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By Zach Jensen,
Breast cancer is the second-leading causes of cancer-related death in U.S. women, and this year, approximately 310,720 women as well as 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, according to information on breastcancer.org.
But, Decorah’s Jody Niess says breast cancer is not only survivable, it’s thrivable — meaning women can still enjoy full lives even after having a double mastectomy as she did.
“It’s not fun,” said Jody Niess. “But how bad do you want to live? I get to make a choice — whether I’m positive about it or I’m negative about it. What would being negative about it do for me?”
Niess, who opened Eclips Salon and Day Spa in 1996, went into WinnMed for her annual mammogram on her birthday in May of 2021 — just like she did every year.
“I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve had the same technician do all my mammograms,” she said. “So, she knew my breasts pretty well. I feel that’s important, because we develop a relationship with them. A mammogram isn’t a comfortable thing to have done, and having the same technician just puts you a little more at ease, and you can ask for a specific technician.”
WinnMed in Decorah now offers three-dimensional mammograms, which produce a much clearer picture than two-dimensional mammography machines, and Niess said that’s how her tumor was found.
“The tumor that I had was so small that I could not have felt it, and it could not have been felt during an exam,” Niess said. “The only way it could have been found is with the 3D mammogram.”
After finding the tiny mass, Niess’s doctor conducted a biopsy, which revealed the tumor was malignant. She said she, like many cancer patients, found herself making decisions and learning terminology to navigate a scenario she hoped to never experience in the first place.
Niess said that after the lumpectomy, her doctors would likely have prescribed chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but the lumpectomy didn’t reveal clear margins, which meant the cancer had spread beyond the original mass. Her doctors performed a second lumpectomy, yielding the same results.
“That was a little scary,” Niess said.
The surgeon gave Niess several options on how they could proceed, and her doctor recommended a bilateral mastectomy — the removal of both breasts.
“That may sound kind of extreme, but I don’t know how some women choose to have just one breast removed,” Niess said. “You have tubes coming out of your body — that they send you home with — for the drainage, and you have to put those tubes in a little sack that you hang around your neck when you take a shower. It’s not pretty to see, but if they had taken only one breast, how would I dress? How do I function? In my case, taking both of them was the perfect thing to do.”
Niess’s double mastectomy took place on Aug. 3, 2021, and returning home with only her husband to care for her was difficult, she said. It was about two weeks before Niess could look at herself in the mirror.
“I’m very squeamish about things, and there were three tubes coming out of my body,” she said. “I didn’t even want to look at that, and God bless my husband, because three times a day, those tubes had to be emptied, because they’re taking fluid out, so you don’t get an infection. And, you have to measure the amount of fluid, the color of the fluid — three times a day you have to do that. And, they don’t take them out until there is no longer fluid or drainage. So, you’re living with tubes coming out of your body. It was kind of a scary time.”
By the end of that September, Niess’s stitches had dissolved, and she became more comfortable with seeing her new reflection.
“I think initially it was hard to see, but you just kind of reconcile with yourself that this is how you’re going to look,” she said. “I’m sure it’s emotional for some women, but it wasn’t as emotional as I thought it would be.”
Niess then needed to decide if she wanted reconstructive surgery. She said she and her husband talked about that decision at length.
“For one thing, I was 67 years old, and reconstruction is a whole other process and a whole lot of other surgeries,” she said. “I think age has a lot to do with it, and your spouse or significant other would have a lot to do with it — even though at the end, it’s your decision to make. I just didn’t want anymore surgeries. It’s not important to me. I’m over it. And, I’m fortunate to have a great husband who took care of me and who still finds me sexy without breasts, which shows you what type of a man he is also — and the strength of our relationship also.”
Niess opted out of reconstructive surgery — instead celebrating the fact that she’ll never need another mammogram for the rest of her life while remaining eternally grateful for the help and support she received from a good friend’s local nonprofit organization throughout the fight for her life.
“I was a big donor for Celebration of Life for years — never thinking I would ever be the recipient of any of it,” Niess said.
