Six sisters, most of them from the Piedmont and Patterson area,
team up annually to have their mammograms done at Kneibert Clinic.
They make it a fun day. The six were joined by Connie Crum, (left)
daughter of Dorothy Deckard. Beginning second from left, the sisters
are Crum, Darlene Keathley, Octa Montgomery, Eva Asher, Josephine
Pevril, Mary How and Deckard.
Mammogram Sisters
After sister's death, six siblings team up for mammogram tests
By LONNIE THIELE ~ Staff Writer
Six sisters, five of them from the Piedmont and Patterson area,
get together annually for a trip into Poplar Bluff for lunch and
shopping. It's a day full of talking and laughter -- a fun day.
But it's not the dining or shopping that draws them here.
These gals team up for their annual mammogram.
This year's trip is especially meaningful since October is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month.
"Our oldest sister had breast cancer in 1979 and died three years
later. She did not get mammograms," said Josephine Pevril of rural
Piedmont.
"There had been no one with cancer in the family. No history of
it before she had this. It was kind of a wakeup call for the rest
of us."
Pevril was living in Granite City, Ill., when her sister, Bertha
Montgomery, also of Granite City, was diagnosed with breast cancer
at the age of 53.
Pevril looked after her sister for over two years, the last year
she visited her two or more times daily at St. Elizabeth Hospital
in Granite City.
"She was in the hospital a lot," Pevril said. "The nurses didn't
have time to feed her. I would stop by to feed her on the way to
drop by James (her husband) off at work and on the way to pick him
up.
"I think having someone to talk to and to care for you keeps them
living longer. She would not eat for the nurses."
The Pevrils retired to rural Piedmont in 1990.
After her sister died, Pevril called her five sisters and urged
them to have yearly mammograms.
"When I moved here I found out my sisters weren't getting mammograms
every year. So I would call and make appointments and we would make
it a fun day of it, have lunch and shop. It was one way to make
sure they'll get them (mammograms).
"It started out with three of us going together, it increased to
four, finally we got to telling the others if you're not there you
will be the topic of the day. Gradually we got them all to go."
On Tuesday, Aug. 13, Mary How drove from Washington, Mo., about
100 miles from Piedmont, to Piedmont and spent the night with her
sister, Eva Asher. They got up the next morning and drove to their
sister Dorothy Deckard's home at Patterson, where the sisters had
agreed to meet for their trip to Poplar Bluff.
How was driving a Suburban and offered to drive the sisters to
Kneibert Clinic in Poplar Bluff for their mammograms. The six were
joined by a niece, Connie Crum of Piedmont.
Their mammograms were scheduled from 8:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and
after the tests, they had lunch together at Ryan's, and then did
some shopping. "Mary (How) had already had her mammogram done in
March. When she found out we were all going, she called to find
out if she could join us for the day," Pevril said.
"This gives us a chance to get together. We've always been a pretty
close family. We talk about our families, forgotten problems, if
anyone is upset. We even talk about world problems. We just discuss
whatever."
Pevril said her doctor, Dr. Richard Gale (Wayne Medical Center
in Piedmont) called her a couple of days after the mammograms and
told her all the mammograms were negative.
"He knew we would be happy to know," she said. "I called the rest
of them. We were all thrilled the tests came out good.
"Mammograms might have saved our sister's life. If she had been
more aware of them. When you're younger, you don't think so much
about that stuff.
"When we get a good report, we're just thankful to God. According
to statistics, one out of four women get breast cancer. There's
six of us left."
The sisters range in age from 53 to 77.
Phyllis Davis, Kneibert Clinic business office manager, said the
clinic encourages women to team up for mammograms. Davis helped
set up mammograms for Pevril and her sisters. "They're definitely
seven different individuals. They all have outgoing personalities.
They're just a joy," Davis said.
"We're happy to set women up in groups. We find it's so valuable
to have a support group in case someone has a bad outcome."
Pevril said, "I think everybody should make having their mammogram
a fun day. I think being happy is being healthy. I always say life
is short, so enjoy what life time you have here.
