Kristin Young Opett

My story…

Ten years ago, at the age of 18 I was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. It was scary to think about and I had no idea how much it would change my life.

I’d just started college at RIT, and was getting into the routine and really enjoying my new life. I did not enjoy being an engineering major, but really did like playing volleyball, and going to parties. Dealing with a major illness wasn’t something I ever imagined.

I was urgently admitted to Strong Memorial Hospital, and shortly after began treatment. My diagnosis and treatment changed my life.

I was told that I would require several rounds of chemotherapy, and that I would need a bone marrow transplant. This was my only chance for a cure.

My family was very supportive and we found out that my older brother, Scott, was a perfect match to be my donor.

I was in the hospital for 91 days the first time. It was boring at first, but I started watching the doctors and nurses work and how the hospital operates. It really captivated me and I fell in love with the hospital.

The transplant worked and my physicians now say I am cured! This year we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of my transplant! It’s hard to believe that 10 years has passed and how much my life has changed.

When I went back to school, I changed my major from engineering to nursing at St. John Fisher College. I set out to work with people like me, and to turn such a dramatic experience into something positive for others. I got a job at Strong’s BMT helping people who are just like I was. After 3 years, I transitioned to the outpatient medical oncology clinic. My primary focus is now with breast cancer patients and their families. Recently, I have also taken a temporary role as a nurse leader.

Every day I get to help people with cancer, because I can relate to how they feel. I am fortunate to be here to help others along this road.

That’s why my family and I choose to support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. It’s one way that I can show my appreciation for the care I received and help others.

I am so grateful for the care I received from the many doctors and nurses at Strong. I’m thankful for my parents, Don and Carol, my brother Scott, and all of my friends and family who continue to provide me with unconditional support. I'm blessed to have found the love of my life, Andrew, who I married in 2001.

And most importantly, I recognize how fortunate I am to be healthy today.

 

Sandy Kelsey Inspires her Fellow Workers to Form a Relay Team

 

When Sandy Kelsey was 35 years old she had her base line mammogram.  Just three years later she was on vacation and found a lump.  She was told at the Wendy Logan Clinic in Rochester that the lump was malignant and on the high limit of normal.  There was too much calcification around the area to even consider a lumpectomy so five days later she under went a mastectomy.  “Everything came so fast, and I had a hard time believing it because there was no family history of cancer at all”.

After her surgery, Sandy underwent four months of chemotherapy.  The entire time she was going through this she never missed a day of work as a nurse practitioner at Keuka Medical Commons.  Her fellow employees say she was an inspiration to them all.  They helped her when she felt ill and laughed with her when she turned her wig around one day because things were not going well at the office. 

Sandy has a great attitude about life, but she admits she looks at things differently now.  She says she is going to worry about her daughter who is now 12.  “I will always be concerned about her getting breast cancer.”  Sandy says that her husband was greatly affected by her disease.  He also looks at life differently.  Her two children were just 10 and 13 when Sandy was diagnosed. All five of her brothers were devastated by it and her mother kept wondering why it didn’t happen to her.

When Sandy turned 40 she was asked if she was dreading her 40th birthday.  Her answer was” after what I have gone through, every year is a good year.”  The first year of the Bath Relay for Life, Sandy walked with the survivors.  However, she was right in the middle of her treatment and her fellow employees were too concerned about her to form a team.  Sandy says that during the survivor’s walk, she saw people just getting their hair back and people she had as patients. “I saw people I didn’t know had had cancer and they saw me and were just as surprised.” The next year when she was recovered, the Keuka Medical Commons team, inspired by Sandy’s strength and resolve, was formed

This year the team will have 38 members, which represents a 100% participation from the Medical Commons employees.  They will be walking on July 12th and 13th at the Steuben County Fairgrounds. Other Relays being held this summer are June 14th and 15th at West High School in Painted Post and August 23rd and 24th at the Wellsville School Athletic Fields.  For Information about Bath Relay for Life go to www.bathrelayforlife.org.  Cancer information is available 24 hours a day at 1-(800) ACS-2345 or on the web at www.cancer.org

 

 

June Murray Faces Each Day with a Positive Attitude

June Murray of Bath, had her routine mammogram done at the Corning hospital three years ago. However, this time is was not so routine.  She was told that they discovered some micro crystallization and she should get a biopsy done.  Her doctor showed her what they had found on the mammogram, however, she could not see what they were looking at even with the use of a magnifying glass.  The biopsy was positive and her doctor recommended a lumpectomy.

