We’ve had a busy couple of days. Cameron turned 2 on May 29. I can’t believe it. I have no idea where the time has gone. The past two years are such a blur – I am so thankful for pictures. We celebrated Cam’s birthday with a party at our house on Memorial Day. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day. The weather was beautiful and the kids had a ball. And we didn’t hit our gas line this time!
Chase graduated from Pre School on Friday morning. Again, I can’t believe that he will be starting kindergarten next year. Time really does fly! Below is a picture of Chase with his teachers – Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Loftus, Mrs. Simkulak and Mrs. Lee.
I’m not a big fan of public speaking. I dislike it almost as much as I dislike running without a purpose! I usually do ok as long as I have a paper to read from. However, I was a blubbering idiot yesterday. I honestly don’t know what came over me. Keep in mind that I’m normally a pretty emotional person – I cry during movies, graduations, weddings, television commercials, after I read the newspaper, etc. It’s ridonk. And now, I don’t even have hormones to blame. Anyway, I was asked to speak at the Greater Pittston YMCA’s Healthy Family Day to talk a little bit about how the YMCA has helped me post cancer diagnosis and treatment. The beginning part is much of what you’ve heard 500x. How many different ways can you spin a cancer diagnosis and treatment?! I’m not sure how I made it through the entire Relay for Life talk without shedding a tear – especially when I talked about my husband and my kids – but I fell apart during this one. What the hell is wrong with me?!!
Thank you, Mr. Sowinski, and thank you, Mary Ann, for inviting me to be here today. It is an honor and privilege for me to speak to all of you.
Before I share with you how the Greater Pittston YMCA has impacted my life, I need to tell you a little bit about myself. As Mary Ann stated, my name is Barb Sciandra. I am a 35 year old wife and mother, most importantly. I am a sister, daughter, niece, friend and neighbor. Looking at me today, thankfully, you would have no idea what the last 2 years of my life have been like – that I started chemotherapy treatments one day after my eighth wedding anniversary, during the same week that my oldest child started kindergarten and my middle child started preschool.
I felt a lump in my left breast at the beginning of my last pregnancy but it was not seen on an ultrasound and therefore, went undiagnosed throughout my pregnancy. I had a difficult time breastfeeding Cameron, my youngest of three children, and I knew that something was not right. After being very persistent and undergoing many ultrasounds, biopsies, mammograms and MRIs, I heard the 3 words that no one wants to hear. YOU HAVE CANCER. A light was finally shed on the issue that had presented itself nine months earlier. I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer on August 17, 2012 at the age of 34 – just 3 months after the birth of our third baby and two weeks before I was scheduled to return to work as a retail pharmacist after my maternity leave.
My left breast was diagnosed as Stage III locally advanced cancer and my right breast was diagnosed as Stage II cancer. I was as aggressive as possible when it came to treatment because I want to live a full life. I have too much to live for. I had a port surgically placed less than a week after my diagnosis and started chemotherapy treatments to shrink the cancer on my left side. After 5 months of chemo, I underwent a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I had an oophorectmy a month later, not because I am BRCA+ – I am actually negative – but another type of genetic blood test indicated that my body might not be able to metabolize the drug, Tamoxifen, which is the standard of care after chemo for the type of cancer that I had, to its active form. Next, I underwent radiation treatment for 6 weeks as well as a year’s worth of Herceptin. Herceptin is an infused drug that is used to treat HER2+ breast cancer – part of which my cancer was. I currently take an oral medication called Femara because I am considered post menopausal. I was fortunate to qualify for a vaccine clinical trial at the University of Pennsylvania which will conclude in January 2015.
I’m a big believer in the YMCA and the programs that are offered and I have been since I was a child. I attended pre-school at the YMCA in Wilkes-Barre where my family lived at the time. I can remember having and attending many, many birthday parties at the Y. The YMCA enhanced my love of swimming and being active and it has done the same thing for my own children.
The Greater Pittston YMCA has played a very important role in my overall healing process post cancer diagnosis and treatment. Because I am now considered post menopausal at the age of 35, I am at an increased risk of osteoporosis as well as an adverse cardiac event. So, exercise and healthy living are even more important to me now than they were previously. Two employees of the Greater Pittston YMCA, Brandon Whipple and Sally Dietrick, have helped me to change my life.
