Think Pink - Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Sunday, September 29, 2019 | 1

PINK RIBBON RUN: 13th annual event is Oct. 5 in downtown Cedar Falls

MELODY PARKER

melody.parker@wcfcourier.com

CEDAR FALLS – The Cedar Falls Downtown District will be “in the pink” with T-shirts, costumes and decorations on Oct. 5 as participants and onlookers gather for the 13th annual Pink Ribbon Run..

The 5K run/walk raises funds to benefit the Beyond Pink Team, a breast cancer coalition in the Cedar Valley that provides support to people living with a breast cancer diagnosis.

Race festivities begin at 8 a.m. at the Cedar Falls Community Center, 528 Main St. Following the race, awards will be presented and light refreshments will be provided by Martin Brothers and Get Roasted. Pump Haus is providing a drink coupon to participants following the race.

Registration is $35 at www.beyondpinkteam.org.

Fitness instructor and 27-year breast cancer survivor Tina Wendel will lead a walk-in-place option for interested participants.

The Pink Ribbon Run started 13 years ago to honor the memory of a young woman who died from breast cancer, but it has continued and grown with community support, said Gabbi DeWitt, BPT media and publicity chairperson.

About every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The American Cancer Society estimates about 41,760 women will die from breast cancer this year. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer is proving effective. More than 3.3 million breast cancer survivors are alive in the U.S. today, according to ACS. Oakridge Realtors and GreenState Credit Union are run sponsors, and Community Auto Group is the survivor sponsor, covering the registration fee for any breast cancer survivor participating in the run.

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COURIER FILE PHOTOS

More than 1,000 people took part in the 12th annual Pink Ribbon Run in downtown Cedar Falls in 2018.

Beyond Pink TEAM support groups  Touch of Courage breast cancer support group meets the first

Monday of each month at the Kimball Ridge Building in Waterloo.

The group is specific to breast cancer.  Young Cancer Survivors meets quarterly and is open to all young women living with cancer. This group is NOT specific to breast cancer, but instead is focused on providing young women an outlet to meet other cancer survivors. The group gathers on the third Tuesdays of January, April, June and September. Meetings are from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Cedar Valley Unitarian Universalist’s building at 3912 Cedar Heights Drive, Cedar Falls.

The Spotlight Survivor is unique this year, DeWitt says, highlighting family and friends of family and friends of Sherry Schumacher. Team Sherry began participating in 2011. In 2015, Schumacher became a breast cancer survivor. She lost her battle with cancer in 2018.

Team Sherry has continued.

“Participating in the Pink Ribbon Run is important because you never know when you might need the support, not just financial but moral support,” said Sam DeBord, Schumacher’s dad.

Her mother Dawn DeBord said Sherry “felt strongly about supporting people with breast

Cancer survivor and fitness instructor Tina Wendel leads a 30-minute stationary workout at last year’s Pink Ribbon Run. cancer, way before she was one.”

Sherry’s daughter Rachel will present a check to BPT with proceeds from a garage sale.

Since its inception, the Pink Ribbon Run committee has do-

nated more than $372,000 to BPT. In 2018, BPT awarded 81 grants to women in 10 counties for more than $66,000 for groceries, transportation, medical needs, etc.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

H2 | Sunday, September 29, 2019

Splash of Color provides support THOMAS NELSON

thomas.nelson@wcfcourier.com‌

COURIER FILE PHOTO‌

Christine Carpenter, right, regularly challenges politicians to support iniatives and funding for evidence-based research.

She is shown here with former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Christine Carpenter is

Iowa Cancer Champion MELODY PARKER

melody.parker@wcfcourier.com‌

‌CEDAR FALLS – Christine Carpenter was diagnosed with breast cancer 26 years ago. She fought back and won, and found the courage to channel her fears and anger into doing something that mattered, something that would make a difference: becoming a vocal advocate and striving to end deaths from breast cancer.

