Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove • Page 3 OCTOBER 2015 BREAST CANCER AWARENESS www.consolidateddoors.com GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS Sales & Service DISTRIBUTOR FOR THE FOLLOWING BRANDS Visit our Showroom & See It Work! Consolidated Doors SAME DAY SERVICE - 7 DAYS A WEEK Serving SE Wisconsin Over 50 Years - Fully Bonded & Insured West Bend 1327 S. Main St. 262-334-8008 Across the street from Kohl's Dept. Store Milwaukee 11709 W. Dixon St. 414-453-8448 Waukesha 2111 S. West Ave. #56 262-542-9099 (INSTALLED) Also available on other models: 9200, GD2SP, GD2SU SEPT 14 THRU NOV 13, 2015 Window Sale for your Garage Door 50% OFF Clopay Model 4300 16x7 $929 SSB Windows $120 $1,049 SAVE $120 Model 8355 - 7' LiftMaster 2 Transmitters/Keyless Buy a door & operator, Take $30 OFF operator Installed for........... Model 8365 - 7' 2 Transmitters/Keyless Buy a door & operator, Take $30 OFF operator Installed for.............. LiftMaster $359 (reg. $369) $329 (reg. $339) 242964017 242000001 Upscale Women's Consignment Elite Repeat Ruby Isle Shopping Center 2205 N. Calhoun Rd., Brookfield 262-789-9359 • www.eliterepeatclothing.com E liteRepeatClothing.com GIF T CARDS AVAILABLE PLEASE CALL AHEAD FOR CONSIGNMENT CLOTHING / PURSES / SHOES / JEWELRY Bring in this ad and receive 10% OFF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE Consignment Hours: Mon. 10am-6pm; Wed. thru Sat. 10am-2pm Store Hours: Mon. thru Fri. 10am-7pm; Sat. 10am-5pm Expires 10-31-15 FALL INTO STYLE THE BEST LABELS lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll THE BEST LOOKS lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll THE BEST PRICES lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll $ 100 To open an Elite savings account ** if opened same day $ 200 To open any checking account with qualifying activity* 242203007 By Chris Bennett Special to The Freeman I knew Rachel Bennett would lose her left breast before she did. Rachel is my wife. In August 2014 she learned she had breast cancer. I wrote a column about her diagnosis for the October 2014 issue of this publication. We learned the diagnosis in late August, and it seemed night- marish and unbelievable. Rachel's diagnosis both- ered me on numerous levels. I love my wife. I feel warm inside when she walks in the room. Her touch is like no other. No one wants their beloved to face an uncertain and painful road. She started treatment not long after I penned that first column. Her doctor is cock- sure and all braggadocio. You could tell after our first ner- vous appointment he viewed himself as a warrior and his daily battle — in a war he's likely never going to win and he knows it, and it angers him and drives him every minute of every day — is against can- cer. I loved him after five min- utes. You don't want a timid milquetoast for a doctor. You need someone with an edge, someone willing to pick a fight. Rachel lost her hair by the holidays — I shaved my wife's head at our dining room table in late October. She spent most evenings asleep on the couch by 7 p.m. She continued teaching kindergarten and did not miss a day of work — she needed to go. The sense of purpose and adherence to routine helped her as much or even more than chemo. She devoted her energy to fighting cancer, her students and our children. I devoted my energy to everything else. Rachel and her team of doc- tors, with unilateral support from family and friends, our church and colleagues, kept swinging. The cancer receded and the tumors shrank and it was time for surgery. I was with Eleanor, our 3- year-old daughter, visiting a potential preschool. The doc- tor called and said he needed to remove Rachel's left breast. The mass was too large. He could not save the breast. Losing the breast moved him more than it did me. In his eyes he failed, and like I said, you don't want a spine- less goof for a doctor. I was unfazed by the call. Living with cancer was ingrained in us by that point. We focused on its eradication and the desire for a return to our life pre-cancer. I asked first if Rachel knew. The nurse said she warned Rachel before surgery a mas- tectomy might be necessary. I asked the nurse to tell the doctor to do what he must. We needed the disease away from Rachel's body. We could han- dle whatever resulted. We excelled at rolling with the punches by that point. She cried that night in the hospital, partially over losing her breast, but also for time lost. Rachel could have opted for surgery earlier and avoid- ed chemo if we'd known the end meant a mastectomy. She's gone through numer- ous scans and tests since surgery. Her doctors will not come out and say she is can- cer-free. That diagnosis is years in the future, if ever. Our favorite new phrase out of the doctor's office is 'There's nothing suspicious.' I've never been more pleased with something so positively vague. Rachel and I are also recon- necting. For so long we focused on something other than each other and our mar- riage. It sounds strange, but we focused on cancer and modified life to accommodate its unwanted presence. We sacrificed life in the short- term for life in the long-term. I feel like the love of my life is back. Rachel said she feels closer to normal. She is ener- getic, and could not wait for the new school year. Her hair is growing, and she looks mis- chievously sexy in a pixie cut. We are