A newsletter for cancer survivors, by cancer survivors.A newsletter for cancer survivors, by cancer survivors.Sponsored by The Dr. Diane Barton Complementary Medicine Program.Sponsored by The Dr. Diane Barton Complementary Medicine Program.

VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 10

Letter from the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Signature Class Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Complementary Med Programs . . . . . . .4My Angel: Angela Frantz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

About the Diane BartonComplementary Medicine Program . . . . .6Sponsor the Tea Cart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7A Celebration of life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Lemon Chicken Recipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

in this issue :

A smile has great power when it issincere. When a person smiles fromthe heart their empathy toward oth-ers increases. In a new book, “HowWords Can Change Your Brain,” neu-roscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg in-cludes note of how when you con-sciously smile like this, you will feelmore positive and it will improve themood of those you talk with becausesmiling is contagious.

Imagining a loved one or lovingmemory promotes greater empathy

by Loretta O'Donnell

Having gone through more difficulttimes recently over the holidays

and after, the contrast between myworried state of mind and the seem-ingly preoccupied people in offices,stores and other public places wasstarker than usual, sometimes makingme feel alone or invisible.

I noticed what a difference a kindword or smile of recognition couldmake in reducing my feelings of sepa-rateness and anxiety. By coincidenceor “karma,” as I was thinking aboutthat, I noticed some relevant inspira-tional quotes that I wanted to keepand share...

“Today, give a stranger one ofyour smiles. It might be the onlysunshine he sees all day.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“Every time you smile at someone,it is an action of love, a gift tothat person, a beautiful thing.” — Mother Teresa

“Everyone smiles in the same language.”— George Carlin

Share Your Smile, Spread the Warmthand compassion for others. Heart-felt smiling also boosts your spiritby releasing feel good dopaminechemicals in the brain. Authenticsmiling strengthens the brain’s abili-ty to maintain a positive outlook.

I saved the best for last. My favorite truism, to paraphraseMaya Angelou, is that people willforget what you said and did, butthey will never forget how youmade them feel.

Welcome to the tenth issue ofthe Survivor Times — a newsletterfor cancer survivors, by cancersurvivors.

A wise person once said“Carve your name on hearts…a legacy is etched into theminds of others and the

stories they share about you.”

Your love, actions and anecdotesover your lifetime are the greatestlegacy that you will leave to yourfriends and family.

Part of my legacy, and my joy, isto fearlessly carry on the brilliant, altruistic legacy of Dr. Diane Bartonwho was a visionary regarding cancersurvivorship.

She knew as a cancer survivorand physician, the importance of us-ing her voice and knowledge to makea positive difference in the cancersurvivorship community.

It is with that spirit in mind that I

Letter from the Editor:created the Survivor Times four yearsand ten issues ago with the intent ofgiving cancer survivors a vehicle to use their voice and insights about theircancer journey and make a positive difference.

Hats off to those of you that havecontributed! The feedback has beenoverwhelming… the articles publishedin this newsletter have truly struck achord in the hearts of those who haveread them.

What is your legacy? If you are acancer survivor will you consider shar-ing some of your stories and insightswith others?

Consider this; something you writemay resonate with another cancer survivor, and bring them peace andease on their journey.

The Dr. Diane Barton ComplementaryMedicine Program is part of the manyclinical and educational programs andservices offered through Cooper Can-cer Institute. This program is commit-ted to providing cancer survivors with

access to an array of complementarymedicine experiences. Our programsare designed to help survivors discov-er ways to cope with the stress andanxiety of their diagnosis, and to alle-viate some of the side effects of theirtreatment by focusing on healing themind, body and spirit. My goalthrough this program is to bring to-gether, empower and engage cancersurvivors to incorporate complemen-tary medicine options into their lives.The inception of this newsletter is theoutcome of one such special programoffered throughout the year.

If you would like to submit an article, please contact me at mehr-bonnie@cooperhealth.edu.

Bonnie MehrEditor, the Survivor Times NewsletterManager, the Dr. Diane Barton Complementary Medicine Program

2 SURVIVOR TIMES • Volume 4, Issue 10

(continued on page 8)

Legacy by Loretta O’Donnell

Acancer diagnosis brings a sudden reflectionon one’s life, the good and the bad and what

changes we want or need to make with a newsense of urgency and sometimes thoughts onhow we would like to be remembered. After myinitial stage 4 diagnosis nearly three years ago, Ipondered my choices on how I wanted to spendmy time and energy.