"Grab a friend or a neighbor, if you don't have sisters. Be aware
of it. It can save a neighbor's life or a friend's."
---
This article was originally published October 27, 2002 in the
Daily American Republic, Poplar
Bluff, Missouri, and is reproduced here with permission. |
This video report about diabetes features comments from actor
Stephen Furst, who campaigns for diabetes awareness. (free Apple
Quicktime required
to view)
Diabetes Awareness
Each Year 86,000 Americans Undergo Amputation Due to Chronic
Wounds Caused by Diabetes -- Most Could Be Prevented
Experts Offer Advice for Prevention
November 2002 (Newstream) -- Many Americans know actor Stephen
Furst as Flounder in the movie "Animal House." What they
don't know is that Furst almost lost part of his foot to amputation
because he ignored the complications of diabetes.
Furst is one of 16 million Americans with diabetes. November is
Diabetes Awareness Month, and as Furst knows, awareness can mean
the difference between life and death. Each year, 86,000 Americans
undergo amputation due to nerve damage - the medical term is neuropathy
- caused by diabetes, and experts say half of those amputations
may have been prevented with proper awareness.
Very often, people with diabetes lose sensation in a leg and suffer
a wound that may lead to amputation if left untreated. Furst developed
severe wounds because he could not feel his injuries in the first
place. That is why he now campaigns for awareness.
Experts at Wound Care Centers - which treat people with chronic
wounds related to diabetes - offer the following tips:
- Never walk around in your home without shoes
- Make sure there are no foreign objects in the shoe
- Make sure your shoes fit properly and are the right size
- See a podiatrist regularly
Managed by Curative Health Services, there are more than 100 Wound
Care Centers nationwide. Experts at Wound Care Centers offer everything
from treatment and education to tips for preventing complications
caused by a disease that remains the seventh leading cause of death
in the United States, killing 200,000 Americans every year.
------------------------
Produced for Curative Health Services
CONTACT:
Jennifer Maxwell, 202-628-3800
------------------------
HealthWeb Archive:
October 2002 - Flu Shots, Breast
Cancer Awareness
July 2002 -The Buzz on Mosquito
Protection; Alzheimer's Research Breakthrough; Tennis Elbow
June 2002 - International survey
reveals people with diabetes are not worried about long-term complications;
more than half of people with diabetes may be at risk of going blind
or losing limbs
April 2002 - For nearly one million
working women who become pregnant each year, juggling stress in
the workplace along with stress that comes with being pregnant can
be a tall order. First among them is how to work and manage a healthy
pregnancy at the same time.
March 2002 - Drinking two glasses
of orange juice daily for six weeks significantly reduced blood
pressure in a pilot study conducted at The Cleveland Clinic.
February 2002 - Kathleen Turner
Raises Her Voice About Rheumatoid Arthritis; Years of Silent Suffering
Inspires Powerful Message in Support of Early Diagnosis and Treatment
September 2001 - National Cholesterol
Education Month, Simple Dietary Changes Significantly Lower Cholesterol
Levels in Children and Adults, Culture Gap Affects Access to Mental
Health Service
August 2001 - Stress Echocardiogram;
Hydrate to Beat the Heat
July 2001 - Checkup guidelines
June 2001 - Headaches - Relaxation
techniques, exercise and medication can offer relief.
May 2001: Ah-Chooo! and Zzzzzz!
- Help for allergies and sleep disorders.
April 2001 - Alcohol Awareness,
Counseling Awareness, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
March 2001 - National Kidney
Month, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
February 2001 - American
Heart Month; Preventive Medicine: Good Lifestyle Choices, Less Stress
January 2001 - Healthy
Diet Month, Express Flu Shots Available Now, Glaucoma Awareness
Month
December 2000 - Colorectal
Cancer, Arthritis Update
November 2000 - Information and
links on Diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease and Lung Cancer
October 2000 - Mammography
Day, Flu Vaccines, Save Your Back
September 2000 - Healthy
Aging, Sickle Cell Disease, Eeek! Head Off Head Lice |
