PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper” Vol. 162, No. 28
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
October 27, 2016
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
Mayor Candidates continued on pg. 3
by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
BECKER — When Sadie Bjork found a lump in her breast in the spring of 2014, she was surrounded by people who told her not to worry. Her coworkers, family and friends, even doctor, doubted the hard inch-round ball could be anything more than benign. After all, Sadie was young. “I was immediately terriÀed I had breast cancer,” said Bjork, a Sauk Rapids-Rice High School alumna. “But I was reassured multiple times that I was only 27-years-old and there should be no reason it was cancer.” It’s true. From what the medical community knows about breast cancer, there was little rationale to believe Bjork’s tumor was malignant. She had no family history, and breast cancer in young women is rare. In fact, fewer than 5 percent of diagnosed breast cancers in the United States occur in women under 40. Many breast lumps found in people Bjork’s age, turn out to be cysts or commonly found benign tumors called Àbro adenomas. Despite all the information reiterating that Bjork’s Ànd was nothing, she wasn’t so sure. “Deep down, I always kind of knew something wasn’t right,” Bjork said. “I knew it was cancer.” For a number of years, Bjork had experienced unexplained right breast pain. One day, while rubbing her tender tissue, she discovered a small hard mass which felt like a bouncy-ball under her skin. Bjork, a health-conscious surgical technician, had completed her annual wellness exam four months earlier with no suspicions, so she waited through a menstrual cycle to see if the mass would dissipate. When it didn’t, Bjork made an appointment. Bjork’s doctor tried to aspirate her lump and when the procedure didn’t work, scheduled an ultrasound for the next
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Sadie Bjork was diagnosed with breast cancer at 27 years of age in 2014. She made decisions to ensure her fertility before undergoing cancer treatments. Sadie’s daughter Lera was born last January.
day. The doctors located the mass on the ultrasound and advised a biopsy, although the likelihood of a cancerous tumor was slim. By this time, it was Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Bjork would wait until Tuesday for results. When she returned to work the next week she was diagnosed with Stage 2A Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The abnormal cancer cells which began forming in her milk ducts had spread into other parts of her breast tissue. Her cancer was Grade III, a fastgrowing form, but was caught early enough that it had not, yet, spread into her lymph nodes. “It was shocking, but like I said, I just had a horrible feeling that it was going to be cancer all along,” Bjork said. But she didn’t overthink. “I remember my oncologist saying you’re not going to die from this,” Bjork said. “And I thought it was the oddest thing, because it had never even crossed my mind that I would.” The week prior to her diagnosis, one of Bjork’s coworkers also found out she had breast cancer, and the
two had watched yet another coworker’s battle the year before. Bjork would not be Àghting alone. She had someone who had been down the road, another who would be walking it with her and educated coworkers in the medical Àeld to help both of them along the way. “We’re like a family there,” Bjork said of her coworkers at Maple Grove Hospital. “We’re really close. Having such a great support system was really helpful.” Faced with her prognosis, Bjork consulted a surgeon who set up an appointment to discuss her options the very same day. “That’s the great beneÀt of working at a hospital. The surgeon set up everything— the genetics counselor, breast MRI and oncologist,” she said. Within eight hours of being diagnosed with breast cancer, Bjork was conferring about choices she needed to make — one concerned her fertility. Bjork had been married to her husband Pat for less than a year and their dreams of beginning their family were to be put on hold.