Like many people, outside of my family Iidentified myself with my career. After 30 years in the newsand public relations profession, I felt that I needed to adjustto a slower pace and wanted more free time to spend withfamily and friends. With my children grown and my husbandworking, I was able to take early retirement from my jobwhich was bittersweet as I thought about my successes andmissteps along the way, hoping that I would be rememberedfor contributing to the workplace and people I collaboratedwith regularly.

After recent news that my stage 4 cancer had pro-gressed, I had new choices to make and reflected on my lifesince my diagnosis and how I want to live and be remem-bered for my unknown remaining amount of time. For thepast three years I have developed closer relationships and

friendships, done a lot of soul searching andlearning. With all the reading, workshops and re-search, I sometimes feel like I’m back in college.

When I think of my late parents and sister, Iwonder if they knew how much positive influencethey brought to my life and others long after theywere gone. I hope so but probably not. I read asuggestion that it is very meaningful for peopleto ask friends and family to write down somememories and ways that the person has addedvalue to their life. I did that recently and wasawestruck by so many loving responses, compli-

ments and fond memories spanning decades and all aspectsof my life. I highly recommend it as a pick me up you canread whenever you’re feeling down and a tangible reminderof your value and legacy.

Some people wrote memories of things I had forgottenand others saw the strength I didn’t know I had. Here are afew excerpts I liked from friends…

• • •You’re like an ice dancer—nobody sees the grit and falls and hard work that it has taken you to get to where you want to be. Even with cancer — I’m still

surprised at your peace and strength when we came tovisit. I admire your inner steel and your outward grace.

• • •

Legacy

Loretta O’Donnell

Volume 4, Issue 10 • SURVIVOR TIMES 3

T H E D R . D I A N E B A R T O N C O M P L E M E N T A R Y M E D I C I N E P R O G R A M

JANUARY – JUNE 2013

Signature Class S E R I E SA FREE series of classes for cancer patients and their caregivers.

Complementary Medicine ProgramT H E D R . D I A N E B A R T O N

Location:Town Square Building, 931Centennial Blvd., Voorhees, NJ 08043

Time: 11:00 a.m. –12:30 p.m.

Dates:• March 13: Watercolor • March 27: Spring Wreaths• April 3: Six Word Memoirs • April 17: Decorative Ceramics• May 8: Affirmation Bracelets • May 22: Decorate Herb Pot• June 5: Plant Herb Garden • June 19: Personalize ToteThis class is free for cancer survivors and there is no cost for materials. Please register for each class so the appropriate number of supplies can be provided. Please call:

1.800.8.COOPER (1.800.826.6737).You can also register online at events.cooperhealth.org.

Therapeutic Massage & Reflexology DaysAttention all cancer survivors: Come enjoy the mindbody spirit benefits of therapeutic chair massage andreflexology.

Dates: March 12 & 26, April 9 & 23, May 7 & 21, June 4 & 18

Time: 9:30 a.m. –1:00 p.m.

Location: Town Square Building931 Centennial Blvd., Voorhees, NJ 08043

2 0 1 3

Bonnie’s Book ClubA story is always better if you have someone to share itwith… what could be better than sharing it with a groupof friends who have read it too?

•March 27: The Lifeboatby Charlotte Rogan

• April 17: The Secret Keeperby Kate Morton

•May 22: Gone Girlby Gillian Flynn

• June 19: Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmakerby Jennifer Chiaverini

Time: 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Town Square Building, 931 Centennial Blvd.Voorhees, NJ 08043

This book club is for cancer survivors. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact Bonnie Mehr at 856.325.6646

4 SURVIVOR TIMES • Volume 4, Issue 10

Volume 4, Issue 10 • SURVIVOR TIMES 5

by Christine Gonnelli

I was raised in a household witha strong spiritual foundation:

Throughout my life, I have hadseveral eerie coincidences that arejust too uncanny to ignore. You haveheard the metaphors; “At the rightplace at the right time,” “God onlygives you as much as you can han-dle,” etc. You may also have hadtimes when you pray for somethingover and over and out of the blue, itmiraculously appears. Amazing, isn’tit? Or not? And are there angels? Ithink so… Angela Frantz, breast NurseNavigator at Cooper Cancer Instituteis my proof!

So here is my story of divinealignment:

After divorcing in 2007, I marriedthe love of my life, my husband, Joe.We relocated to Moorestown with mythree sons and his five children; sud-denly we were quickly in charge of afamily of ten. Needless to say, I hadvery little time to meet new friendsand embrace my new surroundings.My realtor was instrumental in findingus the perfect home as well as offer-ing a wealth of information I wouldneed for survival with my new crew.She parted with, “The best pizza is onMain Street, I know most of thecoaches at the high school, and if youever need a breast surgeon, I havethe best one in South Jersey.”

