European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Early detection is crucial beating breast cancer by Deedee Arrington Doke Kaiserslautern Bureau Susan Kacikas Mother died of breast cancer. But no one in Gabi Hershfield a family had Ever had the disease. And Lynn Flynn seemed an unlikely candidate to get it. She was Only 36, and she had borne her children Young no three women could be More different. But the silent killer played no favourites and struck All three. The common thread among them today is that they All have survived bouts with breast cancer. Military medical authorities throughout Europe have been conducting a variety of activities to Alert More women and men to the importance of _ Early detection of the _ disease. These women All v to Quot of c3i1 definitely members of the american beat it. You can be military Community in it. 1 the Winner. Europe were willing to share their stories with a reporter in Hopes of helping others. Against Flynn a survival. Doctors found six malignant Lymph nodes. Back then More than two affected nodes usually meant a slim to none Chance of survival. Her doctor at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center in Germany did not share that information with her. Knowing Flynn had a deep religious Faith he asked her not to read anything about cancer. Quot he said to me a you Are a not a statistic. You Are a separate human being a a a Flynn said. The Flynn were assigned to Baum older Germany when she was diagnosed and treated for the cancer. But soon after the family moved to the states and Lynn Flynn was treated at Walter Reed army medical Center in Washington d c. An amazing Rumor began circulating then probably because the Flynn kept up an Active social life. Even during her hospitalization she would go out in the evenings and return late at night Quot it actually spread that i Lynn Flynn cancer survivor breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in american women. One out of 10 women will get the disease and More than 150,000 new cases Are expected in 1990. Forty four thousand women will die of the disease. But researchers say that the death rate could be Cut by at least 30 percent if women followed recommended breast cancer screening guidelines. Also the five year survival rate for localized breast cancer has increased to 90 percent because of advances in Early detection improved surgical procedures hormonal therapy and chemotherapy. Flynn and Kacik Are among the 90 percent who have survived More than five years. Hershfield s bout with the disease was just a year ago. One tells the Story of How a Corsage pinned to her Chest at a party caused a slow leak in her prosthesis. Another reveals the anger she Felt when she Learned of her illness. And the third looks ahead to a bustling and Bright Christmas with her family. Here Are their stories. It Lynn Flynn a feet barely touch the floor when she skims instead of walks across a room to answer her constantly ringing Telephone. Glowing skin fiery eyes and a throaty voice that rings with the accent of Crisp new England autumns round out the picture of a vibrant Active woman. More than 17 years ago the Mother of five Learned she had breast cancer. She found a Lump in her breast after Reading a detailed article on breast cancer during a vacation in Switzerland she had a Mastectomy. And then Lynn Flynn went on to live her life. Quot you can definitely beat it. You can be the Winner Quot Flynn said. Quot i firmly believe that t would say a be Happy if you can laugh a lot it can kill cancer cells a Flynn a resident of Kaiserslautern Germany is married to army it. Gen. Williams Flynn commander of the 21 St theater army area come at 53, she still has one daughter in College and is the proud Grandmamma of several Bright eyed grandchildren who smile out from photos on her refrigerator door. She laughs a lot. And even her memories of her Battle with cancer reveal a sense of humor such As the tale of the deflated prosthesis and the warm affection she and her husband of 32 years share. After her surgery Flynn said her husband told her Quot in be always been a Teg  despite her insistence that she might have cancer doctors initially did not believe she had the disease. Once they determined she did have it the statistical Odds Early on were had died and Bill married someone who looked just like me Quot Flynn said. Susan Kacikas family forced her to traipse through Italy Quot in a wig in the Middle of chemotherapy. They really forced me to live a Normal  Kacik is the school nurse at Kaiserslautern High school. The Walls of her sunlit office showcase Watercolour artworks of playful Kittens and delicate Flowers that she creates in her Home studio. She discovered a Lump in her breast at age 40, soon after she and her family moved to Germany in the Early 1980s. Medical authorities soon confirmed her fear that she had breast cancer which had already killed her Mother. Quot the first thing you think when you feel the Lump is a am i going to die from this a a Kacik said. Quot i was very worried. I had seen my Mother  she had a Mastectomy and subsequently received chemotherapy. Today she has checkups at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center every six months and a Mammogram once a year. The illness has forced the Mother of two to grapple with her feelings about death a a it a a Biggie Quot she said and her need to be involved in deciding on what kind of care she would receive. It s a big control Issue. You want to feel you have some input a Kacik said. A i did no to accept any decision Quot she went on. Quot i was really out there scrapping. I gave them a hard  in addition to her family a involvement in forcing her to live she also believes that setting goals for herself was crucial to her survival. Her first goal was to see her sons now in their 20s, graduate from High school. Once she achieved one goal she set new ones for herself. Kacik s prescription for living also Calls for heavy doses of laughter achieved through watching comedies on video with her husband and spending time with friends with a humorous Bent and it helps to look Forward to going to work. Quot i enjoy the teens a they re a pleasure to work with a she said. That does t mean that Kacik forgets the diseases lingering spectre entirely but it s not a major part of her life anymore. A you live with it. Its always there in a realistic. I know it could happen again. But i live every Day and i try to sleep every night without regrets Quot Kacik said. Quot there Are no certainties in this life there is no  Gabi Hershfield does t remember much about the Holiday season last year. She had a Mastectomy after a malignant Lump was found in her breast then spent 10 a amps Lynda Davidson Lynn Flynn a if you can laugh a Tot it can kill cancer  women we Lori i Nab Germany. A amps Lynda Davidson Susan Kacik Quot the first thing you think. A am i going to die from this a a Days in the Hospital and began six months of chemotherapy. But