June’s doctor assured her that they could get all the cancer by removing the lump. That was really the only option she was given.  However, pathology from the lumpectomy was positive and this meant she needed further surgery in order to get all the cancer.  Unfortunately, after her mastectomy was done, she got a staph infection.  This required further surgery.  By the time June was on the way to recovery she had endured five surgeries over a year and a half.

The good news in all of this was that she had a type of cancer that is relatively easy to treat.  Oral chemotherapy was all that was required.  She feels great now and credits her survival to the Corning Hospital.  “I can’t say enough good things about Corning Hospital and my treatment there.”

June’s looks at life differently since her recovery.  I always have a “positive attitude” and look at life with “open eyes”.  “I am so grateful that the Corning Hospital caught my cancer so early.  I want to do whatever I can to help people any way possible.”  This is the main reason that June became involved in the Bath Relay for Life. On July 12th and 13th she will be walking at the Steuben County Fairgrounds with the Mental Health Work Team that is still looking for a name. 

Other Relays being held this summer are May 31 and June1 at Nortre Dame High School Track in Elmira, June 7th and 8th at the Ralph Clements Athletic fields in Dansville, June 14th and 15th  at West High School in Painted Post and August 23rd  and 24th at the Wellsville School Athletic Fields.  For Information on the Bath Relay for Life you can get it on line at info@bathrelayforlife.org and cancer information is available 24 hours a day at 1-(800)ACS-2345 or on the web at www.cancer.org.

 

Beating The Odds

Fred Finch of Bath was having trouble sleeping nights because he was itching all over.  No amount of lotion or number of baths he took would stop it.  He also had some indigestion and he noticed some other changes, too.

He didn’t link any of these changes, other than the fact they were unusual; so he called his doctor.

At first, physicians thought he might have gallstones or a blockage in a bile duct, but further tests were ordered.  The news was not good.  On Friday the 13th, 1998 the diagnosis came in.  It was pancreatic cancer.  Fred was just 43.  “ My initial reaction was that I was scared!  My ‘normal’ was no longer normal.  I felt like I had no control,” Fred says.

Each year approximately 29,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the fifth most common form of the disease.  Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer is often deadly.  Finch, now 47 didn’t know he was going to survive.

He was worried his wife Bonnie and their two children, and how they were going to take the news.  Would he see his son and daughter graduate high school and grow into adults?  There were so many questions, and so few answers.

“I quickly turned everything over to God,” he says.  “I put all my trust in Him and the doctors.”

Four days later surgeons removed the tumor, and two months later he began six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation.

“I tried to put all the negative thoughts out of my mind and concentrate on getting back to as close to normal as possible.  My doctors and prayers worked,” Fred says.

The fatigue from chemotherapy and radiation was overwhelming, but prayer and resolve got him through those trying times.  He set a personal goal of wanting to bring his life back to normal and see his children grow up and play their favorite game, soccer.

Oncologist Jennifer Griggs, M.D. M.P.H., says, “If you relied on statistics, Mr. Finch would not be here, but you can’t do that.  He beat the odds and today he can still tell us his story of courage and belief.”

Three years later, Fred and Bonnie Finch have spent many happy fall evenings watching their children play, kicking and heading the ball, since his surgery.

“You really learn to appreciate everything in life, even the little things,” he says with a smile.  “And you don’t put things off until tomorrow.  You do them today.”