Survivor Spotlight: JOANNE D'ALTON : Breast Cancer Survivor
Summer, 2007

Survivor Spotlight: FRANK YINKO : Colon Cancer Survivor
April, 2007

Survivor Spotlight: NANCY LAARMAN : Ovarian Cancer Survivor
January, 2007

Survivor Spotlight on MIKE LEMAHIEU : Colon Cancer Survivor (with liver metastisis)
December, 2006

Survivor Spotlight on MARY LICHTERMAN : Breast Cancer Survivor
September, 2006

Survivor Spotlight: JIM HAMMERLING : Multiple Myeloma Survivor
July, 2006

Survivor Spotlight: LORI SCHULTZ : Breast Cancer Survivor
May, 2006

Survivor Spotlight Update: BOB SHAROT : Head & Neck Cancer Survivor
May, 2006

Survivor Spotlight on MATT RILEY : Medullablastoma Cancer Survivor
December, 2005

Survivor Spotlight on MARTY TEN PAS : Breast Cancer Survivor
September, 2005

Survivor Spotlight Update on RALPH LEMP : Prostate Cancer Survivor
September, 2005

Survivor Spotlight Update on SANDY AMWEG : Breast Cancer Survivor
June, 2005

Survivor Spotlight on STEVE PHILIPPS : Prostate Cancer Survivor
June, 2005

Survivor Spotlight on IONE HEINEN : Breast Cancer & Colo-Rectal Cancer Survivor
April, 2005

Survivor Spotlight Update: DON FICKETT : As Told By Caregiving Champion: LINDA FICKETT
March, 2005

Survivor Spotlight Update on AUDREY SWITA : Breast Cancer Survivor
January, 2005

Survivor Spotlight on BOB SHAROT : Head & Neck Cancer Survivor
January, 2005

Survivor Spotlights on DIANA BRAY & MARY SCHMEISER : Diana - Lung Cancer, Mary - Breast Cancer
October, 2004

Survivor Spotlight Update on GENE TE WINKLE : Melanoma Survivor
October, 2004

Survivor Spotlight Update on MARY ANN HAMMES : Breast Cancer Survivor
August, 2004

Survivor Spotlight on ART WESENER (Colon Cancer) : with Caregiving Champion JOANNE WESENER
August, 2004
Note from Tim: This is not the first time I have highlighted two individuals in this column… but it is the first time I have combined the “Survivor Spotlight” and the “Caregiving Champion” columns. I first really started to get to know Art & Joanne a little over a year ago when they started attending our TLC Support Sessions. In that time I have gained so much respect and admiration for them. Art has been through so much in recent years; cancer, a severe heart attack, being forced to sell his farm, and recurrent cancer. Art is a humble man of few words but his actions and how he chooses to face his challenges is what teaches and inspires many. And, despite it all, he is quick to share a laugh with anyone who needs it. Joanne is forever at his side. She is with him for most of his appointments and many of his treatments. She accompanies him to TLC and, at times when Art isn’t feeling well enough to attend, she will join us… and teach us… and inspire us. I have gained much respect and admiration for this couple that has been further strengthened during the hour or so we spent talking about life and cancer’s many challenges.

Art: In 1998 I started seeing blood in my stool… but I put it off thinking that it was only hemorrhoids.

Joanne: Art asked me what hemorrhoids were like and I asked him if everything was okay. It wasn’t until I saw the blood in the bathroom in December of 1997 that I really started to encourage him to get to the doctor. Then in February one of our sons who works in the medical field told Art, “Dad, this isn’t only about you… it’s about all of us!” That encouraged Art to go to Dr. Walker who immediately scheduled a colonoscopy with Dr. Lisberg. Dr. Lisberg thought the polyp looked suspicious so he did a biopsy right away. Art went in by himself when he got the news. When he left Dr. Lisberg’s office he drove around Sheboygan aimlessly.

Art: I remember driving around and just feeling bad that I didn’t get things checked out earlier.

Joanne: At the time our youngest child was in college and Art was trying to get through the year. Being on a large farm he was trying to get things done before he would take care of himself. That’s why he delayed. He was trying to take care of other things before taking care of himself.

Art: I didn’t know it than but I have a history of cancer in my family. It still would have been cancerous I suppose, because it runs in my family. But maybe we could have caught it sooner.

Joanne: When Art finally got home he called me at school. I knew he was on the other end of the line but he couldn’t get any words out. So I asked him if it was cancer and he squeaked out a “Yes!” So I left school, went home and we just hugged each other and cried in each other’s arms.