Because of the type of the surgery that I underwent in February 2013, I felt as though the range of motion on my left side was somewhat limited. I also have numbness on both my left and right side due to nerve damage caused during surgery which is typical after the type of procedure that I had. I am happy and proud to say that my range of motion has increased tremendously and I am regaining feeling where it was lost. I attribute this success to weight training with Brandon Whipple. Brandon is a positive person and is truly an asset to the YMCA organization. Because of Brandon’s assistance, I am getting stronger every day. I feel better than I have in years. I believe that Brandon and I get along so well because we both feel that what the mind believes, the body achieves. Exercising with Brandon reminds me of a poem that my brother-in-law was kind enough to share with me shortly after I was diagnosed with cancer. I’ve read it many, many times since then. The poem is by Walter D. Wintle and it’s entitled, “Thinking.”
If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but you think you can’t
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!
Brandon pushes me harder than I can push myself and he helps me to recognize my full potential. We both believe that you get what you give and on the days that I meet with Brandon, we both give 110%.
If it wasn’t for Sally Dietrick, I would not be able to exercise as much as I do. Sally is one of the kindest, most patient women that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is wonderful with the kids. In fact, my two year old daughter, Cameron, won’t stay with anyone else in the childcare center! Many days, Sally is left alone with ten or more little ones. Her job at the YMCA is not easy yet she makes it looks like a piece of cake and takes care of the children as if they were her very own.
As you can see, the family friendly YMCA has a lot more to offer than just a basketball court. Life changing events take place within these walls. I can attest to that. I’m certain that there are many more individuals that have similar stories to tell about how the YMCA has impacted their lives in a positive way.
In closing, I would like to encourage you to donate generously to the YMCA. Your donation can possibly help someone that is unable to help themselves. Please also consider donating to cancer research for it is only through research that we continually inch our way towards a cure for this terrible disease.
Thank you for your time and enjoy this beautiful day!
I’m not a big fan of “Save the Dates,” but I need to make all of you aware of some pretty exciting stuff that I have lined up. Please, mark your calendars for October 3 and October 4. We’ll be hosting the First Annual Paint Pittston Pink Weekend to support the Pennies in Action Fund at the University of Pennsylvania. Here are some details:
1. Our campaign will start by selling flags that will line Main Street in Pittston. There are 2 different breast cancer awareness flags – one with many pink ribbons and the other has only one pink ribbon with the wording, “Pittston supports a cure!” They’ll line Main Street by single ribbon flag, many ribbon flag, single ribbon flag, many ribbon flag, etc. I’ll have the cost and the samples to post shortly. They will be lining Main Street for the entire month of October thanks to the wonderful city of Pittston.
2. On October 3, there will be a celebrity bartending Happy Hour at The Red Mill in Pittston. Details to follow! Get psyched!
3. On October 4, there will be a 5K followed by The Pink Caped CURE-Casders Family Fun Walk. Sounds fun, right? It will be! Details to follow.
Everything is in the preliminary phase right now and I’ll definitely be reaching out to more people for help shortly. Thanks so much to Qiana, Brandi, Sara, Rose, Rose and Jay who have gotten on board so far. Thanks also to former Mayor Mike and Councilman Mike who said yes without hesitation. I appreciate it greatly. My fundraising goal for these events is $50,000. I know that it might be dreaming big, but I hope to well exceed it. I’m working on setting up a website for online race registration as well as the acceptance of donations.
Many of you have asked how to help. This is how! Please try to attend and if you can’t attend, make a donation if you are able to do so – big or small. Tell your friends. All proceeds raised from these events will be going directly to Dr. Brian Czerniecki and the Pennies in Action Fund at the University of Pennsylvania. I have benefitted directly from the help of this physician and this organization. That will be my next post – all about Pennies in Action and the vaccine that I am so extremely fortunate to be receiving. For now, take a look at the video that I was asked to be a part of. You’ll get an idea about how important this research really is and the breakthrough that is being seen.
https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/nlis8e
I need to give a HUGE shout out and thank you to Tyler Loftus who raised $400 by selling pink shoelaces to his hockey team. How awesome is that??? Tyler is the son of one of Chase’s pre-school teachers. I had the chance to meet him last week and he is such a doll – just like his Mom. I asked Mrs. Loftus if I would be able to fix Tyler up with my sister (sorry, Ann, but he’s a cutie!) but she said that would make Ann a cougar! I said that Ann lives in California so that’s perfectly acceptable! Anyway, Tyler is only 20 but he has the heart of a 90 year old. He is such a nice, kind young man. I’m so happy to see young adults who want to help. It inspires me.
That’s all I’ve got for right now. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend and stay tuned!
LIVESTRONG and God Bless!
