Page 2 - Breast Cancer

THE MORNING CALL SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016 GO 7

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

CANCER

Continued from GO 6

She visited her grandchildren and did
everything she could to keep her mind off
the uncertainty of her health. She prayed.

“It gives you a little peace and serenity,”
McMahon says of prayer. “You say to your-
self: Well, it’s in God’s hands.”

She later learned she was a good candi-
date for a new procedure called IORT
(Intraoperative Radiation Therapy), in
which a concentrated dose of radiation
therapy is delivered to a tumor during
surgery. In just a day, she was home from

Kelly says.
Today she’s cancer free. She and her

husband enjoy traveling and hanging out at
home with their three dogs.

But worries that the cancer may return
is always there.

“That’s always in the back of your mind
unfortunately,” Kelly says. “My motto is:
Live life now. Don’t wait to do what you
want.”

‘It’s in

God’s “You just have
hands’ to do it. You
Unlike Kelly,
Isabelle McMa- can’t just curl

hon had up and die.
undergone

decades of You gotta AMY HERZOG/THE MORNING CALL
mammograms
move on.” Heidi Kelly of Kutztown, has been breast-cancer free for two years. ‘My motto is: Live life now. Don’t wait to do what you want,’ she says.
with no prob-
lems. She never

missed a mam- — Heidi Kelly of the hospital to recuperate.
mogram since Kutztown She was prescribed Anastrozole, a pill

she turned 40 that helps fight breast cancer by killing the
and had no estrogen hormones and helps reduce the
risk of recurrence in breast cancer patients.
family history of breast cancer.
“Every time I would get the letter that Follow-up testing revealed she was
cancer free.
the results were normal — and you could
breathe a sign of relief,” the 75-year-old Life after breast cancer

says. Both women say that their family and
In December, she had her usual mam- friends and keeping busy helped them
through their cancer journeys.
mogram, which showed a white spot. After
several tests, doctors weren’t sure what it They live life to the fullest.
“You just have to do it,” Kelly says. “You
was due to her dense breast tissue and can’t just curl up and die. You gotta move
suggested she have a biopsy. She learned it on. You go do it and get it done and get
better and there are better things on the
was cancer, stage 1A. other side.”
“When you hear you have breast cancer, Kelly says she’s learned a lot about her-
self through her battle with cancer. Kelly’s
the bottom just falls out,” McMahon says. handbag business has evolved into a busi-
“You just assume it’s a death sentence.” ness, a transformation she can attribute to
her battle with cancer.
She decided to seek the opinion of some- “Before I used to be shy and quiet,” Kelly
one she trusted, Dr. Ralph Hawks, who says. “Now I just go do things.”

then recommended she see Dr. Lee Riley of jsheehan@mcall.com
St. Luke’s Cancer Center at the Anderson twitter @jenwsheehan
610-820-6628
Campus. ANITA SERGENT FOR ST. LUKE’S HOSPITAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
She also kept busy living her regular life.
Isabelle McMahon of Bartonville, Monroe County says prayer helped her. ‘It gives you a
That included volunteering at the Pocono little peace and serenity,’ she says.
Pregnancy Resource Center, which helps
young and/or unmarried women and their
babies find resources, education or support
during and after their pregnancy.

RESOURCES LVHN Mammothon

Continued from GO 6 Has it been more than a year since your last mammogram?
Bring your insurance card and join us for a walk-in mammogram during
When: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., first Monday of every month
Where: Cancer Support Community Greater Lehigh Valley, 944 Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN’s) Mammothon.
Marcon Blvd., Suite 110, Hanover Twp., Lehigh County.
■ Doylestown Hospital No appointment.
What: Breast Cancer Support Group No prescription.
When: 7-9 p.m., second Tuesday of every month
Where: Doylestown Hospital, Conference Room C & A, 595 W. *No excuses.
State St., Doylestown
Info: 215-345-2022 Mammothon screenings are available at the following locations, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.:
■ Easton Hospital
What: Breast Cancer Survivors Support Group Health Center at Bangor
When: 1:30-2:30 p.m., second Tuesday of every month Tuesday, Oct. 18
Where: Easton Hospital Solarium on 3W, 250 S. 21st St., Eas-
ton. Health Center at Moselem Springs
Info: 610-250-4027 Tuesday, Oct. 18
■ Lehigh Valley Health Network – Cedar Crest
What: Support of Survivors Breast Cancer Helpline, a 24-hour Please bring your insurance card.
telephone answering machine. Calls returned by breast cancer Call 610-402-CARE for more information.
survivors.
Where: 1240 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Suite 408, Allentown *Must be age 40+ and have not had a mammogram within the past 12 months.
Info: 610-402-2273
What: Metastatic Breast Cancer Support Group A service of Lehigh Valley Hospital
When: 7-8:30 p.m., second Monday of every month
Where: Lehigh Valley Health Network – Cedar Crest, 1240 S. 610-402-CARE LVHN.org
Cedar Crest Blvd., Allentown
Info: Ulla Matz, 484-884-5767
■ Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition
What: Friends Like Me, offers support to individuals diagnosed
with breast cancer within the last six months by providing a
complimentary care package that contains educational
publications, books and information, as well as some soft
touches like a pink ribbon pin and donated gifts and cosmetics.
Call or fill out a request online for services.
Info: 800-377-8828; www.pabreastcancer.org
What: Encore Breast Cancer Recovery Program, YWCA’s na-
tional program for women recovering from breast cancer
surgery.
When: 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesdays; 9-10:30 a.m. Fridays
Where: Allentown YWCA, 425 S. 15th St., Allentown
Info: 610-402-0620
■ St. Luke’s University Health Network – Anderson Cam-
pus
What: Breast Cancer Support Group
When: 7-9 p.m., second Wednesday of every month
Where: St. Luke’s University Health Network, Anderson Cam-
pus, 1600 Riverside Circle, Easton
Info: 866-785-8537; www.mystlukesonline.org.

EARLY DETECTION

■ Allentown Health Bureau
What: Offers free mammograms for uninsured women 40 and
older. Participating sites include Breast Health Services of
Lehigh Valley Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital’s Lanshe
Women’s Center, and St. Luke’s Women’s Imaging Center of
Allentown.
Health Bureau hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays through
Fridays
Where: 245 N. Sixth St., Allentown
Info: 610-437-7513; www.allentownpa.gov/health
■ YWCA of Bethlehem
What: “Neighbor to Neighbor” provides information about
mammograms and discusses concerns about breast cancer
and tests. Women can schedule a free mammogram.
Where: 3893 Adler Place, Building A, Suite 180, Bethlehem.
Info: 610-867-4669; www.ywcabethlehem.org.