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Weins brings courage, positive attitude to breast cancer fight Spread the HOPE, Find the CURE
October 2020
Local woman stresses importance of mammograms for early detection By Erik Kaufman Mitchell Republic
“She’s never in a bad mood.” That is Sarah Reyelts’ description of Michelle Weins, one of her employees at Arnies at First & Foster in Mitchell. The co-owner of the store with 12 employees said even in a tight-knit family of workers like the one she oversees everyday, Weins stands out for her consistently positive attitude, her friendly nature with customers and her rock-steady work ethic. Those are characteristics she has maintained even as she has gone through one of life’s most difficult challenges. In March, Weins was diagnosed with breast cancer, and ever since has been waging a battle faced by people around the world every day. “(I had a mammogram just) so I didn’t have to hear the doctor ask me if I had one,” Weins told the Mitchell Republic. “So, I did it. And that led to an ultrasound.” That ultrasound led to a biopsy a couple of weeks later, and shortly afterward, she got the news that she did, indeed, have breast cancer. “You just feel like, what am I going to do now? It’s just such a shocker. You don’t realize how shocking it is,” Weins said. “You don’t know what stage it is. Is it going to take your life? There are so many things to think about. You go to work thinking about it.”
The National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates that 276,480 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. Weins is one of them. As it is for many, the revelation was a shock that brought with it uncertainty, fear and questions about the disease and its treatment.
Weins, 53, said she was lucky having received a diagnosis of Stage 1 cancer. She soon began consulting with a surgeon in Sioux Falls, and by April she had undergone a left partial mastectomy. Doctors also removed some lymph nodes to make sure the cancer had not spread. She learned about undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments and the mechanics of how cancer affects the body. She talked with an oncologist and he recommended a path for treatment. It was an overwhelming flow of information to take in for someone who just a couple months earlier had not even really considered having herself screened. It was an eye-opening experience, she said. “Oh, you learn a lot. I definitely learned a lot,” Weins said.
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Michelle Weins talks about her cancer She endured 12 rounds of chemotherapy a week, and experienced the common side effect of losing her hair. While she had heard that that may be one of the things she would have to deal with, having it actually happen was still something for which she was not fully prepared. But she knew it was a tradeoff she needed to make if she wanted to beat cancer. “I started losing it in chunks. Every day in the shower more kept falling out,” Weins said. “Well, it’s the way it is. This is what you gotta do. This is what you gotta go through. That’s just what a person goes through.” She completed her chemotherapy sessions and will continue to undergo radiation through October, which is recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And for all intent and purposes, everything seems to be going well, though she said she won’t know more about her prognosis until her treatments are complete, probably a year down the road. Like many cancer patients, she has a close support group that helps her along the way. Her mother accompanied her on hospital visits, her son ran errands when she needed help, her pastor counseled her and her fellow employees at Arnie’s had special hoodies made indicating they were all on “Team Michelle.”
David L. Jorgenson, LUTCF® Financial Services Professional New York Life Insurance Company 115 W 12th Ave PO Box 296 Mitchell, SD 57301 Phone: (605) 996-4444 Cell: (605) 999-2239 djorgenson@ft.newyorklife.com www.newyorklife.com Ins. Lic. #CA 0H53351 Registered Representative for NYLIFE Securities LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC
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