Art: When I found out it was cancer I thought, “Let’s get on with it! Let’s start attacking this!” I had the surgery done by Dr. Harms in Madison. Because the tumor was so close to the sphincter muscle I was worried that I might end up with a colostomy but Dr. Harms did a wonderful job. After surgery I went through chemotherapy and radiation at the same time.

Joanne: After the last radiation treatment Art was having intense pain. At the time I didn’t know if it was cancer-related or not. So I called Nancy Ogden and she said it sounded like kidney stones, which it was, and she told me to get him to the emergency room. The stones were caused from dehydration as a result of the chemotherapy and radiation. By the way, Art drinks plenty of fluids now! I drove him to the ER… but that was a mistake. It’s really not a good thing when someone is in that much pain and pounding on the dash of your car and you’re trying to drive. I still say we lost trade-in value on the car from the dents that Art pounded into the dashboard (chuckle-chuckle). It was a useful lesson, however. Because when Art had his heart attack on July 29th in 2000 he told me to drive him to the hospital but because of that experience I decided to immediately called 911.

Art: Joanne gave me an aspirin right away and the rescue squad got there and gave me oxygen. I made it to the hospital and Dr. Coulis was there. The last thing I remember is hearing someone say, “We’re losing him!” That wasn’t a good thing to hear (chuckle-chuckle)! They had to revive me two or three times. The next thing I know I wake up and all of these nurses are all around and Dr. Coulis is talking about putting a pump in my heart to keep it going. He drove with me in the ambulance all the way to Froedert. It’s good to have doctors like that around! But I have to say that the ambulance was the roughest, bumpiest ride I was ever on.

Joanne: A cancer diagnosis is a warning to get your life in order and it reminds you that you are mortal. With a heart attack, however, there is little warning and little time to get your life in order. In a sense, with cancer you have more control. Life may be shorter than you want it to be but you can say your good-byes and tell people you love them. Art had 100% blockage in his heart so we are very lucky that he came through it. After the first warning of the cancer we started to put some things in order but Art didn’t want to think about a Will, a Living Will, or funeral arrangements because he felt that it was like giving up. But once he had the heart attack it became more important to him to get these things done!

Art: Now we have everything in order… including funeral arrangements. I don’t want my funeral to be a crying thing – I want it to be a celebration of my life. And I’ve picked out songs that are meaningful for me. I feel much more relaxed about it knowing that things are taken care of. Now all that is left is the headstone! (chuckle-chuckle)

Joanne: The big thing of the heart attack is that it ended his working.

Art: July 28th at 5:29 PM was when I had my heart attack and it was the last day I was able to work. I could no longer run the farm. I had to sell it. And I even had to quit a part-time postal job that I had. I still have a hard time thinking about that and I really miss working on the farm.

Joanne: There was a point when Art started asking me, “Why didn’t you let me die?” That really hurt me because I had seen all he had been through the past two years with cancer and now he was angry with me for saving his life, for wanting him to still be with us. But we could all see it was the depression. Not only wasn’t he able to work anymore but he had to sell his entire livelihood. It was almost as if his entire being was being taken away from him. He was extremely depressed. Finally, Dr. Coulis got a little tougher with Art and said, “I’ve done all that I can do!” He, too, could see that Art was depressed and suggested we see a mental health professional.

Art: That was when I started seeing Dr. Lukach. I was very emotional and would cry all the time. I had this feeling that everything was against me. I felt that Joanne and everyone else were talking secretively about me. At least that’s what it seemed like. Now I don’t hear as well anymore… and I still think that. (chuckle-chuckle)

Joanne: The interesting thing is that when he learned his colo-rectal cancer had metastasized to the lower left lobe of the lung Dr. Matthews told him to think about what he wanted to do. I was there thinking, “Art’s had enough!” But both Dr. Matthews and I could see it in his eyes and Dr. Matthews said, “You want to do whatever you need to do, don’t you?” And Art agreed! He wanted to live!

Art: I guess I realized I wanted to see my grandchild. And I would like to see my two oldest sons some day get married, but that’s not happening anytime soon! Maybe you could put their names, ages, and telephone numbers in the newsletter for any interested women (chuckle-chuckle)? I think most of my problem was the depression over losing the farm. And I missed not being able to work anymore!

Joanne: Art had to go from working 18+ hours a day to doing nothing! He never had time to develop a hobby and now all he had was time to think about what was happening to him. Dr. Lukach helped Art to not only get over the emotional pain of the loss of the farm but also helped him to set new goals for himself. He also helped him to find new hobbies and use his time constructively. Dr. Lukach has helped both of us and we still see him. We’re surely not ashamed of that. I think a lot of people suffer in privacy when there are people like Dr. Lukach out there that can help! We aren’t ashamed of going to a doctor to care for our physical health, why should we be ashamed of going to a doctor to care for our mental health?

