PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A year ago, TAMC and four County media outlets began a year-long collaborative effort to honor a dozen individuals from throughout northern Maine who displayed hope, strength and courage as they faced the fiercest battle of their lives. Today, the stories and photographs of 12 heroic individuals grace The County Cancer Hall of Courage, located at TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle in the East Wing Annex building corridor that leads to TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care.
Over the past year, survivors of various types of cancer have been featured monthly in large prints that bear their photo and inspirational story of survival. The prints have been placed in frames made by TAMC’s maintenance staff and painted in the color that is used by the American Cancer Society and other organizations to represent that form of the disease. The County Cancer Hall of Courage is open to the general public. Community members are encouraged to visit the Hall of Courage and read the inspirational stories of survival.
The County Cancer Hall of Courage is a joint project of TAMC, The Star-Herald, Aroostook Republican, Houlton Pioneer Times and Fiddlehead Focus. Through the partnership, the stories and photos have been prominently featured monthly in the three weekly papers covering central and southern Aroostook and online with Fiddlehead Focus in the St. John Valley.
The honorees include men and women, senior citizens, business professionals, young adults and two children. They come from throughout Aroostook County. The following is an excerpt from each of the stories of the County Cancer Hall of Courage honorees:
Rosa Michaud
Breast Cancer
(October 2012)
“You have breast cancer.” That’s what Rosa Michaud of Presque Isle was told in the spring of 1991. A routine mammogram had found a mass, so Dr. Bruce Alexander referred Rosa to Dr. Ronald Rohe at Aroostook Cancer Care.
“When they told me I had breast cancer, I thought: OK, this is it. The end,” said Rosa. “I started giving away a lot of stuff. I tried to prepare.”
Rosa began her fight with cancer by having a mastectomy, followed by nine months of chemotherapy. She was horribly sick for the first two days after every chemo session and felt constantly nauseated and weak. She had a hard time with large groups of people, which was especially difficult because she came from a large family who were very supportive.
At follow-up appointments after her mastectomy, she consulted with Dr. Rohe regarding her family history and her cancer journey. Rosa opted to have a mastectomy on her remaining breast in order to reduce her risk of a reoccurrence. While she had the option to go through a rebuild after the two mastectomies, Rosa decided not to.
Rosa is now the advocate for her family. She checks up on all of them and encourages routine screens. She refuses to allow cancer to continue to be the elephant in the room. She has helped her children in creating a medical history of her family and participated in genetic mapping.
“I will always believe that life is a gift,” said Rosa. “Every day is a miracle, and I feel as though I can enjoy life even more, knowing that others can learn something from my experience.”
Bridget Theriault
Lung Cancer
(November 2012)
By December of 2006, 49-year-old Bridget Theriault, a Kennebunk resident at the time, had finally had enough of the bronchitis that wouldn’t go away.
“That year I had three or four attacks, and even though I was on antibiotics, they wouldn’t completely go away,” Bridget said. Her primary care doctor wasn’t too concerned, but Bridget’s husband Sheldon was.
“Ask for a chest X-ray,” he said. Bridget did just that and the result would change her life forever.
“We found a mass in your left lung,” she was told in her doctor’s office. Bridget and her husband cried the whole way home. Bridget began chemo and radiation in order to shrink the tumor or eliminate it completely. Her husband was at her side for her appointments and tests.
“My girlfriends and I take a shopping trip every year to Boston,” said Bridget. “That year on the way back, I had a seizure. Once we got home, my husband took me up to the hospital and they found a brain tumor.”
Her surgeon told her he would like to operate on it because it was in a good location and her success rate was high. He would only operate, though, if her lung function was high enough. Luckily it was. After surgery, she was put through countless tests to check her cognitive function as well as her motor skills. Her surgeon was happy with her results and sent her home with the warning not to exert herself. Bridget promised to take it easy and went home to cook Thanksgiving dinner for her family.
“One of the things I found amazing through all of this was that I didn’t realize how many friends I had,” said Bridget. “Everyone was so supportive and kind.”
Hadley McLean
Brain Cancer
(December 2012)
April 8, 2011 is a day that is firmly stamped into the memories of the McLean family of Presque Isle. It’s the day little 8-year-old Hadley McLean was told she had cancer.
In the months leading up to the diagnosis, Hadley would have splitting headaches and nausea that her parents and her doctor would attribute to other things. Hadley was scheduled to see a gastroenterologist and neurologist to see if they could put all of the symptoms together. She never got the chance.
“I came across the symptoms for a brain tumor and there it was: everything Hadley had been dealing with,” said her mother, Holly. “I called my husband and read it to him. He was shocked.”
Hadley’s doctor ordered blood-work done and the results came back with nothing. Just to be sure an MRI was ordered. The McLeans were immediately called in to the doctor’s office.
