Jewish Press
SPECIAL HEALTHWATCH ISSUE Vol. LXXLX
No. 44 Omaha, NE
Introducing... Steve Stiel
11 Tammuz, 5760
July 14,2000
Healthy summer funi
by Carol Katzman
Occupation: Executive Director, Jewish Family Service Education: B.A. in Social Psychology from St. Mary's College, Winona, MN; Graduate level theology, Mount St. Mary's, Emmitsberg, MD, and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook, PA; Series 7 General Securities license; and MSW from University of Nebraska at Omaha. Experience: Chaplain candidate in San Diego; Director of youth development, Diocese of Winona, MN; office manager, Diocese of Duluth, MN; retirement specialist for Fidelity in Cincinnati, OH, and for First National Bank, Omaha; intern, Child Saving Institute and Family Connections; and social worker/counselor, Maplewood Counseling.
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Personal: married to Rabbi Debbie Stiel; two children, Micah, 4, and Jonah, 18 months
Enjoying a refreshing dip in the Olympicsized outdoor pool are campers from the Jewish Family Service has recently moved from a Jewish Community Center's summer day 600-square-foot office behind the Jewish Federationcamp programs: speciality camp for fifthoffice to nearly 1700-square-feet on the north side of the former Child Development Center. What does that move enable you to accomplish in your new In April, the Jewish Press alerted readers that position as Executive Director? Daniel Brown, brother-in-law of former Omahan Dan Redler, needed a bone marrow transplant in My vision of Jewish Family Service is to have a order to combat chronic myleogenous leukemia. professional agency that provides the highest qualDode Redler has reported that a match has been ity Jewish social services to our community. The found in Atlanta among the more than 2000 new office now gives us the professional environ(Continued on page 27)
eighth graders, and "Trekkers" for kindergartners through fourth-graders. For information about the balance of July and August, call Lisa Shkolnick at 334-6425.
Update on bone marrow match newly-acquired 4ojiors to the Gift of Life Jewish Bone Marrow Registry. In Omaha, more than 20 readers volunteered to be tested if a match wasn't found. Brown and his family will be moving to Seattle, WA, for six months of experimental drug (Continued on page 2)
Prevention project transforms a family's grief by Carol Katzman
It's only been two months since Jeff Spiegal died of a cancerous brain tumor. But his family is using his death. . .and their grief. . .to alert others for an early diagnosis of this devastating disease. In a recent interview with Devra Spiegal, she told the story of her husband's symptoms, the doctors' insistence that it was caused by "midlife crisis" or "stress" and the relentless speed with which the cancer finally took his life. She carries a notebook nearly three inches thick, filled with copies of charts, pamphlets, e-mail letters and more. What follows is a story of a family's courage and their determination to use Jeffrey's death to help others. In the winter of 1999, Jeffrey, then 46 years old, was a businessman with a thriving career, and a happily-married man and father of three teen-age sons. But he began experiencing a series of painful headaches and blurred vision. His doctor ran a battery of tests and found nothing. "It was written off to stress and the difficulty of his promotion to the Chicago offices of his company and the weekend commute to Omaha," his wife recalled. The headaches increased in frequency and severity. He developed problems with his balance and gait. And by March of 1999, he began to vomit nearly every morning. Again the doctors found nothing and suggested he see a psychiatrist and "get a grip on life." The family was confused,, angry
and upset, both at Jeffrey and at his doctors. In May, 1999, he quit his job in Chicago and returned to Omaha. For a while things seemed to get better. "We were out for a walk one night," Devra recalled," and Jeff turned to me and said, 'I can't walk. It feels like someone is trying to pull my head off my neck.'" , ' . • Devra called the neurologist she sees for her migraines and he was the first to suggest an MRI. A magnetic resonance imaging device uses a powerful magnet linked to a computer to "see" through the bones of the skull and detect any anomalies in the brain. A special dye is used to spot tumors. "The doctor called and told us Jeff had a tumor on his brain stem. He scheduled an appointment with a surgeon the next day," Devra explained. "We were devastated." Jeffs tumor was diagnosed as either a glioma astrocytoma or a glioblastoma multiforme. The surgery, which should have taken eight to 10 hours, was over in five. "The doctors basically opened him up and then closed him up," Devra said. "They were not able to find the boundaries of the main tumor. It was all intertwined with the brain and brain stem. They were only able to get a small amount for the biopsy." Unfortunately, Spiegal's tumor was the type that would not respond to chemotherapy. The doctors
tried radiation in hopes of reducing the tumor and placing it in remission. Jeffs tumor did not respond and 10 months after his initial diagnoses and surgery, he died at the age of 47. All through his battle, however, Jeffrey remained optimistic and upbeat. He was comforted by liis sons, Justin, 20, Joe, 18, and Andrew, 16, all of whom took turns caring for him. Justin deferred his application to Kansas State University and attended classes at Metro Community College and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Joe and Andrew, then students at Westside High School, arranged their schedules so that one of them could always be at home with their father. Next month, Joe will be a senior, and Andrew a junior, at Westside. Justin will be leaving for K-State. Devra juggled her teaching schedule at Ashland Park Elementary School in the Omaha Public School district and will return to her kindergarten class next month. Though Jeffrey is no longer with them physically, they are already speaking out about brain tumors in hopes of early detection for others. "Had we recognized that Jeffs impaired motor functions, headaches and vomiting were symptoms of a brain tumor, it might have been detected early enough for surgery to remove the main tumor," Devra explained. "We might have actually had a (Continued on page 28)