The words of her oldest child and only daughter......

October 12^th, 2007 was the day that changed my family. It was the day we learned my mom could have breast cancer. Her thoughts brought her back to approx 1 year before when she had lost her father to cancer. Although his was a different type and everybody’s body deals differently, she couldn’t help think that she wasn’t ready to die yet. She had so much more she wanted to do in life, like see her four grandchildren graduate from high school.

The next three weeks went relatively quick considering we were not sure what we were dealing with. All we knew at this time was she had developed two different types of cancer and the recommended treatment was a double mastectomy. We would know more once her surgery was completed and the biopsies were completed. Mom and I met with a plastic surgeon to discuss her options of reconstruction. Given her age, the hormonal changes that she was currently going through and the aftermath of the mastectomy it was recommend that she do some sort of reconstruction to help her cope with all the changes. She decided to go with silicone implants. Once that decision was made, we scheduled the mastectomy with the oncologist and the plastic surgeon for the following week.

The surgery was considered a success in the fact that they felt they removed all of the cancer. They also removed all of her lymph nodes as a pre surgery test showed some hot spots. Cancerous cells were detected in several of her lymph nodes.  The biopsy results came back that she had two aggressive types of cancer. Her treatment would consist of two rounds of chemo and a round of radiation. From start to finish barring no set backs she could have her treatment completed in as little as nine months.

The recovery process was to be about six weeks. She was restricted to what she could do. This is where I felt problems would start popping up. If you know my Mom, then you know she is a work-a-holic. I honestly can’t think of a time something has kept her from going to work. My Mom is co-owner of a heavy industrial sewing company. The company consists of her and her partner. They manufacture banner blanks for advertising purposes, awning’s and large format projects. The materials they handle are anything but light most of the time. The major concern for her returning to work was the possibility of developing lymphodema. Being that she had no lymph nodes on either side she was at high risk. Lymphodema is caused by heavy lifting, scratches, insect bites, etc… It causes swelling in the arms, wrists, and/or hands. It can be treated with therapy but there is no known cure for it. She managed to return to work with some modifications.  This was a blessing for her as she tried to keep things as normal as she could.

We had a lot to do before she started chemo, she had oncologist appointments, pet scans, the placement of the port and wig shopping to complete. We were told that she would lose her hair during the 1^st round of chemo and that it usually started happening around the 2^nd or 3^rd session. We went to the American Cancer society to look at their wigs and other accessories. Mom was hoping to find a long hair wig as she is very self conscious about her ears and feels she looks funny in short hair. Unfortunately, the wigs with long hair didn’t look right as they were very thin after the neck. She settled on a short haired wig and received a couple hats. One hat in particular made us laugh. She found this hat that looked like Ronald McDonald’s hair. She said she had to get that as it was nearing Christmas time and this would be perfect “elf hair”. She stated that my kids would get a kick out of it. Leave it to my Mom to find some humor. She got the hat and that night we ordered her an elf hat with ears and elf shoes.

November 27^th, 2007 was the start of her first chemo treatment. She would have to go every other week for a total of 4 sessions. This chemo was the worst she could get. The main side effects were feeling nauseous, hair loss, and fatigue. This chemo can also affect your heart so they monitored her closely. The second round which she started in January 2008 consisted of 12 weekly sessions. This chemo was not to suppose to make her nauseous but she would get more and more fatigued with each treatment. The chemo also attacked her bones which causes extreme pain by the 3^rd day after treatment. She can barely move as her body gets really stiff. She has lost her eyelashes and her eyebrows are just about gone. As of the writing of this she has 2 chemo treatments left. Mom is scheduled to have her actual implants put in on April 23^rd, 2008, then she will start 6-8 weeks of radiation. Although we see an end in sight we know we are not completely out of the woods yet. A scan will be down before radiation starts to see if anymore “hot spots” appear and then 3 months after her completion of radiation she will have another scan done.

Mom has continued to work despite her fatigue, and not feeling well. Her biggest goal through all of this has been to keep life as normal as possible. To her that is working, keeping up her house, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. The one thing I admire most about my Mom is her strength and determination to not let the cancer beat her or cheat her out of many memories with her family and friends. We continue to pray that the chemo and radiation are doing their job and that her cancer remains in remission. I am very appreciative that Women’s Source has chosen my Mom as someone to help financially. As you can imagine the bills keep piling up and even though she does have insurance the cost to live is far more expensive than what insurance is willing to pay for. Mom is the type of person who will help you anyway she can without even thinking twice about it. Even now through her financial struggles and dealing with her cancer continues to give that helping hand with no questions asked. I thank God everyday for giving her to me and for all that she has done for me and my family.

  Nana's Lucky Lures ~ Her catches of a Lifetime

       Tyler, Luke, Alex and Gage              

Living life after Breast Cancer took her mother...Doing the 3 Day Walk in honor of her mom! 

My mom, Kathleen (Kitty) Ann Burlingame, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 38 years old, and lost her battle when she was 40.  Because of breast cancer, I have had to live without a mom since I was 9 years old.  I was so young when she died, but I do know that she was a very special person.  Everyone who knew her, loved her.  As the wife of a minister, she was very involved with the church.  She was very musically talented and played the piano, organ, and flute.  She led the choir, was involved with the children's programs, and I'm sure there was so much more that I don't remember.  Luckily she was able to be a stay-at-home mom and I have precious memories of what a wonderful mom she was.  Although I only had a short time with her, she has had a huge effect on my life and the decisions I've made. 