“We were told she had a mass about the size of a lemon,” said Holly. “We left for Boston that evening.”
At the Children’s Hospital in Boston, Dr. Benjamin Warf handled Hadley’s case. He got her into surgery right away and removed the tumor.
“Hadley faced many challenges from the surgery,” said Holly. “For example, she had to spend months in a rehab facility to learn how to walk again. Her speech, her vision, and her left arm were affected.”
After the McLeans returned home, they prepared for Hadley to have her chemotherapy, which she endured for six months. She went to school when she felt she could. They flew to Boston for four days each month for chemo. Hadley would be hospitalized during her chemo treatments, and then fly home. The next week they would fly back for one day of chemo and then return.
Hadley underwent countless blood and platelet transfusions and also had two surgeries for a feeding tube. Throughout it all, she tried to keep a good attitude. She never gave up; she knew she had to get through it.
“She is more assertive, but she still remembers her manners,” said Holly. “Hadley is more in tune to other children and she enjoys their company. She loves being around the little ones. She is much more sympathetic and understanding of others. I believe she is trying to enjoy her life because she knows how very precious it is. Hadley wants to be the best that she can be.”
Susie Schloeman
Cervical Cancer
(January 2013)
Susie Schloeman remembers a whirlwind summer 22 years ago, when she was 34, with perfect clarity. She had gone with a group of teachers to a conference at Sugarloaf and was looking forward to relaxing and connecting with colleagues. Throughout the conference and the weeks that followed, Susie was riddled with female health problems. Excessive pain began to set in and one Sunday while getting ready to go to church, Susie asked her husband to take her to the emergency room instead. She could no longer take the pain.
“The ER doctor told me I needed to see my gynecologist as soon as possible,” remembers Susie. “I got an appointment the next day and had a full exam and PAP smear. Then we had to wait for the results. My doctor called a few days later and told me I had cervical cancer. I thought it was a cyst. I never once thought it was cancer.”
Susie met with her gynecologist and Dr. Rohe to discuss her options.
“Naturally, I wanted to fight it so they recommended aggressive treatment,” said Susie.
“When I was in the hospital for the first week, my sister sent a friend who was a cervical cancer survivor and that gave me some hope. That was important to me.”
Family and friends were also important.
“My family and friends were amazing through my fight,” recalled Susie. “My family lives locally, and my mother-in-law came up from Texas to help with the kids. My support system from my family, friends, and co-workers was unbelievable.”
Susie’s daughter was only seven years old when she was diagnosed, and her son was five.
Calvin Tutle
Colon Cancer
(February 2013)
In the spring of 2002, Calvin went to his regularly scheduled exam. He was extremely healthy, so he never worried about his test results. That year was different.
“Dr. Wood found something during an exam and referred me for a colonoscopy at TAMC. My family was far more concerned than I was,” remembers Calvin.
“The colonoscopy found cancer, and I was quickly referred for surgery to remove the colon and to set up a colostomy,” he said. “Then the chemo and radiation treatments began.”
After months of treatment, Calvin was cleared and allowed to go back to his normal lifestyle. Calvin was a volunteer for a local food pantry, and he picked right up where he left off before treatment. Over a decade later, at 85 years old, he is still the pickup and transport volunteer five days a week. He also spends several days a week transporting neighbors to church and community group activities.
Calvin has his faithful companion, Holly the Schnauzer, as his riding buddy everywhere he goes. She helped him through his fight and keeps him active.
“If you slow down too much, you come to a stop,” said Calvin. “I enjoy being active; I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”
Dana Boardman
Renal Cancer
(March 2013)
“It all started with a pain in my side that just wouldn’t go away,” remembers Dana. “I thought it was an injury that hadn’t healed well.”
Dana made his primary care provider, Barry Campbell, PA-C, aware of the pain. Dana, who was 38 at the time, had always been healthy, had no family history of cancer or other illnesses, but the pain continued. After much discussion, Barry ordered a CAT scan.
“After the CAT scan, I received a phone call, asking my wife and I to come in to talk to Barry,” said Dana. “That’s never a good thing.”
Barry sat the Boardmans down and explained that Dana had a softball-sized tumor on his kidney. He referred Dana for more tests and after blood-work and an MRI, it was decided that Dana would need surgery. Knowing he had several options, Dana did his own research and decided to have laparoscopic surgery to remove the tumor and the kidney.
“I was not sent for chemo or radiation,” he said, “but I was sent for imaging studies every six months for the next three years as well as blood-work.”
Dr. Arjun Sood of TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care provided Dana’s follow-up care.
“Every time I would get blood-work done or an imaging test, there would be this worry, the fear that we would find out it had come back,” he said. “So far we’ve been blessed. The results have always been normal.”