So fast forward four years to 2011:

Having very little time alone, Joesurprises me with tickets for a tenday cruise through the Mediter-ranean. Just us! Seizing the opportu-nity for a vacation of his own, one ofmy sons arranged to stay at the shorewith his best friend’s family. Sinceboth of our children are athletes, Iknow Angela at this point only casual-ly. Angela is a working mother whonever misses a sporting event. She isthe woman who is constantly intro-

Christine Gonnelli and Angela Frantz

Philadelphia due to severe enginetrouble. Severe engine trouble; whatthe heck is that? Yikes. Like mostmothers, all I could think of was ourchildren. Not being a good swimmer, Iimmediately asked for extra paper formy goodbye letters, just in case! Be-ing unable to resume our flight untilthe next day, we missed our ship’s de-parture in Barcelona. Rerouted toRome, we were able to catch the shipat its next port; however, we notthrilled to find we had no luggage, nomedicine, and no toiletries for eightdays, putting a huge damper on ourromantic getaway! Our gift shop billwas twice the cost of the trip! As ifthat wasn’t enough, I experiencedroutine migraines and started hemor-rhaging mid cycle, spending moretime in the infirmary than in my cab-in. I left the airport in a wheelchairwith what was soon diagnosed at theemergency room as stress relatedDUB (dysfunctional uterine bleeding).Like a sledge hammer to the head, Iwas forced to schedule my extremelylate annual tests, which many busywomen foolishly put on the backburner. My bleeding was simply due tostress, but the routine mammogramscheduled two weeks later showed adismal picture, requiring an immedi-ate biopsy.

What just happened, I wondered: My husband was back to work. The

kids were busy in a multitude of direc-tions and I now wondered when in theworld would I have gotten around tomy mammogram had I not beenforced to get one. I got in my car andwithin seconds I was sobbing in totaldisbelief. Retrieving my largest sun-

ducing parents to each other, showingspecial interest in children who comefrom single family homes, offeringrides to stranded players, working thesnack bar, etc. She seems to knoweveryone and was one of the nicestpeople I met when I moved to town.We called each other only occasional-ly, mostly with issues pertaining tothe children. I knew Angela was anurse, but what she actually did, Icouldn’t recall.

Our second honeymoon, our fabulous European cruise, was a disaster from the start:

Two hours into the flight, holdinghands looking over the Atlantic, thepilot announced he has to turn theairplane around and return back to (continued on page 6)

My Angel: Angela Frantz, RNBreast Cancer Nurse Navigator

6 SURVIVOR TIMES • Volume 4, Issue 10

glasses, I snuck into the house andquickly and called my husband’s of-fice to unleash the unpleasant news.Joe, the ultimate problem solver, wassearching the web even before I hadfinished my story.

Suddenly, I remembered my real-tor’s statement; “If I ever need abreast surgeon…” I called her imme-diately and she proceeds to tell meall about Dr. Kristin Brill who is onstaff at Cooper Cancer Institute andher outstanding reputation as one ofthe best breast surgeons in SouthJersey. She would contact her imme-diately. Not being able to reach her,my realtor leaves a message for thealways busy, Dr. Brill. I throw myselfin bed in totalshock at howmy life hadchanged in thir-ty minutes time.After an hour ofheart-wrenchingblubbering, it comesto me out of the blue… An-gela Frantz. She took a job inVoorhees. She worked in oncology. Iwonder if she has heard of this Dr.Brill. Too grief stricken to call, I sentAngela a text, explaining my problemand asked if she had ever heard ofDr. Brill.

In less than twenty seconds, my phone rings and the angelicvoice is Angela Frantz:

“Are you CRAZY”? She screams.“Don’t you know, I am Dr. Brill’sbreast cancer Nurse Navigator? Iwork directly with her on…, oh, nevermind. Wash you face and get yourtail directly to Cooper. I just sched-uled you for a biopsy in one hour.”

And that was it. From that pointon, and to this day, sixteen monthslater, Angela handles every aspect ofmy regimen with the greatest ofcare. When your breast cancer isidentified just short of stage three,the treatment is extensive. In mycase, chemotherapy, double mastec-tomy, radiation and reconstructionwas the protocol, in that order. Being

My Angel: Angela Frantz(continued from page 5) the queen of multi-tasking, Angela

quickly set up my dream team ofphysicians; Dr. Brill, Dr. Grana, Dr.Liao, Dr. LaCouture, Helen NichterNP, and Dr. Tamburrino. I call themmy dream team, not just because oftheir exceptional talents, but know-ing I had the best of the best, al-lowed me to sleep at night anddream; dream of beating my cancerand getting on with my busy life.