‘Every day is a celebration’
Niess has been friends with Margaret “Mugs” Walter since 1973, and she worked with Walter for years — providing free mammograms for uninsured and under-insured women in Winneshiek County.
Walter opened and owned Margaret’s Boutique in downtown Decorah, and she clearly remembers deciding to help women with their breast cancer needs more than 30 years ago.
“Just before the first October we hosted programs at the store, I had both of my neighbor ladies, two of my best friends and a gal who worked for me get breast cancer,” Walter said. “I was so upset, and I just thought it’s nice to send a note to someone, but I wanted to do more than that. And, I felt that with the people I knew because of being in business, I could really do some good.”
Walter cleaned out her store’s lower level and set up tables and booths. She hosted breast cancer presentations with cancer specialists, pharmacists and other speakers every Saturday each October and helping women sign up for mammogram appointments — all with help from Winneshiek Medical Center, which is now WinnMed. Over time, local businesses noticed what Walter was doing and began financially supporting her endeavors to help women with their mammogram and breast cancer needs.
“It then occurred to me that we could do more and raise money, so we started doing free mammograms for under-insured and uninsured women,” Walter said.
Ultimately, she and others founded Celebration of Life as a nonprofit organization in 1998.
“I had a young lady from Cresco, who had two or three small girls, who was a very good customer of mine, and she had stage four cancer,” Walter remembered. “She came into the store all the time, and every time she’d come in, she bought a new dress. Every day, she’d get up, put on makeup and put on a fancy dress, and every time she came in, she and her mother and I would cry, because she was such a brave soul. I was overwhelmed by her strength, and she wanted her little girls to remember her. And, she looked at me and she said, ‘You know, Mugs, every day is a celebration,’ and that stuck with me, and that’s why I named it Celebration of Life.”
The nonprofit was well received, according to Walter, and it eventually expanded its services to include not only women, but also men and children.
“Cancer touches everybody,” Walter said, estimating the nonprofit has helped thousands of people in its time.
This year is Celebration of Life’s biggest year ever for its “Fuel/Food for the Fight” program, which helps cover travel expenses for people during their cancer treatments. Walter said the organization typically helps 72 Winneshiek County residents through that program each year, but its helped close to 80 so far in 2024. Recipients are given gift cards for both fuel and food as well as a greeting card informing them “Somebody in this community cares about you.”
“That says a lot about the community,” Walter said. “We couldn’t do it if it was just us, and we get a lot who pay it forward. After people have heard from us and their cancer is better or they’re feeling better, they’ll send us a check and note to let us know they’re paying their gift forward. It’s all so appreciated — especially the fuel assistance right now. I know people who have made 50, 60, 70 trips for their cancer. That’s a lot, and it’s scary.”
Walter said the Decorah community has been very generous in supporting Celebration of Life through private donations and public fundraisers. Both South Winneshiek and Decorah High Schools hold events each year to benefit the nonprofit — as does Oneota Country Club, the Oneota Community Co-op and others.
“People try to support us as best they can, and we couldn’t do it without them.”
Autumn creative composition. Beautiful dried leaves on pastel pink background. Fall concept. Autumn background. Flat lay, top view, copy space
Whitesidewalls to perform at Nov. 1 Celebration of Life fundraiser
The Winneshiek County Celebration of Life Board of Trustees is hosting a Nov. 1 fundraising event at the Hotel Winneshiek, including a performance by The Whitesidewalls. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the event are $35 each, and Celebration of Life has sold more than 200 tickets so far. Sponsorships and donations in honor of individuals are also available. For more information, visit Celebration of Life’s website at winneshiekcol.com, email winneshiekcountycol@gmail.com or contact any member of the nonprofit’s board of trustees members — Stephanie Cenek, Andy Carlson, Brenda Dietiker, Janelle Halverson, Angela Hansen, Peggy Lensing, Deb Tekippe, Margaret Walter and Julie Wurtzel.
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