Art: Once I was on the right medication for my depression it made the world of difference. I’m not saying there aren’t times when I still don’t get depressed, or frustrated, or unhappy. But the feelings aren’t as overwhelming as they once were. And I have learned how to manage some of those feelings better.

Joanne: Both Art and I are people of strong faith… and yet we couldn’t handle the depression without the help of a professional. There are a lot of people out there who mistakenly think depression is a sign of weakness, or lack of faith. People who say, “All you need is a stronger faith!” But it doesn’t always happen that way.

Art: I believe that the good Lord put these doctors here for a reason. I’ve always had faith but my experiences have given me a stronger faith. I now have a greater belief that whatever happens is what God wants to happen. I’m still praying to be healed. And I still think some day we will find a cure for cancer… and I hope I live long enough to see it!

Joanne: Faith is about having a peace that passes all understanding. You just have a peace that comes over you and you know that you are not in control of your life and that He has a plan for you. That’s not to say that you don’t have to work for the gifts you are given. But the Lord will work all things for good. It might not be what we look at as being for our good but He knows what is best for us. After all the close calls that Art has had I know that he is still with us for a purpose. He may not be able to farm as he once did… but he is still here for a purpose and a purpose of goodness and love! And I am thankful for each and every additional day he can spend with us on earth!

Art: In 2002 the cancer came back in the left lung. They removed the lower lobe and I went through more chemotherapy. Shortly after I finished chemotherapy a CT scan showed six tumors growing on the right side. So now I’m on chemo again but the tumors are shrinking.

Joanne: This has affected both of us from the very start! Our life is very different now. There have been so many things that both cancer and the heart attack have brought into our lives that we have needed to adjust to. When Art & I got married, we married for LOVE! And because of that we’ve had LOVE as a foundation. In so many ways, cancer is a journey of LOVE! We are thankful we have each other… but there are many who may not have that kind of support. I think, whether you are a survivor or a caregiver, you need someone to journey your cancer with. You need someone to pull you up when you are down.

Art: I have days when I don’t feel good. And now it seems the neuropathy in my fingers and the diarrhea lasts a little longer so now they are giving me an extra week between treatments.

Joanne: Last month at our TLC Support Sessions we talked about adjusting to a “New Normal.” That, to me, said it all. Once you have cancer… and a heart attack… it’s a “New Normal.” Not only for the survivor… but for the caregiver and the family as well. You don’t live the same way, you don’t eat the same way, you don’t think the same way, and you don’t plan the same way. And until you embrace whatever changes you have to make… until you adjust to your own “New Normal,” it will be a struggle! A former colleague of mine once said to me, “Life doesn’t have to be painful.” Those words, “Life doesn’t have to be painful,” would tell you that you don’t have to suffer, you don’t have to be depressed, when there are many health professionals (physical and mental) out there to help you. And the TLC Support Sessions have really helped us and it has been a real positive experience.

Art: Dr. Matthews suggested that I come to a TLC meeting a while back… and we’ve been coming regularly ever since. TLC is about people who understand what you are talking about, what you are going through, and what you are feeling!

Joanne: The other day I wrote something down. When I hear something I like, I usually write it down. It simply said, “If you look for goodness anywhere, you can find goodness everywhere.” That’s what we’ve both tried to do with cancer.

Art: We just want to thank the doctors! Dr. Matthews, Dr. Bettag, Dr. Walker, Dr. Lukach, and Dr. Harms are all wonderful doctors!!! Thanks also to all of the nurses, my angels, and the rest of the staff. I want to specially thank friends for keeping me in their prayers as well as my children for all their support and my grandchild for all the joy she brings to us! And, of course, I can’t forget Mitzi, our dog! (Chuckle, chuckle)

Survivor Spotlight on JUDY FRIEDERICHS : Breast Cancer Survivor
June, 2004

Survivor Spotlight Update on PAT JENKINS : Breast Cancer & Hodgkin's Disease Survivor
June, 2004

Survivor Spotlight on: DR. PHIL WALKER : Prostate Cancer Survivor
March, 2004

Survivor Spotlight Update on: Rollie Huibregtse : Leukemia Survivor
March, 2004

Survivor Spotlight on: PEGGY KERR : Colon Cancer Survivor
January, 2004

Survivor Spotlight on EUGENE TEWINKLE : Melonoma Survivor
November, 2003

Survivor Spotlight Update on LINDA BURKART : Thymoma Cancer Survivor
November, 2003