Tag Archives: Mastectomy

Walking 60 Miles for the Mom They Lost Too Soon

Brooke and Kelly will walk 60 miles in November at the San Diego 3-Day to honor their mom who died from triple negative breast cancer.

This fall, sisters Brooke M. and Kelly T. will walk 60 miles at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in San Diego to honor their mom, Margie, who died from breast cancer nearly 20 years ago. She was just 51. 

“On the very day we cross the 3-Day finish line, it will mark the 20 year anniversary of the day we lost our mom to triple negative breast cancer. But it still feels like yesterday,” Brooke said. 

The Diagnosis 

Margie and her children before she died from breast cancer.

In 2004, Margie, a loving mom of three in their 20s, was recently separated after being married for 27 years when she got the devastating news. 

“She sat us down and said, ‘I’m seeing a doctor,’ and I got excited. I thought that meant she was dating,” Brooke remembers with a bittersweet smile. “But she meant she was seeing a doctor for cancer, and it hit us hard.” 

Her diagnosis came shortly after a mammogram. 

“She had a mammogram, and a month later, on her own self-check, she found the lump,” Brooke said. “That’s why it’s so important to do self-checks, too. Mammograms are great, but you know they don’t catch everything.” Margie before her death from breast cancer

Margie first underwent a lumpectomy, then a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Through it she remained hopeful and positive. 

“We honestly believed in her positivity and thought she was going to beat it,” Brooke said.  

“They told us she was in remission for about one month. Soon after the cancer metastasized to her liver,” Kelly added. 

But through it all, Margie was able to be there for some of her children’s most memorable milestones. 

“She was there for my sister’s wedding. She barely made it to my brother’s wedding, and then she passed away six months before mine,” Brooke said. “It was really hard because those are the moments you want your mom beside you.” 

Strength That Carried On 

Margie ran her own business and worked alongside two of her kids while undergoing treatment. She showed up for her clients, and for others impacted by breast cancer, until the day she had to be hospitalized.  

“The treatments were hard for her, but she didn’t want to show us how hard it was,” Kelly recalled. “She stayed strong for us.” 

Margie and her daughters even walked a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®, a memory that inspires Brooke and Kelly today as they prepare for the San Diego 3-Day. 

Margie’s Marchers 

Margie at a Race for the Cure event before her death.

Brooke and Kelly are walking the 3-Day in November as Margie’s Marchers—a team named in honor of their mom, whom they remember as strong, joyful and endlessly giving. As they train for their first 3-Day walk, the sisters carry a mix of excitement, nerves and deep love for their mom who is alive in their hearts, traditions and memories.  

“We know she would’ve wanted to be part of this,” Kelly said. “We can’t wait to celebrate her the whole way and be with our families at the finish line.”  

Donate

Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.

Dennis’s Story of Survival and Service

Dennis Siemsen at the 3-day

Dennis and his wife, Elaine, at the 2024 Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

When Dennis S. was 42, he faced something no husband or father expected: a breast cancer diagnosis. 

“I started noticing nipple discharge,” Dennis recalled. “That was in 1993, and it went on for almost two years before I did something about it. I was playing basketball a lot and when I’d take an elbow to the chest, they’d start to weep and wet my shirt.”  

His doctors initially thought the symptoms Dennis was experiencing might have been a hormonal issue and referred him to an endocrinologist. But when that was ruled out, Dennis was examined by another physician who discovered a lump and ordered a mammogram and then a biopsy.  

“At that time, my doctor was a young guy in his thirties. I was his first male breast cancer patient,” Dennis, now 74, said. “We were both shocked.”

Dennis underwent a mastectomy but was fortunate not to need chemotherapy or radiation. After surgery, Dennis chose to keep his diagnosis private.  

“I didn’t even tell my closest friends,” he said. “And I never took my shirt off at the pool. I’d say it was because I had red hair and burned easily. I think part of it was, if a woman saw me, I didn’t want my scar to make her feel uncomfortable.” 

Several years later Dennis’s wife, Elaine, connected with the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. She was looking for a meaningful cause to support and signed up to walk in the Twin Cities. Dennis said he dropped her off at the 3-Day and picked her up when it was over. 

“After the walk, she was so excited and effusive,” Dennis said. “She told me about her experience and about the route safety guys on their bikes and motorcycles. She said, ‘You’ve got to join.’” 

An avid cyclist, Dennis was intrigued. He said he wasn’t sure how to get involved so he went out of his comfort zone.  

“It was hard to break into that group because they had their usual team of people. So, I decided to play the ‘survivor card’ and told them I was a breast cancer survivor. Well, that worked,” Dennis chuckled. “And they said, ‘We’d love to have you!’” 