making plans for her breast reconstruction next summer. I want to take her to New York City — she's never been. We are also at the point where we can laugh at the past. There is little sense in being mad and asking 'Why?' forever. In an example of our progress, Rachel recently told me about a T-shirt she saw and thinks is funny. Across the chest it reads, "Yes, they're fake. The real ones tried to kill me." By Chris Bennett Special to The Freeman BROOKFIELD — It's a message repeated over and over again, but it is a message that is repeated because it is one that is true. Early detection is the best way to ensure a women's survival when it comes to deal- ing with breast cancer. The sooner cancer is detected, the better. "I think the most important piece of this is to start screening early and start screening often," said Dr. Adam Siegel, a med- ical oncologist with Aurora Health Care in Waukesha. "There are a lot of different recommendations, and I think the challenging part, for all of us, is to interpret when is the right time to start screening." According to the American Cancer Soci- ety, women age 40 and older should get a mammogram every year, and should do so for as long as they are in good health. Women in their 20s and 30s should get a clinical breast exam as part of a regular exam every three years, and annually after age 40. Starting in their 20s, women should do breast self-exams, and report any irregu- larities or changes to their doctor. Risk factors vary Siegel said there are risk features that change the age when a woman might start getting screened. "I think some of the risk features we look for are, partially, family history," Siegel said. "Family history can predict if a woman is more likely to have breast can- cer at an early age." Risk features help doctors develop a risk profile, which takes into account family history and other issues relevant to the woman's health, such as lifestyle factors or medication that might put the woman at a higher risk of breast cancer. "It could be exercise patterns or diet pat- terns," Siegel said. "There are a lot of fac- tors that play into breast cancer risk. This is where to discuss with one's doctor whether screening is indicated at an early age." Screening means getting a mammogram. A mammogram is an X-ray of a woman's breast tissue. "Specifically, this is an outpatient imag- ing procedure, meaning people would go in and the X-ray would just take pictures of the breast, looking for cancer," Siegel said. If cancer is found, the response from Aurora is one that encompasses multiple disciplines in a central location, a practice becoming more common to breast cancer treatment. The group approach, known as a multi- disciplinary cancer treatment team in Aurora, brings oncologists, surgeons, radi- ologists and more to bear in determining a treatment plan. "By creating a group approach, everyone can put in their opinion," said Dr. Frederi- co A. Sanchez, who is with Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee and is the medical director for the Aurora Can- cer Program. "We can choose the most effective, most cost-effective and least toxic treatment." Sanchez said every breast cancer is different, and Siegel said a variety of treat- ment options exist — anti- hormonal treatment, chemotherapy, surgery, radi- ation or a combination of them all. Navigators steer care A feature specific to Aurora's cancer treatment regimen is the nurse navigator. Cancer nurse navigators are certified nursing professionals with extensive expe- rience and often specialized expertise in oncology. Their purpose is to guide patients and family members from diagnosis through cancer treatment and into post-treatment and even end-of life care. "It's like you're making a new friend," Sanchez said. "Hearing the word 'cancer' is frightening. Having someone there alongside that can interact with the medi- cal system is invaluable." Navigating the medical system after being diagnosed with cancer is stressful. So much of the concepts and jargon are overwhelming, and the patient is in a state of shock and duress. Navigating that same system when a lan- guage barrier is present makes the situa- tion frighteningly unbearable. Later this year, a Spanish language cancer clinic will open at St. Luke's Medical Center, which is located in a strong Spanish-speaking area at 27th Street and Oklahoma Avenue on Milwaukee's south side. "It's to help the community," Sanchez said. "Aurora is, by far, the biggest (medi- cal) system in the state. We handle close to 7,000 cancer diagnoses per year." Sanchez said there are days when he spends 50 percent of his day speaking Spanish. Everyone from intake represen- tatives to pharmacists to medical person- nel at the new facility will speak Spanish. The facility is expected to ease the con- fusion and perhaps streamline treatment for cancer patients whose only language is Spanish. Sanchez said the idea will be expanded throughout Aurora if the initia- tive at St. Luke's process successful. Road brightens one year into cancer journey Early detection key in fighting cancer Risk depends on variety of factors Photo courtesy of Chris Bennett The Bennett family in August 2014, about a week after learn- ing Rachel Bennett had breast cancer. From left to right, Amelie, Chris, Rachel, Margaret and Eleanor (on lap). Siegel Sanchez

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