“When meeting with the surgeon she had mentioned egg harvesting, but there was so much to take in at the time that we didn’t consider it right away,” Bjork said. But the couple would. Cancer treatments can cause problems with fertility. Chemotherapy can damage the ovaries and cause irregular periods or stop periods altogether resulting in early menopause. To ensure her husband and her would one day have the family they had planned, Bjork harvested some of her eggs and began a hormone medication which protected her ovaries by inducing them into a menopausal state. The risk of delaying her treatment was minimal as the process only pushed her chemotherapy back about a week. Bjork underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy— four of Adriamycin and four Cytoxan. She lost her hair, embraced her baldness and managed to endure the side effects of chemo treatments better than most. “I handled chemo very well. I worked almost fulltime,” Bjork said. “If I would have sat at home instead of working, I think chemo would have been much harder and I would have felt a lot sorrier for myself. But I enjoy being out, I’m not a homebody. I wouldn’t volunteer for it, but I physically handled it well.” Bjork then chose to have a bi-lateral mastectomy to remove the tumor completely, followed by reconstruction. Although her cancer was not genetic, she felt more comfortable forgoing radiation and rotating MRIs and mammograms for extended piece of mind. “If you have radiation and a lumpectomy, you have to go in every six months. Just the anxiety of that…I didn’t want to deal with it ever again,” Bjork said. Less than six months following Bjork’s chemotherapy, the couple learned they were pregnant. The hormone medication had worked and Bjork’s reproductive system was not harmed during the cancer treatments. They wel-
Bjork continued on pg. 2
Merle Gales, Steve Heinen, Nick Sauer, and Layne Schmitz are running for the two open Sauk Rapids City Council seats. The selected candidates will serve a four year term. The Sauk Rapids Herald did not receive a response from Schmitz.
Age: 63 Profession/Job: St. Cloud Metro Transit Commission bus driver - 40 years. Education: St. Cloud Technical High School; Brainerd Community College Family: Joan, wife; sons, Eric and Sean; three grandchildren. Political/civic experience: Graduate of the Metro Citizens Police Family Academy. Why are you running for council? I’ve lived in Sauk Rapids for 36 years and feel the need to pay the community back for what it has provided my family. I’m a strong supporter of the police and Àre departments. I would like the city council to be more approachable and for the residents of Sauk Rapids to have more opportunities to share their concerns. What changes, if any, would you like to implement as a member of city council? How do you plan to address those concerns? I would like to increase
Gales continued on pg. 3
Steve Heinen
Age: 47 Profession/Job: GeoComm Inc., new business development; military retiree after 26 years of dedicated service. Education: Concordia University, Normandale Community College, Army Command & General Staff College, Advanced Operations Course (Graduated Top of the Class), Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management professional certiÀcation. Family: Brenda, wife; Ashley, 13, and Amber, 9, daughters; Aden, 7, son Political/civic experience: As a full-time military ofÀcer serving our country, I was unable to hold any political ofÀce. Even so, I was able to amass leadership experience outside the political arena. While serving in Iraq as the Civil Military Operations ofÀcer for the 34th Infantry Division, I was responsible for rebuilding rule or law, economic development, infrastructure, governance, public health and public education for the southern half of Iraq. I managed a budget of over $134 million dollars to support a population of over 10 million people in an area of over 56,000 square miles. In addition, I’ve served on numerous military boards, bureaus, centers, cells and working groups including Civil Military Operations Board for Multi-National Division South from February 2009 to January 2010. What budget recommendations would you make if elected to the council? I would work with city planners and staff to provide a shared comprehensive vision for growth, recognizing that no single project can be considered in isolation. New development must be accompanied with the infrastructure necessary to support it (e.g. transportation, water supply, sewer, schools). The city council should consistently support the spirit and letter of the ordinances and regulations designed to protect the core values of its citizens. The city should shape a long term plan that is transparent, deliberative and informed by the timely input of citizens and neighborhoods. There should be no surprises on new levies or tax increases to support growth. I believe more should be done to get citizens involved in the city’s planning process to gain acceptance. Advertising key council meetings on longterm planning, and publishing the results, is essential to build trust in the community. I would ensure advertising is included in the budget as part of any long-term planning proposals. I believe very few people continuously monitor what is going on at city hall; to increase participation the city should work to increase awareness. This could be accomplished by advertising when long termplanning is being conducted or controversial projects are being proposed. What ideas do you have to attract businesses and jobs to the community? I believe
