Volunteers

Komen Advocate Bios

Through funding from the Madison Affiliate Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Center for Patient Partnerships launched the Komen Advocates Training Program in 2006. The program trains breast cancer survivors as patient advocates. These volunteers have completed a series of workshops and readings to support their practical case management experience. They have worked with others facing breast cancer, helping them to make more informed medical decisions, negotiate insurance or employment issues, and access the care they need.

In Memoriam, Cindy Coffin

In Memoriam, Johanna Byrne

Marilyn Bauer

I'm honored to be among the first group of Komen fellows involved with the Center for Patient Partnerships. I hope to make a significant impact working with cancer patients as they take on the challenge of medical, financial and life decisions while they fight to survive.

As a woman, wife, mother and grandmother and I am enjoying my retirement and taking full advantage of the life I have - spending as much time as I can with my family and friends while keeping fit to compete in triathlons and race dragon boats. I am also a breast cancer survivor. My first cancer was diagnosed in 2000 and a recurrence of the same cancer in was discovered in 2005. I consider myself very lucky - my treatment was successful and I'm living strong.

I am also an educator with a B.S. in English and psychology, an M.S. in counseling and an M.S. in educational administration. During my career working with students as an English and psychology teacher, guidance counselor and school administrator, I believed my role was foremost that of a facilitator - urging students to explore, ask questions and become independent decision makers.

After my first diagnosis with breast cancer I was stunned and confused. I had a supportive family and friends but my thinking processes were numb. I was so fortunate to have good medical care, good health insurance and a good prognosis, because I let that insulate me. Certainly not everyone has the advantages I had. I have learned much through the cancer journey and reflect on my skills and training. It is for this reason I take on the challenge and privilege of being a patient advocate.

Marge Liss

I am retired, having worked as a medical physicist for about 14 years and as a patent attorney for about eleven and a half years. My hobbies include reading, growing culinary herbs and cooking with herbs. Since retiring, I have volunteered at Olbrich Gardens, the UW Arboretum and the Madison Police Department.

The diagnosis of breast cancer 7 years ago left me feeling devastated and powerless. I was upset with the way I was treated as a patient. As I got to know other breast cancer survivors, I became aware that much needed to be done to help the breast cancer survivor. As part of my coming to terms with my diagnosis, I began to volunteer with the National Breast Cancer Coalition and the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition to try to direct federal monies to breast cancer research and to try to get laws enacted to help poor women get financial help in diagnosis and treatment of their breast cancer. I helped lead delegations of Wisconsin women to educate our elected officials in Washington, DC on these matters. When I heard of the trained patient advocate program and looked at the training program, I was delighted and signed up.

Carol McDonald

I am a United Methodist minister officially on leave of absence until I can retire next year. I began seminary after my children were in school and have served in parishes in Wisconsin for 20 years. I love to quilt, play the piano, read mysteries, and visit my two grandchildren in the Twin Cities area.

I was diagnosed in July of 2003 with Stage IIIc, inflammatory breast cancer. I was stunned. No one on either side of my family had nay kind of cancer and I thought I was very low risk. I was constantly asked, "Do you wonder why God allowed you to get cancer?" My response has always been, "Why not me?" I have spent many hours with families and patients who were struggling with cnacer and it was very eye=opening to be on the patient side of things. I did not get sick from the treatment, but there were challnges. I had both chemotherapy and radiation. In April of 2004 I had the second breast removed. In December 2004 I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had my thyroid removed. I did do genetic testing to see if there was a relationship between breast and thyroid cancer and there is.

I was very excited to learn about the opportunity to become a patient advocate. I have talked with women who have breast cancer and support people who have relatives or friends going through breast cancer and have wanted to do something to be involved in a more organized way. This program is just what I have been looking for.

Mary Roberts

I'm 52 and glad to be alive. My health problems started when I was 23: Stage II Hodgkins, then Gall Bladder disease, Stage IIB Breast Cancer, Lymphedema, Heart Block, Heart Valve Disease. Obviously, I haven't had the best health in the last 30 years, but parts of me are excellent. Currently, I have a 26 year old daughter who lives in Milwaukee and a 14 year old son who is beginning high school.

