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

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
Note from Tim: Gene was the Honorary Co-Chair of the 2003 ACS Sheboygan County Relay for Life this past July along with Mary Ann Hammes, last month's Survivor Spotlight. I had the honor and the pleasure of spending almost an hour with Gene. A salesman by occupation, it is obvious that Gene loves people and he loves life! But it doesn't end there. Gene loves his family and he loves his friends. He loves sports in general and his own sport of racquetball. He loves to laugh and enjoys a good practical joke. And he has a strong faith as well. I hope you are as inspired by his words as I have been!

How It All Began:

In 1990 a little mole popped up on my chest that was small enough that the doctor thought he could just freeze it and remove it. But when he started cutting he noticed there was a tail on it and it was nice and deep. That kind of threw him off guard because he didn't expect to see that. They biopsied the mole and, sure enough, it was cancerous - melanoma. Back then, they just cut and removed the mole and there really wasn't any treatment. We didn't even have an oncologist in town at the time. I was 35 years old, my wife Laura and I had just had our third baby girl. I have three daughters; Jill, Melissa, and Kristin who are now 23, 18, and 14.

It's ONLY Skin Cancer:

I figured it was only a little bit of skin cancer and they could just cut it out and it would go away. I was rather naive as to what melanoma really can do, especially with how deep mine was. When I asked the doctor, "Okay, what's the worst thing that can happen to me?" he told me, "You could die!" I thought he was nuts!

They removed a piece of me approximately four inches long and two inches wide all the way down to the top of the chest muscle. When they examined it they didn't find any little "feelers" in it, which was a good thing. They didn't remove any lymph nodes at the time because the theory was if anything was left behind it would travel to the nearest lymph node. Apparently my cancer grew from the inside out which means it is not sun-related. That meant that it started from somewhere inside of the body, which was a little scary.

Years of Follow Up:

After Dr. Matthews came to town I went through my annual physical with him year after year after year. Things were going great. We bought a new house. Dr. Matthews and I were getting along really well and we've become really good friends, although I don't know if he'd admit to that!

The Cancer Recurred:

In 1998, a couple weeks before I was scheduled to go in for my annual check up, I noticed a lump under my arm. I was told how to check myself and one day I found something. I didn't say anything to anybody because I knew I had an exam coming up with the doctor. As he was examining me he asked, "What's this?" And I said, "Oh, you feel that too?" So he scheduled to have it removed.

The news came back that it was cancer again - melanoma. I had another fifteen lymph nodes removed, but they were all clear, which was a good thing. When I told my wife the news she suggested that we get another opinion. And when Dr. Matthews came in to talk to us about it the first thing out of his mouth was, "I hope you don't mind taking a road trip!" He sent us to Dr. Albertini in Madison who specializes in melanoma." He went on to explain all of my options and then we went to see Dr. Albertini. He explained my options also. There were some new treatments coming out at that time and they wanted me to be a part of a study. I asked what would statistically be the best and he suggested Interferon for a year. Dr. Albertini wanted me to be treated in Madison, but I asked if I could get the same treatments in Sheboygan. He told me it would be the same thing, so I elected to be treated here. It was much more convenient!

I have to say I was a bit more nervous the second time when the cancer came back. Maybe it was because I was a little naive when I was first diagnosed and figured it was only a little skin cancer that they could cut out and it would go away. Once it got into my lymph nodes I realized they didn't get it all and it was moving around. I knew it could go to different organs of the body. But everything appears to be okay at this point.

The treatment involved a month long of daily IVs followed by shots three times a week in the stomach for eleven months. The month long of daily Interferon was the worst. It would be administered for about forty-five minutes to an hour and then I would go home, go to bed, curl up in the fetal position and just shake non-stop for 45 minutes. After that I would get hot for 45 minutes. And I had to do that every day for a month. Then I would give myself a shot in the stomach three times a week for another eleven months. The shots weren't as bad.