That moment in 2012 was the start of Dennis’s connection to the 3-Day community. He still rides with the Route Safety team to help keep walkers safe, but this year he is taking time off to recover from two knee replacements. Dennis has found another way to support the 3-Day though. Since retiring, Dennis and Elaine spend the winters living in an RV resort in Arizona. Dennis offers free bike repairs to his neighbors and asks for donations to the 3-Day instead of payment.  

“For a long time, I hardly told anyone of my history with breast cancer. It wasn’t like I was embarrassed, I just thought no one needed to know,” Dennis said. “Now I share it because other men need to know that they can get breast cancer, too.” 

 

 

A Decade Later: How One Mother Honors Her Daughter by Walking the 3-Day

Joyce Laws (center) and her family at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day in San Diego.

This year marks a decade since Joyce L.’s  daughter died from breast cancer. To honor her memory, Joyce will return to the  Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, a place that holds bittersweet memories.  

“She said to me, ‘Mom, when I get through all this, let’s do this,’” Joyce recalled. “We always planned to do a 3-Day together.”

Jennifer was just 31 when she found a lump in her breast in 2009. Around the same time, she learned she was pregnant. Her doctor advised waiting a month to monitor the lump, but a second trimester biopsy confirmed Jennifer had stage 2b lobular breast cancer. She was carrying twins, but heartbreakingly, only one would survive.

Jennifer was pregnant with twins when she was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer.

Despite the devastating news, Jennifer’s resilience kept her moving forward. Doctors removed 23 lymph nodes, 22 of which were cancerous. She had a mastectomy to remove her left breast, and later had another mastectomy to remove the other breast. She also had her ovaries removed due to her estrogen-positive diagnosis. 

Through it all, Jennifer remained hopeful. She gave birth to her daughter, Maya, who was healthy and born with a full head of hair despite Jennifer undergoing chemotherapy while pregnant.  

“My daughter had no hair from chemo when Maya was born, but that little girl had a head full of black hair. It just proves that the placenta takes care of the baby,” Joyce said. 

After Maya’s birth, Jennifer continued chemotherapy and was ecstatic when scans showed no evidence of cancer. Jennifer returned to work as a physical therapist, traveled to India with her husband and daughter, and continued to advocate for herself and raise awareness about breast cancer. Jennifer formed a team, Warriors for Jen, and raised money for the Komen San Diego Race for The Cure® (now the San Diego MORE THAN PINK Walk®). She organized a pizza night fundraiser and comedy event that raised over $6,000. 

“No matter how devastating what she was going through was, she was always looking on the bright side,” Joyce said. “She wanted to be out there and helping others.”

But in 2012, the cancer returned and metastasized (spread) to her spine. Jennifer refused to give up. She joined a clinical trial, kept her positive attitude, and enjoyed watching her little girl swim and ride her bike.  

Jennifer and her daughter, Maya, swimming.

When Jennifer’s breast cancer progressed and she couldn’t walk the 3-Day, she still wanted to show up to offer her support. One of her friends walked the 3-Day and Jennifer made sure she was at the finish line to congratulate her. That inspired Joyce to take the first steps they’d planned to walk together. 

 “Things appeared to be a little shaky, so I decided to do it myself. I signed up as a single walker but ended up joining the Powered by Optimism team. They embodied everything Jennifer stood for,” Joyce said. “I am still on that team to this day.” 

Joyce has walked in 13 events across San Diego, Boston, Chicago and Denver. She carried the “Daughter” flag in her first 3-Day walk in 2014 with Jennifer watching nearby. A few weeks after Jennifer passed away in October 2015, Joyce completed the 3-Day in San Diego.  

“That was the hardest walk. But the Pink Bubble community has been part of my healing process,” Joyce said. “They’ve really been there for me.” 

Now 71, Joyce continues to walk in the San Diego 3-Day and hopes to inspire the next generation to join her. Walking alongside Joyce are her son and niece, other family members, friends and her granddaughter, Maya, who is almost 16.  

Maya, who has served on the Youth Corps three times, will walk her first 3-Day this year. 

“I know Jennifer would be standing on the sidelines cheering for us all, especially Maya. She would be so happy to see her daughter at the 3-Day,” Joyce said.  

Joyce and her granddaughter, Maya, at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day in San Diego.

In honor of Jennifer’s 10-year anniversary, Joyce is setting her fundraising goal at $10,000 – the same amount Jennifer challenged her to raise in 2015.  

“I told her that was a lot, but she said, ‘You can do it mom.’” Joyce recalled. “And that year I did. I managed to raise over $10,000. So, this year, I’m doing it again, for her.”