After meeting my dream team,even with a rough road ahead,somehow I just knew I was going tobe okay…

I still remember my greatest fearof all was the fact that I had to tellmy sons I had cancer. I sat each childdown individually and told them Ihad some “not so great news” toshare and I really only wanted them

to understand one thing; that Iwasn’t going to die.” I made

each of them repeat itthree times until theypromised they believed

me. Then I toldthem what was

going to lose allof my hair, drag

around for months,but eventually would

look like a Beyonce. After all, howcould such a perfectly aligned storynot have a happy ending?

Having cancer requires fight-ing… like when I shaved my hair onmy 54th birthday to prepare forbattle. But many times, thebiggest fight is keeping the faith…

I was once told, “You are allowedto have dark days, but you just can’tstay there.” I can honestly say whilemy regimen was worse than most,my experience was not that bad. Ihad many days laughing with Angela;my favorite was when my wig blewhalf way off my head in the footballstadium during a blizzard; Or, when Iquickly whipped off my wig when Iwas speeding so the policemanwould let me go. Being Greek, imag-ine how thrilled I was for not havingto shave my legs for 8 months!

Now, as a survivor, I thank Godfor his most precious gift; the giftof life…

About The Dr. Diane BartonComplementary MedicineProgram

The Dr. Diane Barton Complementary MedicineProgram enhances the quality of life andwellness of individuals touched by cancer — in-cluding patients, their caregivers and family.

It utilizes therapies that focus on mind,body and spirit while supporting mainstreammedical care. The complementary therapies of-fered through CCI are designed to lessen thepain, stress and anxiety associated with cancer.Therapies also assist in managing the side ef-fects of traditional treatments such as radiationand chemo-therapy. While complementary ther-apies cannot cure cancer, many patients havefound them to be helpful in managing and cop-ing with their cancer. While traditional medicineand healthcare treat the illness, complementa-ry medicine therapies help promote wellness inthe whole person.

In addition to the therapeutic benefits, tak-ing part in complementary medicine therapiesempowers participants — providing survivorswith an opportunity to take a positive, activerole in their care and treatment.

All therapies and programs offered throughthe Dr. Diane Barton Complementary MedicineProgram are available at no cost and are opento all cancer patients and their caregivers, re-gardless of where they receive their treatment.These programs, lectures and activities offerpatients access to social, educational and sup-port opportunities. Programs are offered week-ly throughout the year. Our outpatient comple-mentary medicine programs include:

•Restorative Yoga•Therapeutic Chair Massage •Meditation for Relaxation•Qi Gong•Body Movement Classes•Behavioral Health Workshops•Creative Arts•The Tea Cart (brought to outpatients while receiving chemotherapy)•Educational Seminars•Horticultural Therapy

This program is wholly funded throughphilanthropic support. As the reputationand demand for our programs and servicesgrow, so does our need for funding. If youare interested in learning more about TheDr. Diane Barton Complementary MedicineProgram or would like to make a donation,please contact, Bonnie Mehr, Program Manager, at 856.325.6646.

Volume 4, Issue 10 • SURVIVOR TIMES 7

Be a Monthly Sponsorof the Tea Cart Your donations of ShopRite giftcards are appreciated. We haveexpanded the tea cart inVoorhees to 5 days per week!

Every delicious snack given to ourpatients while they are receiving

their chemo is given from the heart.Our patients are always pleasantlysurprised when sitting in the outpa-tient chemo unit for hours and per-haps feeling a little down, when abeautiful flowered cart filled withfree juices and snacks, program up-dates and the Survivor Times, andmany more surprises, comes alongand serves them a little spot of sun-shine. It’s an inspirational initiativethrough the Dr. Diane Barton Com-plementary Medicine Program alongwith Cooper Cancer Institute em-ployees that voluntarily give up partof their lunch time to make a posi-tive difference in the quality of eachpatient’s journey. It serves as a testa-ment of the spirit that defines Coop-er Cancer Institute’s commitment inproviding Excellence in Patient &Family–Centered Care.

For more information pleasecontact; Bonnie Mehr, Manager, theDr. Diane Barton ComplementaryMedicine Program at 856.325.6646or mehr-bonnie@cooperhealth.edu

You may mail your ShopRite giftcard donations to: Attn: Bonnie Mehr,Cooper Cancer Institute, 2017 Piazza Main St., Voorhees, NJ08043

A Celebration of Lifeby Louise Flannery

My oldest sister, Helen, passed away this past October,at the age of 85. She was a cancer survivor (both

uterine and colon, several years apart) with the last over20 years ago. She took both in stride even dealing withcomplications. In the end, it was her heart that gave out,her big generous heart...

