair wigs are available. If a client selects a wig, The Wig Shoppe staff conduct fittings and trimmings in the store. They are also able to special order if there is a desired style or color not in stock. Some women worry that a wig won’t look natural, but Kelsey says wigs have come a long way since the 1960s and 70s when they were popular. Candyce and Kelsey’s goal is to educate women about their options for managing hair loss, and they recommend that clients come in before they lose their hair. “Being prepared makes all the difference,” Kelsey says. “It tends to make one hard aspect of the journey easier.” A wig may feel or fit differently depending on if a woman has newly thinning hair, is bald, or has hair starting to grow back with a different texture. The online economy is booming, but what online shops don’t offer is what The Wig Shoppe prides itself on providing: individual attention. In their one-on-one free consultations, The Wig Shoppe staff can answer women’s questions about what to expect. Kelsey says many times, clients in the store will offer fellow cancer patients tips or suggestions, which further creates a sense of camaraderie and support.
BETHANY KENNEDY (seated on left of photo), who was
diagnosed with brain cancer in January 2019, says she had always had “long, blonde Barbie® hair my whole life,” so when she began losing it during radiation, she sought out The Wig Shoppe. As a hairdresser for over two decades, Bethany had helped other women through hair loss, but she’d never been on the receiving end. Staff at The Wig Shoppe helped put her at ease: “They were kind and gracious,” she says. People had always assumed Bethany’s real hair was a wig, but they never questioned whether her wig was real. “The wig looked much more realistic
than I expected,” she says.
LAURA HALL (seated on right of photo) is another Wig Shoppe
client who says, “The wig has really been a bright spot for me. I have fun with it.” When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2019, she says she wanted to plan ahead before she lost her hair during chemotherapy but really never intended to get a wig. “I thought I’d wear scarves and hats, but I wanted to leave all options open,” she says. She ended up finding a wig she adores: “It’s really cute and sassier than my old hair.”
From left, Miriam Hans, wig consultant and stylist, client Bethany Kennedy, co-owner Kelsey Spaulding, owner Candyce Slade, and client Laura Hall look pretty in pink in matching wig styles.
1253 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy Louisville, KY 40222 502.412.8810 TheWigShoppe.com
6“Take it day by day, but focus on the positives and rely on your support system. Connect with people who are going through it [cancer] with you... that really helps.”
PHOTO: HOLLIE SAWYER COLWICK
Finding Light IN THE SHADOW OF CANCER
Melissa Porter, 30 breast cancer survivor (stage II invasive ductal carcinoma)
PHOTO: CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER
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The first time AMY SAGER performed a self-examination, she found a lump on her right breast, but she disregarded it initially. “I couldn’t believe I’d find something immediately like that. It felt like a gland.” She kept feeling it and noticed that it was becoming larger. “I never told anybody, but went to my husband and told him, and he told me to call the doctor.” Amy had a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy.“I was lucky. It had been there for a couple of years. Never deny what you feel.” Then in 2017 Amy began having back pain. “My back was really killing me,” she says. “I remember crossing the street with my dog and trying to hurry, and I wasn’t able to lift my leg because my back hurt so much.” Doctors found three spots on her spine, and she’s undergone chemotherapy and radiation. “I’m at stage 4, but I feel like a million bucks. I feel pretty optimistic because they’ve come out with some new drugs,” she says. Amy says that she has become more grateful during her cancer journey. “I took so many things for granted, and I have so much gratitude for the people in my life, the things I do, and the way I feel right now.”
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Finding Light IN THE SHADOW OF CANCER 3“I’m a sensitive person and get upset easily, but I only had one day that I cried. I felt like I dealt with it pretty well. Physically, everyone told me that I’d be really sick, and I wouldn’t be able to work. There was only one day I was sick and didn’t work. I came through it a lot better than I thought.” Amber Ballinger, 30 breast cancer survivor triple negative breast cancer PHOTO: CHRISTINE ROUNSAVALL MUELLER
PHOTO: HOLLIE SAWYER COLWICK
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CHERYL MOELLER, 51, was cleaning her kitchen floor as she readied for her grandson’s first birthday party when she felt a pain on her left side. She discovered through self-examination that she had a lump on the top of her left breast. After further examination from her doctor, it was discovered she had stage II breast cancer and that she’d need to have a mastectomy. Not wanting to possibly go through surgery twice, Cheryl opted to have a double mastectomy. Cheryl has learned that having cancer is something that is out of her control, but she says she has chosen to live in the present. She also says she is living her life in a more organically, where everything fits together harmoniously. “If it’s not organic then it needs to go,” she says. “That means relationships with people, but also my own thoughts and feelings. If I start thinking a negative thought or I’m feeling sorry for myself, I work on a happy, ‘organic’ thought to replace the negative feelings.”
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“Denovo helped me feel like myself again!” — Elizabeth, age 59
www.magnaweb.com | 888-206-5525 Today’s Woman / Cancer Supplement 2019
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Finding Light IN THE SHADOW OF CANCER 6
ALLISON BELL, 34, discovered a lump on her left breast while showering. “I first didn’t know if it was a cyst. It was like a big rubbery ball,” she says. She contacted her gynecologist who sent her in for a mammogram and ultrasound, and eventually a biopsy. It was about a week later when Allison received her diagnosis. She had stage II invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer. Allison has gone through four rounds of chemotherapy, which she finished on August 7. On September 11 she underwent a double mastectomy, and reconstructive surgery will take place later this year. There is a history of cancer in Allison’s family. Her grandmother and aunt on her mother’s side both had breast cancer, and there is a history of colon cancer on her father’s side of the family.
5“You don’t realize how strong you are until you face this. They say this is a journey, and it is. Expect the unexpected. You just don’t know what’s going to happen.” Krista Salerno, left, and her daughter Alisha Fisher breast cancer survivor (stage I)
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PHOTOS: HOLLIE SAWYER COLWICK
Allison says that she’s become a lot stronger through her cancer journey. “I’ve faced my fear of needles and doctors. Chemo never made me sick or tired and I’ve been able to live a normal life. Seeing people go through their cancer journeys has made me more empathetic.”
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It’s a Celebr PHOTO: MELISSA DONALD LOCATION: OXMOOR CENTER
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Cancer Supplement 2019 / TodaysWomanNow.com
ation of Life
These breast cancer survivors prove strength, fortitude, and courage can keep you moving forward no matter how challenging the situation. For our seventh annual Pink Woman photo shoot, we’re celebrating these women and their ability to keep moving forward. Today’s Woman / Cancer Supplement 2019
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