She joined the Cedar Valley’s Beyond Pink TEAM and became an advocate with the Iowa Breast Cancer Advocacy Network and field coordinator with the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

On Sept. 24, Carpenter was awarded the Iowa Cancer Champion award at the Iowa Cancer Consortium Fall Summit in Ankeny. She was nominated by Beyond Pink Team President Dee Hughes.

“Christine has dedicated her life to ending cancer.

In doing so, she has made living with breast cancer easier for women and men living in the Cedar Valley, Iowa and the United States.

In my eyes, she is a hero,” said Hughes.

Carpenter is “thrilled, surprised, honored and pleased” to receive the award. The recognition, she said, “is that it helps get out the message about breast cancer, the work of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, Deadline 2020 and some of the wonderful things we’ve managed to

Breast cancer signs & symptoms AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

‌ K nowing how your breasts normally look and feel is an important part of breast health. Finding breast cancer as early as possible gives you a better chance of successful treatment. But knowing what to look for does not take the place of having regular mammograms and other screening tests. Screening tests can help find breast cancer in its early stages, before any symptoms appear.

The most common symptom of breast cancer is a new lump or mass. A painless, hard mass that has irregular edges is more likely to be cancer, but breast cancers can be tender, soft, or rounded. They can even be painful. For this reason, it is important to have any new breast mass, lump, or breast change checked by a health care professional experienced in diagnosing breast diseases.

Other possible symptoms of breast cancer include: Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no distinct lump is felt) Skin irritation or dimpling (sometimes looking like an orange peel) Breast or nipple pain Nipple retraction (turning inward) Please see SIGNS, Page H3

accomplish.”

NBCC’s Deadline 2020 (Jan. 1, 2020) is the campaign to know how to end breast cancer and move from awareness to prevention. Through NBCC‘s advocacy, cancer researchers will soon be moving into the early phases of clinical trials of a preventative vaccine for metastatic breast cancer.

In 1998, Carpenter and other members of the Beyond Pink Team asked U.S. Senator Charles Grassley to provide leadership to help pass the Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act. He became the advocate for legislation that became law in 2001.

Individuals are now Medicaid-eligible to receive treatment for breast and cervical cancer even when they don’t qualify for a standard Medicaid program.

“It shows that advocacy works. You have to be persistent, and it may take a long time, and you might not get everything you want, but it does work,” Carpenter said.

Please see CARPENTER, Page H3

WATERLOO — For 10 ‌ years, Splash of Color has worked to destigmatize discussions about breast cancer in African-American women.

Splash of Color is a breast cancer support group for African American women that provides both financial and emotional support for women surviving breast cancer. This year’s Splash of Color Walk is Oct. 12 at Sullivan Park. Registration for the event begins at 8 a.m.

“The conversation (about breast cancer) should be easy and comfortable, and we should be having it all the time,” said Cathy Ketton, Splash of Color organizer.

Ketton is not a breast cancer survivor, but her daughters, ShanQuiesha “Shae” and Niisha Robinson, were both diagnosed with breast

cancer in their early 20s. Her mother died in 2003 from metastatic breast cancer.

That family history pushed Ketton to open a dialogue to promote awareness of breast cancer among African-American women.

Statistically, breast cancer incidence is slightly lower among black women than white women, according to Susan G. Komen Foundation. However, black women have a higher breast cancer mortality rate than white women. From 2012-2016, breast cancer mortality was about 40 percent higher in black women than in white women.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among black women, and an estimated 33,840 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2019. An estimated 6,540 deaths from breast cancer

THOMAS NELSON, THOMAS.NELSON@WCFCOURIER.COM‌

Cathy Ketton wants to make the conversation about breast cancer easier. are expected to occur among black women in 2019.

Ketton and her daughters co-founded Splash of Color in 2009. The first meeting took place at the Waterloo Public Library. In 2011, Splash of Color sponsored its first walk to raise money for breast cancer awareness.

When her daughter Shae attended breast support groups, she came home and cried. “’There’s nobody at this meeting that looks like me,’” Ketton recalled.

“There are no African Americans, and no professional

single parents.”

