Sue Meyer: A Strong Woman Fighting the Good Fight
By Priscilla Kissinger

This June will be the seventh year the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will take place in St. Louis, Mo. Countless races will be held across the country as thousands of people come together to raise money for research while honoring those who have won or lost the battle against the insidious disease of breast cancer. The events are moving, inspiring and educational. Behind the success of each race is a team of hard-working, dedicated individuals. One such individual is my good friend, Sue Meyer -- this month's well-deserved SuperHeroine!

Sue Meyer (back row, fourth from the left) is joined by family and friends at the start of the St. Louis Race for the Cure.

In 1999, St. Louis's inaugural race was a blessing for Sue. Actually, it became a form of therapy for her, as it is for many people who have lost a loved one to the disease. In Sue's case, it was her mother she mourned. Several years earlier, on Feb. 11, 1995, her mother lost a 141/2-year battle with breast cancer.

Sue was nineteen years old when her mother, then a healthy 44-year-old woman, found a lump in her breast. Her mother actually asked her to feel the lump, and yes, Sue says, just like the doctors tell you, the lump felt like a hard marble. Back then, in 1981, breast cancer wasn't the hot issue it is today. In Sue's young mind, cancer was a disease that affected "old" people. Certainly not healthy women in their prime like her mother.

When her mother's doctor brushed aside their concerns, one of her father's clients recommended they get a second opinion. It was the first time Sue had ever heard of a mammogram. The following Friday, Sue's mother was in the hospital undergoing a radical mastectomy. Days later, she began chemotherapy. Now Sue was hearing new words, forced to learn about medical procedures. Unwillingly, she had become a member of a club she never wanted to join -- the ever-increasing group of people affected by breast cancer in one way or another.

Even now, 24 years later, there are still people who don't realize that breast cancer, as well as too many other diseases, can hit anybody, female or male, young or old, regardless of race. Breast cancer does not care who its victims are. That's why it's important to be informed, to raise money for awareness and a cure.

Sue was 19 years old when her life was irrevocably changed. Her mother went into the hospital for a "small, little biopsy" and wound up on the operating table, her body being ravaged by cancer. Sue was devastated. Like many others in the same situation, she couldn't understand how God could be this cruel. She didn't handle the initial news well. But remember, she was still a young woman who knew very little about the disease and feared her mother would die right there on the operating table.

Sue's mother made it through the radical mastectomy and began a long, painful fight. Sue remained by her mother's side, supporting her mom through the battle, mourning when the disease became too strong an adversary, and ultimately took over. For the next few years, Sue struggled to come to grips with her loss. She still struggles at times today. But in 1999, when she heard that a breast cancer event was coming to St. Louis, she knew she had to get involved. And let me tell you, when Sue Meyer puts her mind to something, look out in front, she's coming through!

Getting involved was easy, in theory, but it was also emotionally difficult for Sue. Her mind and heart couldn't get around the fact that she wished her mother was with her, wearing a pink T-shirt during the race like the rest of the breast-cancer survivors. Thankfully, with the support of good friends, she made it through St. Louis's first race. And what an event it turned out to be!

The organizers had hoped to reach a goal of 7,000 registrants. They wound up with 10,000. When Sue saw the crowds, she realized that the organizers needed help registering people in the Metro St. Louis area, particularly "on the Illinois side of the river" where we live. With a good friend named Rhonda Eden as her assistant, Sue set up registration tables and race-packet pick-up stations on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. Now Sue and Rhonda are the MetroEast Race Registration chairpersons for the Susan G. Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure.

People come in droves to sign up and to help. Every year, the number of registrants continues to grow. More importantly, the amount of money raised for the cause increases.

When asked why she volunteers so much of her time, Sue says because it "has" to be done. In her eyes, the Susan G. Komen Foundation is ---all--- about the Cure. She feels the foundation will be here as long as there is a need. But she hopes that someday soon, women won't have to worry what would happen to their families if they are afflicted with the disease. Because this is a family disease. Everyone is affected by it, as is evidenced by the more than 45,000 white shirts (signifying supporters of the cause) seen at last year's St. Louis Race for the Cure.

That's why the Susan G. Komen Foundation and all its work are important. Unfortunately, breast-cancer awareness isn't something people can overlook. Almost everyone in our country has been touched by this disease. In one way or another, the odds are good that you know someone who has won or lost their fight with breast cancer, whether it's you, a family member, a neighbor or friend.

Learn more about the disease. Even better, join the cause. Look up the Susan G. Komen Foundation and find out about events in your area. Go out and take part in the race. Not only is the exercise good for you, and the information you'll learn potentially life-saving, but you'll see how deeply the Foundation's efforts affect people. It will make a difference in your life.

If you're in the Metro St. Louis area June 18, maybe we'll run into each other. I plan to be there as a member of Sue's team, walking in memory of her mother, educating my daughters and myself. Doing whatever we can to fight, and win, this battle.

For information on the Susan G. Komen Foundation, check out the following Web site:

http://www.komen.org

 

To read last month's SuperHeroine article, click here

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