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<back Help for the Children of Breast Cancer Victimsby Susan PierceChattanooga Times Free Press
After experiencing her mother's losing battle with cancer, Ginny Straub said she now prizes life more than ever. The senior at Chattanooga school for the Arts and Sciences was a fifth-grader when her mother, Patricia, learned her cancer had returned. "I don't remember much of this time in my life. In fact, due to this tragedy, I don't remember much of my childhood at all," said Miss Straub. "For all my young life, she had been the remedy when I was sick and strength when I was weak. This strange new reversal was hard for me to comprehend." Compassion for families who have lived through the emotional trauma of cancer is what prompted MaryEllen Locher to found the Children of Breast Cancer Scholarship Fund®. A national fund accessible through the Internet, the endowment is designed to be an encouragement to these children and help them move forward with their lives. The television news anchor knows the emotional and financial toll the disease takes on a family. She beat cancer twice-first Hodgkin's and later breast cancer. Miss Straub became the fund's first recipient on Wednesday. A talented young actress who wants to either attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Austin Peay or East Tennessee State University. Miss Straub said that while the financial help is important, the scholarship holds a deeper meaning for her. "The scholarship pays tribute to the women and their families. Sometimes it is hard to express just how sorry we are for others' misfortune and pain. I understand that this scholarship reflects others' understanding about our loss, and I appreciate the tribute to my mother." "Cancer steals childhoods," said Ms. Locher. "When I was sick, I noticed our family stopped talking about the future; we lived in the day. I noticed Alex, who was only 11, did this as well. This is what happens in tens of thousands of families. The parent lives from doctor's appointment to doctor's appointment, and so do the kids. Because cancer is a chronic disease, often with several recurrences, it's a long term illness, and kids are coping with this stress just like the parents. "When I was sick, I had a rough time bouncing back from chemotherapy," said Ms. Locher. "It was my second cancer, and I worried about what would happen to Alex if something happened to me. I wanted to leave a 'road map' for my husband, David Burd. "One day I was looking for scholarships on the web. I could only find one, and it was a small scholarship handed out by a woman in Massachusetts. I thought, "If I get better, I'm going to do this.'" The news anchor said her husband encouraged her to pursue the scholarships, "because he knew it gave me something to look forward to." The goal not only motivated recovery, but reinforced the feeling she could make a lasting impact on the fight against cancer. The patient could have the last word. Ms. Locher began working on a logo in February. She designed a sterling silver pin that is a variation of the traditional breast cancer ribbon. Her pin depicts a small ribbon folded within a larger ribbon, symbolic of a mother-child relationship. The pins are available for a $30 donation to the scholarship fund. She then tackled fund-raising. Since February, the Children of Breast Cancer Scholarship Fund® has received $20,000. "It's all in small gifts from friends and family. I called everyone I knew," she said. The tax-deductible fund is established under the umbrella of the Community Foundation. "We have a need for this fund because most people think of breast cancer as a postmenopausal disease, but women under 40 is a fast-growing segment. These are not women who are routinely screened with mammograms. This is a new population of breast cancer women e need to reach out to. The dads will be left with their children and with so many families relying on two incomes, they won't be able to afford college," said Ms. Locher. The Susan G. Komen Foundation reports that breast cancer is the most common cancer in pregnant and postpartum women. The American Cancer Society reports that this year, 4,400 cases of breast cancer have been reported in Tennessee, and there have been 900 deaths. An ACS report also states that five out of every 10 women who have breast cancer get it when they are under 40. However, only two of every 100 are under 35 when the diagnosis is made. That's why health education is a key component of Ms. Locher's program. "First, I want to encourage these kids. I want them to know that even though their moms are gone, there are people who want to encourage them and that they do have a future. This is not a merit scholarship. I want this to go to average kids who are taking care of their moms or playing mom by taking care of siblings. "Second is a wellness component. I am talking to two hospitals for wellness events in colleges to teach teens about high-risk cancer behaviors and what they do to your body. Cancer's that occur in adults are often related to health habits they have as teens - high-risk behavior such as smoking.
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Recipient  Ginny Straub
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