This past year, breast cancer has been on my mind a lot.  It has been 25  years since my mom passed away.  I am getting closer to the age at which she was diagnosed, and I have children of my own.  When my son turned 9 this year, it really hit me hard realizing that's how much time my mom had with me.  I finally decided that I need to do something.  I want to be involved in making this disease go away so that no more children have to lose their moms to it and no more moms have to miss out on raising their children because of it.  I decided to make the 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk my way of doing that.  There's a woman on the commercials for the 3-Day who says she feels like she never had a say in having to lose her mom to Breast Cancer, and in doing the walk she finally feels like she has had her say.  That really touched me.  It's exactly how I feel.   Breast Cancer left my brother and I without a mom and it completely changed our lives forever. 

I am so grateful to be involved with this Kiss It Goodbye event.  I just wanted to volunteer and offer some help wherever it was needed and the next thing I know I'm writing this bio and having my picture taken and being in a fashion show!  I am so humbled and overwhelmed with appreciation because this money is going to a cause that is so important to me and it is allowing me to finally have that say and do something in honor of a very special person who's life was cut too short by breast cancer - my mom, Kitty Burlingame. 

In 2004, I went to the emergency room with abdominal pain that had been worsening over the course of a few days.  A few hours and a CT scan later, I was told I had a softball-sized tumor and I would need to be admitted for surgery the next day.  After surgery, my family was informed that I had a rare form of cancer and that the surgeon also found some evidence it had spread to my liver.  Over the next few days, we learned that less than half the people with this diagnosis lived beyond five years, and that my doctors hoped to get me into a drug trial for an experimental form of chemotherapy.  In between visits from my little boys, in my head I started planning my funeral before I had even left the hospital.

Over the course of my ten days in the hospital, the news began to get better.  On the fifth day of my stay, the doctors sent me down for a PET scan to see if they could determine why I was having pain in my side.  They didn’t get any answers about the source of pain, but they did find that I’d developed a blood clot, and told me that without the PET scan and subsequent intervention to dissolve the clot, it could have traveled to my brain and killed me.  A serious bullet dodged! 

Then more good news came.  My surgeons had presented my case to another group of doctors, who felt that there might be another explanation for my tumor.  They decided to send samples to the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion.  On Day 20 of this journey, I got a call saying the diagnosis had changed.  I didn’t have the rare form of cancer they had initially diagnosed.  Instead, it was a very treatable, non-malignant tumor that might come back, but wouldn’t spread and definitely wouldn’t kill me.  The ultimate bullet dodged!

You may be asking how this all relates to the Breast Cancer 3-Day.  Well, after facing such a frightening diagnosis, and then getting the good news of a much better prognosis, I knew that I had to do something to make a positive impact in my community.  Something to show that I was grateful for my health and the fact that I had “dodged a bullet” – twice!  I wanted to get involved in a cause but I didn’t know where to pour my energy.  Then I heard an ad on the radio for the Breast Cancer 3-Day, a 60 mile walk to raise money for breast cancer research, education and support.  Since I was also looking to start an exercise program, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me!

In order to participate, I had to raise $2100.  I have never been fond of asking friends for contributions, so I took a different route.  I planned a big community garage sale, and found a vacant retail location willing to let me use their storefront for a few weeks.  I advertised in the newspaper and online for volunteers and donations of sale items.  I approached surrounding businesses who donated prizes for a raffle.  And with my 2- and 4-year old boys in tow, I spent HOURS sorting, organizing, and setting up for the sale. 

I had great support from co-workers, some of whom I didn’t even know, who volunteered to help set up and run the sale.  Members of the MOMS Club I had recently joined offered to watch my kids, and to donate items for the sale.  Friends spent evenings setting up and making signs.  It was a great grass-roots effort, much like the way the Breast Cancer 3-Day started.

I left for the walk, which was held in Arizona, just a few days after my fundraiser.  I got another boost of support from five college friends who traveled there, at their own expense, and showed up at all of the cheering stations with signs, encouragement, and sometimes outlandish costumes!  They were definitely a vital part of the team!

I gained so much confidence, and learned so much about myself during the process of training and raising money for this event.  It was truly life-changing.  Along the way, I am proud to say that I was able to educate many, many people who came to my fundraiser to get a good deal on books or clothes, and walked away having learned more about the 3-Day and about breast cancer.  Many of them were inspired to come back and donate items to the sale, or to tell their friends about this great cause.

I’ve now participated in the Breast Cancer 3-Day twice, and raised over $4300 toward finding a cure.  I am planning to do my third walk in August 2008, and am committed to raise $2200 more. 

I walk for a lot of reasons…but my biggest hope is that by the time my two little boys are grown, breast cancer will be just a page in history – and their wives, daughters and grand-daughters will never have to face this terrible disease.  If that could happen, then the time spent away from them to do these walks and to raise the money will all be well worth it.

Brenda Fromm is 36 years old and lives in New Hope with her husband, Ken, and their two boys Tyler, 7, and Derek, 5.  She works part-time as an Executive Assistant for an accounting/consulting firm.  She is involved in a variety of community groups including MOMS Club, the Northwest YMCA, and Fishing for Life.  She is also an active volunteer at her son's school, the InternationalSpanishLanguageAcademy in Minnetonka.

Brenda is participating in her third Breast Cancer 3-Day walk this summer and has raised over $5000 for the cause since 2004.    She has walked twice in Arizona and this summer is walking in Boston.  Though she is fortunate enough not to have family or close friends touched by breast cancer, she was inspired to get involved in the 3-Day after a close call with a different type of cancer four years ago. 

Brenda is very grateful to Women's Source for being chosen as one of the walkers being sponsored as part of this terrific event, and to her friend Erica Kapus for nominating her!