Since starting Splash of Color, Ketton has seen a lot of women in ‘30s die from breast cancer, she said. “Age is not a factor.”

Ketton wants to make sure women from all over the Cedar Valley know about the dangers of breast cancer, but black women under 35 get breast cancer at two times the rate of white women and die from breast cancer three times as often, according to cancer statistics.

Please see SPLASH, Page H3

MercyOne to host Free Mammo Nights ‌WATERLOO – MercyOne is providing two upcoming opportunities for women to receive free mammograms.

The Free Mammo Nights will take place on Oct. 24 at Waterloo Medical Center and Nov. 7 at Cedar Falls Medical Center. A previous event was held on Aug. 22 at Oelwein Medical Center.

“We know cost can be a barrier for many women scheduling a mammogram,” says Kelly Flaucher, supervisor of Breast Care Services at MercyOne. “We want to remove that barrier and give women the opportunity to care for themselves.

Far too often women spend Ninth St. financially supported by the so much time taking care of Transportation and inter- MercyOne Waterloo Founeveryone else in their family pretation services are avail- dation, Black Hawk County that they forget to take care able upon request. of themselves.”

Please see MAMMO, Page H3 The event is being The event is for women ages 40 and older who have cost-barriers to receiving their yearly mammogram. in honor of Appointments for free mammograms are available from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Cedar Falls event at MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center, 515 College St. awareness month The Waterloo event is from 3:30 to 8 p.m. at the MercyOne Breast Center Save fourth floor Outpatient & on all items Women’s Center, 3421 W.

20%

that are PINK!

Proud Supporter in the Fight AgAinst BreAst CAnCer 323 Main St. Cedar Falls, IA 50613

Free Mammo Nights Appointments are required and there are a limited number available.

Call 319-292-2225 to schedule today!

Who: Women ages 40 and older who have any cost-barriers to receiving their yearly mammogram What: Free mammograms When/Where: l

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Waterloo Breast Center–4th floor Outpatient and Women’s Center Thursday, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m.–8 p.m.

Cedar Falls Medical Center Thursday, Nov. 7, 1 p.m.–7 p.m.

Transportation provided upon request.

Complimentary medical provider appointment available if needed.

Hosted by MercyOne with financial support from the Care For Yourself program, MercyOne Waterloo Foundation and Check the Girls Foundation.

319-266-1705

Girls’ NIGHT Thursday Oct.5-9pm3rd Come help support the

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ENJOY OUR TREAT TABLE, $ 3 WINES, PRETTY IN PINK DRINK AND $ 5 OFF A $ 25 PURCHASE. CELEBRATE LIFE RESPONSIBLY.

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BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Sunday, September 29, 2019 | H3

Diagnosed with breast cancer, Jim Geiger battles back Some good news as Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 draws to a close MELODY PARKER

melody.parker@wcfcourier.com ‌

META HEMENWAY-FORBES

meta.hemenway-forbes@ wcfcourier.com‌

‌Imagine setting a deadline when breast cancer would simply end.

Nearly a decade ago, Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 did just that. The mission was simple: To know how to end breast cancer

by Jan. 1, 2020.

With just 93 days until the deadline, clinical trials on a vaccine to prevent breast cancer are imminent, either late this year or early 2020, giving hope to those who continue to crusade for a cure.

“This is big. This is great news,” said Kristin Teig Torres, of Cedar Falls, a breast cancer survivor who has become part of a grassroots breast cancer advocacy network. Those grassroots efforts helped secure funds to develop the vaccine, she said.

Christine Carpenter, of Cedar Falls, was diagnosed with breast cancer 26 years ago. She, too, survived and became an advocate with the Iowa Breast Cancer Advocacy Network and field coordinator with the National Breast Cancer Coalition. To see a vaccine in the works is evidence that persistence pays.

“In 2010, when we started with Deadline 2020, we brought together a group of scientists and cancer researchers and ‘big thinkers,’ and asked ‘Can we come up with a vaccine?’ Ninety percent of researchers said it couldn’t be done. After that meeting, they began to feel that it could be done. Now 90 percent of researchers believe it can be done.

