Thursday, October 20, 2016

Meet our Staff

Sarah is pictured above at Tunnel Beach in Dunedin, New Zealand, as part of a study abroad course called Communication and Sport.


Sarah Ea
Communications and Marketing Assistant

Hometown: St. Paul (Maplewood), MN

School: I recently graduated from Luther College in Decorah, IA last May

Major: Psychology, minor in Communication Studies

Post-graduation: I am currently serving as a member of Lutheran Volunteer Corp (LVC) in Milwaukee and will be with Komen for the next year!

Why I chose Komen: When I was contemplating about what I should do after graduation, a gap year spent volunteering in a new city seemed new and exciting, thus came LVC. I’m glad I chose to pursue LVC since I get to directly work with nonprofits, like Komen, who help educate individuals about breast health and raise awareness for breast cancer in the greater Milwaukee area. I chose Komen specifically for that reason and I’m eager to continue learning more about breast health while cultivating the Milwaukee community.

Future Plans: I am contemplating going to grad school in the future (it is unclear what for right now!) and hope to do more non-profit work in a health-related field. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

2nd Annual Metastatic Breast Cancer Symposium

Metastatic breast cancer claimed the life of our namesake — Susan G. Komen — who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1977 and died three years later. In Suzy’s time, people crossed the street to avoid her, unsure of what to say and even afraid they would “catch” her cancer. Breast cancer wasn’t discussed in public, even in the 1980s. There were few breast cancer centers, little in the way of treatment options, and a stigma and shame surrounding breast cancer that kept many women feeling isolated and alone with their disease.

Unfortunately, many living with metastatic breast cancer feel that same isolation today. They deal with family and friends who don’t quite know what to say and even those who suggest that maybe aren’t “fighting hard enough.” Along with that there are often significant psychological burdens, physical effects, and financial pressures. What’s more is the fear that the latest treatment will stop working.
 
Over 75 people were in attendance at the 2nd Annual
Metastatic Breast Cancer Symposium. 
We can and must do better for the tens of thousands of women and men living with metastatic breast cancer in the U.S., and for those who will be diagnosed with in the future.  Komen has set out to build new and lasting relationships with those patients who feel they have been forgotten.

Susan G. Komen has invested nearly 1 billion dollars in research to study and combat this disease. This is more money than any other breast cancer organization. The only entity that has invested more money than that is the federal government.  However, when it comes to metastatic breast cancer research, NO ONE invests more than we do…not even the federal government.  A lot of the advances in this disease are due in part to research that Susan G. Komen has funded.  And that vitally important research continues today, locally.

(From left to right): Kathy Miller, Adrian Lee and Shirley Mertz
at the 2nd Annual Metastatic Breast Cancer Symposium.
In order to better educate our community on metastatic breast cancer, we teamed up with GE Healthcare to host the 2nd Annual Metastatic Breast Cancer Symposium, offering basic science, clinical, and survivorship information related to metastatic breast cancer. The symposium featured Komen Scholars, Kathy Miller and Adrian Lee, and Komen advocate, Shirley Mertz, President of The Metastatic Breast Cancer Network. The triad shared their latest findings, tips, and stories.

Over 75 people were in attendance for the event. Some who are currently enduring the effects of metastatic breast cancer, as well as nurses and other healthcare professionals who actively care for these patients.  Attendees told us about the way the symposium benefited them. One said that it left her with, “…hope that research will continue to increase for MBC.” Another thanked Komen for making this event a reality and said the symposium was, “Clear and concise…the best I’ve heard. I learned a lot!”

Through education, research, and advocacy, we are able to empower others, ensure quality care for all, and work to find the cures. Our fight continues.

Meet Our Summer Interns

Melanie Tobiasz
Communications Intern
School: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Major: Strategic Communication and Reporting with a certificate in Digital Studies

Next Step: After my internship with Komen, I will begin my junior year at UW-Madison. Upon graduation in May 2018, I’m hoping to do public relations in an agency setting.


Why I chose Komen: Breast cancer, and cancer in general, is something that runs in my family. So, when I was looking for an internship this summer, Susan G. Komen immediately caught my eye. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my summer than using my skills to help an organization that has been able to help so many in the Milwaukee area. The work Komen does locally and nationally is extremely beneficial in the fight against breast cancer, and I can’t wait to be an integral part of that work!



Jessie Faye Perez
Communications Intern
School: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Major: Community Non-Profit Leadership with a certificate in Digital Studies

Next Step: Upon completion of my summer internship with Susan G. Komen, I will start my junior year at UW-Madison. Ensuing my graduation in 2018 my hope is to work in for-profit community engagement.


Why I chose Komen: After watching my grandmother, mother, and sister battle cancer I knew I needed to be part of the fight to find a cure. It has always been an aspiration of mine to participate in the vital work Susan G. Komen carries out across the globe. I am both excited and honored to join the Susan G. Komen team. 

Monday, February 1, 2016

Dating Without Nipples

By: Nikki Panico, Executive Director, Susan G. Komen Southeast Wisconsin


I am reaching out to share my experiences, dating after a mastectomy.  Since this is not a topic I have heard discussed a lot, I became inspired to share my journey to help others in my situation feel more confident and comfortable with themselves and know they are not alone . A bonus would be to have single men reading this be more aware of and sensitive to some of the real issues women may be facing.  After all, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer (albeit, not all have a mastectomy).  So, here it goes---

The doctors said, "You have breast cancer, but hey, the bright side is you'll have a brand new pair of breasts!" Well, not exactly.