We were not particularly close, due in part to an over10 year age difference and the fact she moved out of thearea when her husband had a job transfer. So I was notprepared for the flood of emotions and memories thatcame pouring in. The day after receiving the news I waswashing the dishes (where I receive some of my bestideas) when I started remembering events of our child-hood. The first memory was how generous she alwayswas, her cheerfulness and optimism. Our Dad was a veryhard worker and we always had what we needed... butwith 6 children in the family, we didn't have a lot of ex-tras. My sister went to work after high school and shestarted buying us some of those “extras:” most notablewas a big box fan that really helped to cool us off duringthose sweltering Philadelphia summers. She also learnedhow to drive and bought a new car, a ‘57 Chevy, pink andgray, which was her pride and joy. She took us on a roadtrip up through New England into Canada to view NiagaraFalls from that side which was very thrilling to myyounger siblings and me.

When I think of Helen, the word resilience comes tomind. She had that incredible quality that allows somepeople to be knocked down by life, and come backstronger than ever. She inherited that trait from my fa-ther when he successfully battled colon cancer manyyears ago. I was grateful to have that trait when I had todeal with my own cancer. We both took the blows... but wealways got back up again.

After my sister married and had a son, she studied andreceived her broker’s license and went on to have a suc-cessful career in real estate.

I guess what I am trying to say is that even withoutthat closeness, when a family member passes away, youfeel a definite void. It made me realize that love comes inmany different packages... and there is comfort in all thegood memories.

I am grateful Helen was my sister. She is survived byher devoted husband of 55 years who is still active at 94,her loving son and 2 grandchildren.

Her’s was a life well-lived.

8 SURVIVOR TIMES • Volume 4, Issue 10

Legacy(continued from page 2)

Thanks for being a great exampleof how to approach life with anoptimistic attitude. You see whatneeds to be done and you do it.

You look for the best in allsituations. You have taught me to

be willing to investigate newadventures, never knowing what I

may find.• • •

You are such a strong, courageouslady and what a fighter too. Youhave had such a positive attitudeduring the past couple years. Youreally are an inspiration to others.

• • •The impact of having written

notes of what people like about youis a huge boost to your resolve. I hadread that a teacher once askedeveryone in the class to write onething they liked about each personin the class and many years later, allthe classmates still had and cher-ished those writings.

Our reach goes far beyond whatwe think. One of my out-of-statenephews just sent me a copy of hiscollege application essay and muchto my surprise it was about me. “Heractions and attitude inspire all of usthat know her. My Aunt Loretta istruly an inspiration and a role modelon how to handle adversity. The les-sons I’ve learned from her are in-valuable, and ones that I want topass on to countless others.”

We often compare ourselves toothers and think we are just average,but we are all special and influential.The next time you’re feeling down orthat you aren’t doing enough, re-member Jimmy Stewart in It’s aWonderful Life, and how his townand many people in it were so muchbetter from his one “average” life.

My mother-in-law’s yearly pro-duction of a book of memories, withthe input of children and grandchil-dren, is a treasure to the family.

The recording of a family’s his-tory and stories can be a powerfulreminder of a family’s legacy.

• 1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/8 tsp. ground white or black pepper

• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, divided

• 1 lb. skinless and boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

• 1 Tbsp. grated or finely chopped ginger, plus 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1/2 cup sliced leek, white and pale green parts, 2-inch pieces

• 1/2 cup thinly slice red onion, in crescents

• 3 cups broccoli florets cut to bite-size

• 1/4 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts

In measuring cup, combine broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat. When wok is hot, drizzle half of the oil aroundsides, then lift and swirl wok to coat it. Add chicken, and stir-fry until no pinkcolor shows, 2 minutes. Scoop out chicken and place on plate.

Drizzle remaining oil into wok and swirl to coat. Add fresh ginger, ground gin-ger and garlic and stir fry until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add leek and onion andstir fry for 1 minute. Pour in broth mixture, cover wok and cook for 2 minutesuntil broccoli looks bright green. Return chicken to wok and stir fry until piecesare white in the center, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn contents of wok out onto servingplatter. Sprinkle on scallions and serve.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 193 calories, 5 g fat (3 g sat fat), 8 g carbohydrates, 29 g protein 1 g fiber, 452 mg sodium.

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli and Ginger