There’s a paper from Mayo Clinic that explains preventative vaccines to prevent metastatic breast cancer.

Breast cancer researchers are working very hard on a vaccine using antigens have been used in people that are safe, but have never been used together.

“It will be a while before we can use the vaccine, but in 10 years of advocacy and pushing, we have turned science around to researching a vaccine. Prevention would work so much better than treatment after the fact.”

The new anti-cancer vaccine in the works by Mayo Clinic researchers is meant to help the body resist the return of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) breast cancer. The vaccine is meant to work in combination with Trastuzumab, an immune-stimulating drug given to women following HER2 tumor removal surgery. If it works, the vaccine will address the return of the cancer, which can be hard to treat once it spreads to other parts of the body.

“Future research,” according to the Mayo Clinic, “will determine how long immunity lasts and whether booster shots are necessary to help the immune system continue identifying the cancerous cells. In addition, the study will help identify specific tumor subtypes that are good candidates for vaccine treatments.”

Teig Torres was diagnoed December 2009.

“I was 41 years old and had a 3- and 6-year-old at

Mammo

Corkery

Torres

home. I was working full time. I just started grad school. It was something that just shook our family,” she said.

She underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. She’d been diagnosed with a subtype that, the longer the remission, the greater the drop in recurrence rate. She’s approaching the tenth anniversary of her diagnosis but doesn’t consider herself home free.

“Nobody has a get-awayfrom-breast-cancer-free card,” she said.

Sarah Corkery, 43, of Cedar Falls, was diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer at the age of 36. With a history of breast cancer in her family (her mother died of the disease at age 46), she was vigilant in her detection efforts. She underwent a double mastectomy. Four years later, she felt a lump under her skin. The cancer had returned, this time Stage 1. Chemotherapy and radiation followed, and today there is no evidence of disease.

“I still have about a 12 percent chance that mine will come back” within 10 years, she said.

Corkery, Teig Torres and Carpenter have taken their advocacy efforts to Washington, D.C., rallying for change in approaches both scientific and policy wise.

“I think that while we want to tell a real positive story with the vaccine, we recognize the work is not over,” Teig Torres said.

Corkery agrees, pointing to legislation in progress for women with Stage 4 cancer who don’t have time to wait for eligibility for health care coverage.

“One of NBCC’s highest legislative priorities this year is to enact legislation to waive the 24-month waiting period for Medicare eligibility and the vie-month month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for individuals with Metastatic Breast Cancer,” the organization says.

According to NBCC, on April 9, Representatives Peter King (R-NY) and Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced H.R. 2178, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act. Thanks to the grassroots efforts by those like Corkery, Carpenter and Teig Torres, the bill has 118 co-sponsors, including Iowa Democrats Rep. Abby Finkenauer, Dave Loebsack and Cynthia Axne, and Republican Rep. Steve King.

‌Breast cancer in men happens, but it is rare, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Statistics show that less than one percent of all breast cancer cases develop in men, and only one in a thousand men will ever be diagnosed with breast cancer. Men carry a higher mortality rate than women because men are less aware and less likely to assume a lump is breast cancer, causing a delay in diagnosis and treatment.

Roughly 2,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men this year, according to American Cancer Society estimates. About 500 men will die from breast cancer. Risk factors include radiation exposure, high estrogen levels and a family history of breast cancer, in particular related

to the BRCA2 gene.

Cancer survivor Jim Geiger shares his cancer story, in his own words: “My story began in August 1999. I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I had surgery to remove a mass by my thyroid.

I didn’t have chemo after my surgery, but had two different sessions of radiation.

I still have several tumors in my body, but they aren’t growing. I just continue with regular check-ups from time to time.

I knew the Lord was taking care of me. There were no problems.

Things were going well until July 2017. I felt a lump in my left breast while I was taking a shower. I told my wife about it, and she said I should get it checked out. I went to a doctor and a biopsy of the lump was taken. It was cancer!