The Ball Was In My Court:>/b>

It was important for me to be able to play racquetball through it all and, to be honest, I found myself worrying more about the racquetball than the shots. But playing racquetball with my friends really helped me get through. And I got to say, I had some good friends that I played with and if they could sense that I wasn't feeling well they would tell me, "You're not looking very good. We're going to quit!" And I backed off a little during this time as well. I remember one time Tom Pitsch, your brother-in-law, served the ball... and I never even moved. He just looked at me and noticed I was staring at the wall and he said, "That's it, we're done!" So my friends knew what to look for and they helped me through it. Normally, I would play for two hours but I made the commitment that I would only play an hour. I didn't want to exhaust my body because that would just defeat the purpose.

Sports have always been a big part of my life. I remember when I was a kid it wasn't unusual for my report card to say, "Worries to much about his sports!" I'm a competitive person and racquetball gave me something to focus on instead of the cancer. And I didn't want the cancer to interfere with that part of my life. I would wake up in the morning and, sure, I would think about the shots. But I would focus on the racquetball. With or without cancer, sports are still important to me.

The doctor and nurses would take my blood and tell me these numbers are up, these numbers are down, these levels are good, these levels aren't so good... but it was how I felt on the court when I was playing that was more important to me.

Don't get me wrong, I would listen to the doctor. I remember one time he looked at my counts and I was dehydrated and he told me not to play racquetball that night... so I didn't. I went home and drank water and Gatorade and two days later my counts were good and I went right to the court. I listened to what the doctors and the nurses had to say, but I also did what I needed to do to get through it.

Everything Happens For A Reason:

I have a strong faith. When I was young and rebellious as a kid and didn't want to go to church I had good parents who "strongly encouraged" it... and thank goodness they did. My faith has made me realize that I cannot help what I'm born with so why worry about it. I try not to complain, I try not to whine. Let's just do what we can to correct it and move on. I just have to believe that everything happens for a reason!

I've always had that philosophy. We're here a short time anyway. I'm not afraid of a lot of things. There are certain words I don't like to use, however, like the "D" word. But I'm not afraid. I just know that I want to live every day I possibly can. One of my favorite sayings is, "Everything you do in life always shoot for the moon for if you fall short of your goals you're still among the stars." Another one of my favorites is, "Remember the past, live the present, dream the future." I have a ton of those sayings and my kids always laugh at me and wonder where I come up with all of them!

Remembering the Past:

There were three of us that were going through cancer and cancer treatments together. Two of us are doing really well, but one of my friends didn't make it. We got through the treatments together... and it was hard, but it was an honor to be a pallbearer at her funeral. But my experiences have given me a greater appreciation for every day! A "bad day" really isn't so bad anymore and a good day is even better!

Living the Present:

So, now I am five years out from the recurrence and four years out from the end of treatment and I see the doctor every four months to keep a close eye on things. The doctor wants to watch me a little closer because there was a recurrence and I'm fine with that. I don't mind talking about it and I think it has helped some of my friends who have seen what I've gone through and, who knows, maybe because of what I have gone through maybe some of my friends have been a little more careful and gotten things checked out.

Dreaming the Future:

Do I think about if the cancer will ever come back? Yes. Do I let it consume me? No. Why waste time worrying about what may or may never happen? There are too many things I want to do yet and so many places I want to go. Just last week at my last check up I was thinking about it, and I said a prayer. "If it should come back just give me the strength to get through it again!"

Being A Part of the MOA Family:

Dr. Matthews and I have become real good friends, and Nancy O., and Ann, and Sara, and Denise P., and the whole staff... it's like they've all become a part of the family. Final Words of Wisdom:

Keep your life as normal as possible. Let the cancer be a part of your life but don't let it consume your entire life.

A Personal Note From Laura TeWinkle:

My husband is the most amazing person I know. During his treatments, there were SO many times when he would not let on to his family how bad he felt, so we wouldn't worry. I watched him attend our daughter's events feeling his worst, but never complaining. He always did live life to the fullest, even before cancer. His positive outlook on life has been an inspiration to me and many others.

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