Bjork battles breast cancer at a young age
Nick Sauer
Guy Konietzko
Age: 56 Profession/Job: Vice President-Wealth Advisor at Bremer Trust/Wealth Management. Education: CertiÀed Ànancial planner, chartered mutual fund counselor and a degree in Ànancial planning. Family: Ruth, wife; Michael, son; and Emilee, daughter. Political/civic experience: Sauk Rapids (SR) City Council member-10 years; SR Planning Commission-14 years; SR Joint Planning Board-12 years; SR Housing and Redevelopment Authority2 years; St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission Board- 2 years; and St. Cloud Whitney Senior Center Advisory Board- 6 years. What budget recommendations would you make if elected to the council? Because I am already on the council, I have had input into the budgets in the past. We have done a very good job of controlling our budget while providing the necessary services to the residents of the city in a cost effective manner. We have capital improvement/ equipment expenditure plans which go out 15+ years. I feel proper planning such as this avoids long term challenges. As far as changes, I would like to see us continue to assess what services we will need to expand in the future such as the addition of police ofÀcers, community development, building inspector, public works, etc. and budget for them. All of these are critical to the operation of the city, but we need to be Àscally responsible to the taxpayers. We also have to maintain our community’s largest investment which is the infrastructure (sewer, water, roads.) That is where our long range planning/budgeting is very helpful, prioritizing the numerous projects we need to complete in the future. What ideas do you have to attract businesses and jobs to the community? We need to continue to work closely with city staff/community development/HRA to ensure the city is proactive in recruiting new businesses. I would like to start monthly visits to our businesses located in Sauk Rapids to discuss how we can work together to help with future expansion needs. I believe by communicating with business owners, we will Ànd out what their future plans are and may be able to assist them with those plans. I know currently, we are working to develop a downtown business assistance program to assist with projects such as updating store fronts, beautiÀcation, expansion plans, etc. We have executed assistance programs in the past, and I would like to see us continue them whenever possible. We need to make sure we have an adequate supply of industrial property available to allow our current businesses to grow and to attract new businesses to the city. As the community continues to grow, how do you plan on keeping them connected and invested in their city? I plan to hold community planning sessions to gather input from
Under 30
Merle Gales
Kurt Hunstiger
Kurt Hunstiger and Guy Konietzko are competing for the position of Sauk Rapids Mayor on Nov. 8. The prevailing candidate will serve a four year term. Incumbent mayor Brad Gunderson was not selected to proceed following the primary elections Aug. 9.
(USPS 482-240)
Age: 32 Profession/Job: Border States Electric inside sales, Beaver Island Brewing Co. taproom associate. Education: Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, St. Cloud Technical & Community College. Political/civic experience: Current Sauk Rapids City Council member, Recreation Board, Liquor Operation, Chair of Human Rights Joints Powers Board, North Star Corridor Group, Joint Powers Board with school district, Half-cent Sales Tax Committee, Personnel and Finance Committee. Why are you running for council? I am running again for a lot of the same reasons I ran for four years ago. I want to stay involved and give back to the place I call home. I believe we need more young people involved; ones who may bring new and different viewpoints, ideas and opinions.
Age: 54 Profession/Job: Owner of Heinen Drywall, Inc., drywall contractor. Education: Graduated from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. Family: Mary, wife of 30 years, Andy and Nicole, adult children. Political/Civic experience: Current Sauk Rapids (SR) City Council member since 2012, appointed acting mayor three of those years. SR city subcommittees over past four years include: Joint Planning Board, Area Planning Organization, CSAH 3, Public Works, Land/Use development, and Half-Cent Sales Tax committees. Integral part of the 1 Hauler-Contract for city garbage pick-up, SR Bridge project, Benton Drive Reconstruction, and Second Street “Up the Hill” Project. SR Planning Commission for eight years with three years as chairperson. Firearms Safety Instructor
Candidates continued on pg. 2
Heinen continued on pg. 3