SPECIAL

Survivors commemorate their journey

Paula Hendrickson Register Star Media
Judy Emerson speaks to attendees before naming off raffle winners during the seventh annual Victory Lap Brunch on Saturday, October 19, 2013, at Cliffbreakers in Rockford.

Whether it’s a lumpectomy followed by radiation or the triple whammy of a mastectomy, chemo and radiation, completing breast cancer treatment is a milestone worth celebrating. Cancer-free anniversaries are important to survivors, their friends and their families.

“People dealing with cancer diagnoses are frequently required to endure difficult tests and/or procedures to eventually reach the end of treatment, so the celebration allows for special recognition of their effort,” said Angela Miller Mascharka, a licensed clinical social worker with Rockford Health Physicians/Rockford Health System.

When Doreen Cooper of South Beloit was cancer-free for one year, she and her best friend, Dawn Young, decided to get tattoos. “I did it because I wanted to say I’m a survivor and it’s not going to come back,” said Cooper. “I had to have a double mastectomy, chemo — it was a lot to go through. So that first year, when they said I was clear, I said, ‘Let’s do it!’ ”

The tattoos are on their forearms. “They’re from the wrist to just below the elbow,” said Cooper. Hers says ‘Survivor’ and has a butterfly and pink ribbon, while Young’s says “For my BFF” and has a heart with the butterfly. The butterflies are different colors, but the meaning is the same.

Thirteen-year survivor Judy Emerson was a bit hesitant to celebrate her survival. “In a way, I didn’t really ‘breathe’ for those first five years after my diagnosis and surgery,” she said. “I dutifully took my Tamoxifen and tried not to think too much about why.”

For a while, the ups and downs of daily life distracted her.

“Then one day, when I turned the calendar, it struck me that it had been five years and I was okay. It just felt like time to celebrate and include lots of people who’d been through similar challenges.”

In 2006, Emerson marked her 5th cancer-free anniversary by hosting brunch for friends after the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. She collected more than $2,000 in donations from friends to donate to the walk. It was so successful that her employer at the time, The Rockford Register Star, agreed to sponsor the brunch as a fundraiser. “We renamed it the Victory Lap Brunch and made it an annual event,” said Emerson. ”Through the years we’ve raised about $80,000 that we’ve given back to the community for services for people who are fighting cancer.”

Kimberley Baker, 23, was diagnosed with breast cancer 12 days before her 21st birthday. She completed chemo Dec. 21, 2012, had a double mastectomy Feb. 7, 2013, finished radiation May 30, 2013, and completed the reconstruction process a few weeks ago.

“For me, it’s important to recognize the day I was diagnosed, because it’s the most significant thing that’s ever happened to me. If I’d ignored the lump I could be dead right now,” said Baker, who refuses to let her diagnoses consume her life, yet understands it may color future decisions.

“It’s interesting to look back and reflect on how much my life has changed and how I’ve changed dramatically as a person.”

After healing from her reconstructive surgery, Baker plans to commemorate her journey with a tattoo and get on with life. “Eventually I think I’ll want to work with cancer patients in some capacity,” she said.

Cooper’s five-year anniversary is next May. “I don’t have anything planned yet, but I’m sure I’ll do something because it’s a big deal when you pass five years.” A co-worker suggested skydiving. “I said absolutely not. No way.”

For those still undergoing treatment, Mascharka said hearing other survivors’ success stories can help them see purpose and give them courage to fight on.

“I look at our brunch as a wonderful celebration of life for every one of us who are surviving cancer or any life-altering events,” said Emerson. “We always sing ‘Happy Birthday’ at our event because, to me, it’s a joyful time for everyone who attends to honor a loved one or celebrate his or her own victory over such a challenge.”