NURSES STATION


Nurses treat, experience and survive breast cancer About 30,840 women in the U.S. were


By DEBORAH A. MILES Wanda Tyson was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago. Her initial reaction was, “I felt like someone punched me in the stomach, then walked away. I was left just standing there. I didn’t hear anything. When someone says you have cancer, it takes your breath away.”


TYSON Tyson is a breast cancer survivor and a


nurse at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. She said her fellow PEF members donated time so she could continue to get paid while undergoing treatment. She was assigned to a surgical unit at that time, and wasn’t allowed to work. She still is grateful for their generosity and support. She had a lumpectomy in which part of


her breast where the tumor was located and the auxiliary lymph nodes were removed. Chemotherapy and radiation followed. “I had to take my time and do every


step. I am now considered completely cured,” Tyson said. “Now when I tend to other cancer


patients, I can tell them, ‘I’ve been there. I’ve been in your shoes and I understand what you are going through.’”


Decline in deaths The breast cancer death rate in the


U.S. has been falling by about 2 percent per year, since 1990. However, cancer continues to claim


thousands of lives. In 2010, an estimated 207,090 new


cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 54,010 new cases of non- invasive breast cancer.


SCHWERT breast screening appointment.


expected to die in 2010 from breast cancer. PEF member Kathleen Schwert has


been the nurse manager at Roswell’s breast clinic since 2003. She described it as a


multi-disciplinary clinic treating new patients, people undergoing surgery and chemotherapy and following-up on all patients. The clinic attends to


roughly 350 to 400 patients per week Some


have been diagnosed with cancer. Others are referred by a physician due to a worrisome mammogram. And still others are there to attend a breast cancer risk- assessment and prevention program. “We see more women now. The


screening is better and there is an increase in public awareness,” Schwert said. “Women need to be advocates of their own good health and get annual mammograms and breast examinations. “Once a woman receives a diagnosis of


cancer, she should proceed very cautiously. I warn patients about interpreting information they find on the Internet. Without the assistance of a medical professional, that information can be very scary. And I tell them not to listen to well-meaning friends who share breast cancer horror stories.” Schwert said support groups, such as


those found through the Western New York Breast Resource Center, provide excellent information, as well as emotional and educational support for patients and families. Tyson added that breast cancer also


strikes men, and PEF members are entitled to four hours per year for a


GOOD FORYOU!—PEF Region 8member James C.Hall (at right) was awarded PEF’s 2011 Fight BackAgainst PrivatizationAward at the PEF 33rdAnnual Convention in Niagara Falls.Hall,who could not attend the convention,was recognized for alerting PEF to a decision by the state Health Department to allow builders to certify their own plans as compliant with state regulations. Delegate Ken Ferro,who also works at DOH, accepted the award for Hall. It was presented byVice President Pat Baker,who chairs PEF’s Employment Security Committee, and by President Ken Brynien.


www.pef.org The Communicator October 2011—Page 19 COURTNEY


Life-changing decision Anne Courtney, another


Roswell nurse and breast cancer survivor, said her journey with cancer was eased by the extraordinary support she received from the entire Roswell staff. “They are an amazing


group of people. It really makes a huge difference to have someone to talk to and listen to you,” Courtney said. “A couple of weeks after


I discovered a lump and had a lumpectomy, I found


out I was BRCA-1 positive, which means I have the genetic markers for both breast and ovarian cancer. I had a decision to make. I could continue to be watched to see if I developed a second breast cancer or an ovarian cancer, or have a prophylactic surgery, which is a mastectomy on both sides and the removal of my ovaries and tubes. “The decision weighed heavily on me. I


couldn’t sleep at night. I see cancer every day and what it does to people and their families. I chose to have the prophylactic surgery. For me, it was ultimately an easy decision. I wanted to reduce my risk of getting cancer. It may be not the right decision for everyone, but it was what I needed to do,” Courtney said. She stressed the importance of annual


checkups and breast-self examinations, and said her life has changed. “I look at everything differently. I am


very, very grateful for every day. I value my family and friendships so much more, and I don’t sweat the small stuff.”


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