Advertisement Both women work at cooperatives in the city of Westby; they both witnessed their oldest daughters graduate as salutatorians of their high school class last month; they both love spending time with their family and friends; and they both survived a battle with breast cancer at the age of 41.
Together they are co-chairing the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of the Viroqua Area, on June 12 and 13.
Therese “T” Flock
At the age of 40, Flock had never had a mammogram, but it was on her list of things to do.
She was happy, healthy, and together with her husband, Dan, busy caring for their three children, Ashley, Megan and Taylor.
“I did self-breast exams and I felt great. I thought I was fine, but I was anything but fine,” Flock said.
When she turned 41, she underwent her first and only mammogram on March 12, 2008, and after a painful biopsy of the area, doctors discovered precancerous cells in the ducts of her breasts and eventually a tumor during actual surgery.
“I remember sitting in the doctor’s office and being in a haze. The harder I tried to listen the less I understood. I left the hospital wondering if I had cancer or not. It was like a nightmare. How could I be this sick when I felt just fine coming in,” Flock said.
On May 7, Flock, who also had no history of breast cancer in her family, received a bilateral “double” mastectomy with reconstruction surgery. Since May she has undergone four rounds of chemotherapy and is two-thirds of the way through 18 rounds of Herception treatments.
Flock admits that going into the chemotherapy treatments she was obsessed with the thought of losing her hair. She prayed she would be one of the few who managed to beat the odds, not one of the 90 percent who start losing it within days.
Three days after her first treatment, Flock’s hair began falling out. She opted to wear wigs until her own hair grew back and is still amazed that her new hair grew back curly, when she had straight hair before.
She spent much of her time during chemotherapy treatments with a bucket close by and even landed in the emergency ward the night she had her first treatment. Doctors placed a port in her chest versus her arm for during treatments to ease the pressure on her veins.
“I was so sick. I thought I was going to die after my first treatment. I don’t handle medications well and even the anti-nausea drugs didn’t work well for me,” Flock said.
Today, Flock is still struggling with her new breasts, which she jokes are nicer than her old ones, but still different. She misses the way her body felt before she had surgery and is still adjusting to the change. She has frequent medical appointments and is a strong advocate for not being passive when it comes to health concerns.
“Everything changes when you get cancer, not only for you, but for your entire family. I look at life so differently and I don’t take things for granted like I did before. You learn to appreciate just being alive,” Flock said.
Flock is still amazed by the number of people struggling with breast cancer and how freely they talk about it with you when they realize you have it, too.
“It’s like an epidemic, but if it’s caught soon enough it’s at least one of the curable forms of the disease. Some cancers aren’t like that,” Flock said.
Having cancer forced Flock to step back from her caretaker duties; something she admits was difficult to do. She doesn’t worry anymore if the house isn’t spotless, the dishes aren’t done or there’s laundry to do.
“I had to step back and let people help me out. It was hard, but it ended up being therapy for me and my family. Words are comforting, but they aren’t always necessary. Sometimes simple gestures are all a person needs to make both parties feel better,” Flock said.
Lori Feller
Feller, now 49, discovered a lump in her lower left breast when she was 41 years old.
She had received a mammogram in June and discovered the pea-sized lump during a self-examination in October. Feller was already scheduled to return to the doctor’s office in December for a follow-up mammogram, due to questionable spots discovered in June, but with no history of breast cancer in her family, she decided to wait until December to have the lump checked.
“I didn’t have a clue. I just kept thinking it would be gone the next day and a couple of months wouldn’t make that much of a difference,” Feller said.
On Jan. 3, 2002, after a biopsy of the area, Feller was diagnosed with a form of estrogen-feeding cancer. She under went a lumpectomy on Jan. 14, and after all of the margins surrounding the tumor returned cancerous, she underwent a single mastectomy with tram-flap reconstruction of the left breast. “I had all these decisions to make and everything seemed like such a blur. I was still in denial, but thankfully I had a wonderful support group to see me through,” Feller said.
During her crisis, Feller relied heavily on her family, co-workers, friends and the special advice of a girlfriend in the medical field who helped her to understand what was happening to her.
“She knew all the right questions to ask my doctor and even helped me select my surgeon. She was a godsend and I’m not sure what I would have done without her,” Feller said.
Hoping for radiation, but requiring chemotherapy, Feller underwent four rounds of treatment over a 12-week period of time. She was extremely tired throughout the ordeal and her hair began falling out early into the treatment, so she opted to shave her head and wear bandannas versus a wig.
“I never realized how warm my hair kept my head, until I shaved it. I tried wigs and they weren’t for me, so I opted to wear bandannas and relied on my dry sense of humor to overcome the rest,” Feller said.
Feller struggled with the side effects of her chemotherapy treatment, including confusion and forgetfulness. She misplaced things all the time and her children were never sure if their socks would be tucked in their dresser drawer or chilling in the refrigerator.
“My mind was a mess for a while and it was hard to focus,” Feller said, “The kids laughed at me and I learned to laugh at myself.”
A true survivor, Feller was recently returned to an annual checkup schedule and knows she’s one of the lucky ones. She spends time biking, hiking, camping, stays active in her church and with two high school kids, Hilary and Herman; she’s a major sports mom and fan. She doesn’t sweat the little things anymore and has learned to humbly accept help when people reach out to her and to offer a helping hand to others in their time of need.
Flock and Feller are strong advocates for regular physical examinations and not putting off until tomorrow what can be done today.
“If a friend called up and wanted to go to lunch I used to say let me check my calendar, but not anymore. Now I say, ‘How about today?,’ since tomorrow might never come,” Flock said.
They also suggest that anyone who has an appointment where they might receive bad news to never go alone.
“After you hear the word cancer spoken out loud, it’s like the doctor’s lips are moving, but you can’t hear the words. Denial sets in real quick and they expect you to make immediate decisions. You need another set of ears in the room," Feller said.
Flock and Feller are proud to have been selected to co-chair the 15th annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life of the Viroqua Area, sponsored by Vernon Memorial Healthcare and Sleepy Hollow on Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13, at the Vernon County Fairgrounds in Viroqua.
Advertisement 