My history with breast cancer is not one I keep secret.  However, something I do not talk much about are the challenges of being a single woman in the dating world after having major reconstructive surgery on my breasts. After my tumor was removed, I chose to have a double mastectomy.  Two subsequent surgeries followed to continue to shape my breasts so they look natural—well as natural as can be, considering all breast tissue and my nipples had been removed.  Needless to say, my body has been carved up more than a turkey on Thanksgiving. 

Losing a breast (or two) exposes you to a vulnerability you have never known.  Despite your warrior attitude, that vulnerability will rear its ugly head — in the way you perceive yourself, in relationships, and in the defensive barriers you build around you. The scars are 10% physical and 90% psychological.  Couple that with society’s love affair with boobs.  I was left with the questions I have pondered more then I care to admit – will he find me attractive, will he be aroused, will he touch them?

A couple years after my marriage ended, I knew I was ready to find companionship and turned to online dating. From the minute I decided to look for a relationship, finding a man who would be okay with my breasts was paramount on my mind. I’d read and re-read profiles, trying to determine if I could find some clue deeming the man was sensitive enough to learn about my breast cancer journey, but also not looking for physical perfection in a woman.  I was shocked by the men who posted pictures of themselves with their shirts off, selfies exposing their six-pack abs. I quickly passed up these profiles as I assumed that they were looking for that kind of perfection in return and would never be interested in an extensively scarred, nipple-less woman. 

As I moved forward with a few first dates, there was great relief when none of them led to a second.  I had no worries about being intimate with anyone.   This is not a story about my online dating experiences. However, there was a turning point when my nipple-less breasts brought an evening to a standstill.  The date started with a very handsome, confident, witty, well-dressed man. After a couple hours into the date, he started to get a slight too flirty and insinuating he was eager to get a little physical.  He was so bold as to open my jean jacket, point to my breast and say, “I want some of that”.  Horror ran through my mind. The shear panic of anyone seeing my breasts left me mortified.

That pivotal date was a turning point for me.  I’m not saying that I’m not entitled to be concerned for my looks, but the last thing I need after losing my breasts to cancer is to be caught up in what I think is someone else’s idea of what's aesthetically pleasing.  Breast cancer survivorship is a club no woman wants to belong to, but I knew that if I reached out to women just like me—others dating after a mastectomy—they could surely provide some insight.  What I quickly learned is my experience is not unique and my six months of online dating, coupled with my discussion with other breast cancer survivors, left me with surprisingly wonderful lessons:

Self-esteem takes a lot longer to grow back than hair.  You're not ugly, undesirable or ruined as I thought myself to be for so long. It takes time to acclimate to the battle scars that will become part of your back-story. 

•Do not, for one minute, think you are being shallow for caring about intimacy after a mastectomy.  Post-cancer body changes and body image issues are real.  Know this is normal and you are not alone.

Every scar, every bald head, every dark circle, every prosthetic breast, and every reflection in a mirror that you might not recognize anymore tells a story. Look deeper than skin, hair and yes, even breasts. You are who you are in your bones. That is where you have the potential to shine the brightest. It is where your true beautiful self lives.

Communication is key.  Do not shy away from having an open conversation about your fears, concerns or how you want to be touched when the time for intimacy arrives.  I met a wonderful man from on-line dating who became a dear friend. As I talked about this article, he shared that he was intimate with a women who had a double mastectomy. He said, “I was not mortified or shocked…more than anything I had questions, but I felt uncomfortable asking them because I didn't want to dwell on what might be a painful subject.”  Do not let lack of communication sabotage what could be a wonderful relationship with a loving man.

 When you are ready, move away from the "Carrie Bradshaw Syndrome". If you watched "Sex and the City", you'll remember that Sarah Jessica Parker never did a nude scene. Every time she had sex on the show she'd have a bra on. I talked with a handful of women who only have sex with bras on to not reveal the scars or lack of breasts. Don't hide by that bra anymore, swing it from your ceiling fan, feeling sexy and carefree.  Rock your scars, your prosthetics and your nipple-less breasts! 

Men take their cues from the women they're seeing, so it's important to be strong and confident. If you're uptight, negative, and project all of those things about your cancer experience, they are naturally going to pick that up. However, if you project that you love yourself, you're proud of yourself, and you consider yourself a warrior and [believe that] you're amazing, that's how he'll view you, too.

You survived the words ‘you have breast cancer’. You are a super hero!  You are fearless! You can overcome anything! You have gained strength, courage, and confidence that you didn’t even know existed.     

I am not saying the day will be easy when I do take my shirt off and get intimate with a man. But I can say this for sure; I accept my scars and don’t approach them with shame.  I accept my body and my life. And heck, my outlook on the rest of my body has gotten much more positive… I don’t have nipples—you think a little cellulite is going to bring me down? The days of beating myself up and trying to hide every imperfection about my body is over. The fact that I have scars and no nipples is impossible to hide. There is something so liberating about everything being out in the open. It’s like any ideal of perfection I could have ever hoped for went out the window with my breasts. Everybody has scars, mine are just more visible.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Meet Our Spring Intern

Mikayla Tenorio
Marketing and Communications Intern

School – University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Major – Business Marketing, Minor in Journalism and Certificate in Entrepreneurship  

Next Step – As of right now I am unsure what exactly I want life to look like upon graduation in December 2017, but I know my experiences at Komen will help paint a better picture for me.  


Why I chose Komen – Upon entering college I found a passion for women’s rights and women’s health.  Over the past two school years I have been involved with a women’s leadership group on campus that advocates for women’s rights, health and involvement in leadership roles and in the workplace.  When I saw the internship opportunity that Komen was offering I knew it was perfect for me.  I enjoy giving back to the community and I am eager to learn more about nonprofit organization and what it takes to be successful.  I am excited to see what the semester has in store and I am eager to soak in all of the new knowledge and experiences Komen has to offer me.