After 25 years of being a teacher, then a principal, then a teacher, then a very tired teacher, I resigned myself to take a permanent disability leave. That was in 2002. Since then I have learned to knit, play drumset, play Mah Jongg, swing dance (slowly) and to cook meals with less failures. It hasn't been easy, accepting the losses and changes. Evolving while aging is hard work. However, at this point I feel excited about taking my experiences and hopefully helping others navigate the twists and turns that come into one's life with a diagnosis of cancer.

Renee Schloesser

I have my own businesses with Taste of Home Entertaining and Weekenders, USA. I love helping women start their own businesses and watch them grow. I enjoy riding my bike on all the area bike trails. I love to travel especially to warm, sunny locations.

I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer April 2004. I read, researched, and learned all I could. I asked lots of questions and sought out other survivors for support and information. I learned how to accept and ask for help. Now, others call and ask me questions.

When I learned about the chance to become a trained patient advocate, I knew this was something I wanted to do.

In Memoriam, Johanna Byrne

We fondly remember Johanna Byrne, one of our initial class of Komen Advocates, who passed away in January 2007 after a seven-year battle with breast cancer. In November 2007, the Center presented Johanna with a Certificate of Recognition for her outstanding contribution to patient advocacy. We thank her for her energy, her dedication to helping others with breast cancer, and her thoughtfulness. Johanna provided the following biosketch when she began the Komen Advocates training program in June 2006.

"I'm a metastatic breast cancer survivor. Over the past six years I have provided support and information to numerous women who were diagnosed with breast cancer or with a recurrence, as well as several women who had other forms of cancer. Becoming a Komen Patient Advocate would be a wonderful and more formal way to put these skills to use. I've considered becoming a Cancer Guide but do not have the required medical training. I've also done other types of volunteer work, ranging from Executive Editor for Breast Health Online to Economic Development Coordinator for Mineral Point to committee member for the Chicago Lung Association. Being a breast cancer resource person really has become my own path more and more each year.

"I've facilitated a breast cancer support group at Lands' End from October 2000 until this month, and have been Lands' End's Race for the Cure captain for the past five years. I have a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science and am well versed in medical terminology and the ins and outs of the U.S. healthcare system."

In memoriam: Cindy Coffin

In February 2008, we lost Cindy Coffin, a dear friend, an outstanding mother and wife, an avid outdoorswoman, and a Komen Advocate. Cindy offered the group her warmth, her tenacity, and her wisdom. Her insights and strength fuel our ongoing work; she is sorely missed. Below, Cindy wrote of her own process of discovery and acceptance in her bio.

"I am a 42 year-old mother of two young children (and a puppy), and a partner in a consulting business that helps the environmental community more effectively convey its messages to the public. I love traveling, canoeing, camping - anything that involves spending time with my family in the out-of-doors. For the past 8 years, I've struggled with how to balance having a career and a family, and taking care of myself all at the same time.

"This struggle came to a head in 2004 when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. At that time, my career and most of my domestic responsibilities were put on hold while my husband and I struggled with shock, insurance issues, decision-making, coping, and recovery. I finished treatment in December 2004 and was in remission for a year and a half. Then, in June of 2006, I found out that my cancer had spread and I entered a whole new realm of coping. My goal now is to not put the rest of my life on hold while I am treated, since treatment will likely be ongoing. While I would rather not be on this particular journey, it has taught me a lot, including an appreciation for the moment at hand.

"Throughout my experience with cancer I've relied heavily on the support and assistance of others, including the staff at the Center for Patient Partnerships. Their assistance with research and decision-making has given me a sense of empowerment that has been essential for overcoming the sense of helplessness I had after both of my diagnoses. I've also found it empowering to be able to use my experience to help family and friends who are now going through their own cancer ordeals. For both of these reasons I am very much looking forward to becoming a patient advocate for the Center, and building on my ability to help others navigate the cancer maze."