she s looking Forward to Active Happy holidays with her 11-year-old daughter and husband this year. Quot i will really enjoy the holidays. I will do things with my daughter we have never done before a a Hershfield said. Hershfield 45, Sells paintings in an Art gallery she is married to a retired air Force lieutenant colonel. The Lump in her breast was discovered by a German doctor two months after a routine checkup had found no sign of a growth. A you Don t feel any symptoms. But when its there it s there Quot Hershfield said. She had a Biopsy at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center and had her Mastectomy a few Days later. A Quot i pushed it very very hard. I wanted to get operated on As soon As possible. In a not a person who is Calm Quot she said. Friends from her Catholic Church prayed for her. She a amps Lynda Davidson am How to detect breast lumps during a health seminar at program for cancer detection Quot h Mammo physical age breast self exam Graphy exam 20-35 once a month 7-10 Days after Onset of menstruation a every 3 years 35-40 once a month 7-10 Days after Onset of menstruation one Baseline every 3 years 40-50 once a month 7-10 Days after Onset of menstruation every 1 or 2 years every year 50 once a month 7-10 Days after Onset of menstruation Post menopausal women the same Day each month. Every year every year attended a support group at the Hospital where fellow cancer patients aired their worries successes and ideas. Her husband and daughter gave her their love. A my husband treats me the same we Are very very close. It the cancer never did anything to my marriage. I have a right hand and that is my husband Quot Hershfield said. She chose not to get reconstructive surgery for the breast she lost to cancer. Quot its not for me. I m very satisfied How it is. I still go swimming in the summer and it does no to bother my family. Why should it bother me Quot she said. Sometimes she still Calls her doctors at Lan Stuhl for reassurance she worries that the cancer will reoccur. Quot i done to smoke. I Don t drink. I eat three balanced meals a Day Quot Hershfield said. But she finds helpful some advice that one doctor gave her that morning. She repeats his words several times. Quot he told me Gabi let me do the worrying. You do the living Quot Page 14 a the stars and stripes capt. Elizabeth Capra shares the latest information about breast cancer with members of a Mastectomy support group. A Way to ease fears Mastectomy support group Story and photo by Janet do Agostino medical writer air Force staff sgt. Allison Mathis had lost both breasts to cancer by the time she was 33. A the right was removed because she discovered a cancerous Lump and the left because she was afraid another mass would develop eventually. Months of radiation and chemotherapy following the surgery left her sick weak and discouraged. Quot you feel you should be Well because of the surgery but you Aren t and its depressing Quot said Mathis who is assigned to the 1836 engr installation group at Lindsey air station. Mathis endured the lifesaving but debilitating treatment with help from members of the Mastectomy support group which meets at the air Force Hospital in Wiesbaden Germany. Quot i needed these ladies to Tell me it will be Over. They kept me up Quot she said now that her treatment is finished Mathis reassures and informs other women in the group. During a recent meeting she explained How her breasts were being reconstructed by a plastic surgeon at the Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center. Quot i m so Happy Quot with the reconstruction she said explaining that the entire process will take almost a year of repeated visits to the operating room the support group coordinated by capt. Elizabeth Cipra is open to women living in military communities throughout Europe the meetings Are informal and members Greet each other As they would old friends. Sometimes they talk among themselves about How cancer has affected their families work or other aspects of their lives. At other meetings health professionals discuss nutrition exercise or stress. A monthly newsletter keeps members who cannot attend the meetings informed about what the group is doing. A the biggest Barrier Over Here in Europe is a Lack of information in the . Military Community especially on the latest treatment and information about breast cancer Quot said Cipra who is a registered nurse. Information and camaraderie keep women coming Back to the group Long after treatment is finished and any signs of cancer Are gone. The support they offer is particularly Gratifying Quot when someone new comes in and you can see the fear in her eyes a said Erika Payne who was diagnosed with breast cancer about three years ago. With the group the women can make jokes and laugh about the common problems they share something they cannot do with someone who does not have the disease said Lucy Wiles a teacher at the Haine Berg elementary school in Wiesbaden. Group members generally Range in age from the 30s on up. The length of time they have had cancer and the precise treatments they have undergone vary. Dorothy Spalla 66, had a Radical Mastectomy 25 years ago and considers herself cured. Initially she was hesitant about joining the group because she Felt she did t need any support and that no one would be interested in what she had gone through so Many years before. Instead she found Quot they were glad to have me there and hear what i had to say. I feel in be Given them some  Spalla enjoyed talking with the other women and learning about procedures such As Lumpe Tomies and breast reconstruction that were not done when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The support group is not for women Only. Chief master sgt. Kirby love a regular member said the group helps him better understand what his wife Diana is experiencing. Quot things that would upset her would get discussed in the group Quot said love who is assigned to the 497th recon tech group at Lindsey air station. Quot it would help me understand what she was feeling and it made me feel  Bobby Payne joined the group months before his wife Erika became a member. Erika had yet to arrive in Europe when she was diagnosed with cancer. Bobby went to the group meetings for nine months while his wife underwent treatment in the United states. The meetings he said provided him with medical information about breast cancer and More importantly helped him understand How he could support his wife and come to terms with his own feelings toward the disease. Quot i would encourage any person to get involved with a support group Quot said Payne who is a department of the army civilian working at v corps Headquarters in Frankfurt. Although the support group is for those who already have breast cancer Mathis had some advice for other women. Quot if you feel a Lump go and see a doctor. Done to wait to see if it will go  tuesday 0 Tober 30,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 15