Working to win
When Kathy Eagan turned 40 in September 1999, she was thinking about the upcoming school for her three children and how her favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers, would do that season. At this milestone in her life, Kathy never imagined herself a breast cancer survivor – even though her grandmother and father had breast cancer. “I thought I might get it in my 60s or 70s, but when I was diagnosed at 41, I thought, ‘well, the forties aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.’” She discovered a lump under her arm and contacted Park Nicollet Cancer Center. A breast MRI found a tumor in her breast. When two rounds of chemotherapy did not shrink her cancer, Kathy had a double mastectomy at the age of 41. But the cancer spread. “When I was first diagnosed, I just wanted it to be over so I could move on. When they found cancer in my bones, I knew it would never be over.”
Empowering survivalVince Lombardi, the legendary coach of Kathy’s beloved Green Bay Packers, once said “obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” Kathy approaches the long road ahead with the same focus and determination. “A lot of this is mental,” she says. “I live every day the best way I can.” Kathy isn’t alone on her journey. She has turned to the Jane Brattain Breast Center as a source of empowerment and support. With its innovative care, clinical nurse specialists, boutique with products for breast cancer survivors and lending library, Kathy calls the center “common ground … everyone there knows us, knows where we’re coming from and helps us to get what we need.” Kathy is grateful for the support she receives. “When you find out you have cancer, it’s amazing how many people come to you as a resource. People search each other out.” The staff at Park Nicollet Jane Brattain Breast Center have helped Kathy realize the truth of another of Coach Lombardi’s famous sayings: “People who work together win.” |