Types of breast cancer ‌ uctal Carcinoma in D Situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive breast cancer where abnormal cells have been contained in the lining of the breast milk duct.

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma means that abnormal cells that originated in the lining of the breast milk duct have invaded surrounding tissue.

Triple negative breast cancer means that the cells

Carpenter

in the tumor are negative for progesterone, estrogen, and HER2/neu receptors.

Metastatic breast cancer is cancer that has spread beyond the breast, sometimes into the lungs, bones, or brain.

Less common types of breast cancer include Medullary Carcinoma, Tubular Carcinoma, and Mucinous Carcinoma.

Source: National Breast Cancer Foundation

has evolved greatly since our 1988 inception, in part due to Christine’s persistence From H2 and guidance to keep doing Hughes said Carpenter more,” Hughes explained.

At the 2019 annual NBCC and her fellow BPT advocates “have been relentless to keep Leadership Summit in Washthe Treatment Act despite changes going on in health care.” Carpenter’s passionate advocacy and other BPT advocates have become role models for groups in other states, Hughes noted.

“The Beyond Pink TEAM

Splash From H2

Ketton said fewer people are involved in Splash of Color than when it was first organized. “There’s something about the black community. We say if the church doesn’t support it, then usually the people will not support it.”

She has been working with the Rev. Frantz Whitfield at Mount Carmel Baptist Church to increase interest and support. Once a year the church sponsors a spirit month, and on the last Sunday in September, the focus is on breast cancer awareness. Church members are asked to make a donation to Splash of Color.

“We wanted to do something special this year as a church community,” Whitfield said. “It’s a good cause.”

I had metastatic breast cancer, as it has spread into my lymph nodes. They took out six lymph nodes and three of them were cancerous. I then had chemo and 33 radiation treatments.

The chemo was tough, but the radiation treatments were a piece of cake. I’m now on pills, and I go for regular check-ups. It’s like “wait and see how it goes.”

Through all the struggles, I knew the most important thing in my life was that the Lord was always with me at all times, good and bad. He’s still in control, and I have no fear at all. No problems, no depression, no “why me,” no sadness, no regrets.

It’s all because of my faith in Jesus Christ being my savior. To me it’s like a winwin situation. If the Lord cures me of my cancers, I’ll be with my family. If not cured, I’ll be in Heaven

Signs From H2

Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin Nipple discharge (other than breast milk) Sometimes a breast cancer can spread to lymph nodes under the arm or around the collar bone and cause a lump or swelling there, even before the original tumor in the breast is large enough to be

ington, D.C., Carpenter was asked to join a national plenary panel on “The Politics of Healthcare.”

She chairs the Advocacy Council for the Beyond Pink TEAM, and serves as a con-

BRANDON POLLOCK, COURIER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER‌

Jim Geiger was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2017 had has undergone treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation. with Jesus. What a glorious reunion it will be. No more pain, no more worries, just a very happy experience.”

felt. Swollen lymph nodes should also be checked by a health care provider.

Although any of these symptoms can be caused by things other than breast cancer, if you have them, they should be reported to a health care professional so that the cause can be found.

Because mammograms do not find every breast cancer, it is important for you to be aware of changes in your breasts and to know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

sumer reviewer for research grants. She was instrumental in starting BPT’s Young Cancer Survivors support group, Iowa Breast Cancer Edu-action and the Iowa Breast Cancer Advocacy Network.

Serving the Cedar Valley with

Complete Breast Care Since 2003 Jayson Gesme, MD

Breast Care Cent Centeer 1753 W. Ridgeway Ave., Ste. 104 Waterloo, IA 50701

From H2

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Health Department’s Care for Yourself Program and the Check the Girls Foundation.

Appointments are required and a limited number are available. Call (319) 292-2225 to schedule an appointment.

BreastCareCenterOnline.com com

319-833-6100

H4 | Sunday, September 29, 2019

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