Dana’s immediate family as well as his church family provided constant support and encouragement.
“I feel blessed that I have such a support group,” said Dana. “I have such wonderful friends and family. This whole ordeal gives you an appreciation of the little things: spending time with family, enjoying life, and making the most of it. I make sure I make every minute count.”
Alan Cleaves
Testicular Cancer
(April 2013)
After an exam with Family Nurse Practitioner Steve Porter led to cause for concern, Alan Cleaves was referred to Urologist Dr. Imbesat Daudi. Dr. Daudi ordered an ultrasound and found something in the image. It was the size of the tip of a pencil.
“Because I had surgery when I was younger, it could have been scar tissue,” said Alan. “Dr. Daudi recommended that we get imaging studies done every three months to monitor it.”
A year to the day after the original ultrasound, the results showed the mass had multiplied, and Alan had two options: continue monitoring or have surgery. Alan had surgery to remove the testicle in the fall of 2008. He then waited for the pathology to come back to tell him definitively if it was cancerous.
“To that point, I was still thinking it wasn’t cancer,” said Alan. “No one had actually said it. It was ‘something they saw’ or ‘a mass,’ but not cancer.”
Porter called Alan and his wife Carli in to discuss the results. It was cancer. He referred Alan to Dr. Amarnath Ramineni at Aroostook Cancer Care. Dr. Ramineni ordered blood-work, imaging studies and pathology reports before sitting down with Alan about his diagnosis.
“Though there were a few options we could take,” said Alan, “we went with 15 radiation treatments over three weeks. I had five treatments a week at TAMC’s Radiation Oncology Center before going to work. Dr. John Mullen and his staff were great.”
After the treatments were completed, Alan noticed that his gums stopped bleeding and his blood pressure went down. He still gets cold easily, but everything else has returned to normal.
“I have blood-work done every year, and will continue to for a few more years,” said Alan. “It has been five years and everything keeps coming back normal.”
“We have learned a lot through this experience,” said Carli. “For example, don’t ignore your body: get routine exams and physicals and stay on top of your health.”
Stephanie McLaughlin
Malignant Melanoma
(May 2013)
In January of 1998, what began as a routine exam turned into a nightmare for Stephanie McLaughlin of Mars Hill. She went to her routine appointment with Dr. George Karagory for a physical exam and to complete her usual bloodwork. She was only 32 at the time, but she faithfully kept all of her appointments. So when Dr. Karagory noted a red spot on her arm, the size of the tip of her pinky finger, Stephanie wasn’t too concerned. The spot was itchy, which concerned Dr. Karagory, so he recommended taking action.
A week later Dr. Karagory called with the results: malignant melanoma. Malignant melanoma is a type of skin cancer that spreads quickly to other parts of the body, not just the skin.
“In less than a week, I was sitting in Dr. Ronald Rohe’s office in Aroostook Cancer Care,” said Stephanie. “At the time, the procedure I needed was done in Boston, so he called and made the appointment for the next week. It was all happening so fast.”
The procedure Stephanie had travelled to Boston for was a sentinel node biopsy, a surgical procedure that is used to determine if the cancer has spread. Stephanie’s sentinel node biopsy revealed that the cancer had not spread; it was caught very early.
The next day, she went in for surgery to remove the cancer cells. The entire surgery took three hours, but her surgeon was confident he removed everything. Since her node biopsy came back negative and the surgeon was able to remove everything, Stephanie did not need chemotherapy.
“I advise everyone to pay attention to their body,” Stephanie said. “If you question something, have it looked at or removed. Don’t let things go. If I had done that, I could have died. Keep up with routine exams and ask questions! They could save your life.”
Sonia McKenney
Breast Cancer
(June 2013)
In the spring of 2010, 44-year-old Connor native Sonia McKenney went in for a routine mammogram. She had no family history, but she faithfully had been getting routine mammograms since she turned 40.
“I got the call the same day,” said Sonia. “I went to my doctor’s office, sat down, and was told I had cancer. I was so stunned, I couldn’t speak for several minutes.”
Within a week, Sonia was in Boston at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute undergoing several tests. It was determined the she had a very aggressive form of breast cancer that had already spread to her lymph nodes.
Sonia began a rigorous treatment schedule of chemotherapy and radiation. Almost every day of the week she was undergoing some sort of treatment. In the months that followed, she underwent a double mastectomy. Her doctor had been reluctant at first, since it is not common for someone so young to undergo that procedure, but after reviewing her test results decided it was necessary.
“I was actually more relieved to have them removed,” said Sonia with a laugh. “I know that sounds odd, but if they weren’t there, I didn’t have to worry so much about the cancer coming back.”
Sonia had spent months in treatment and was thrilled on her last day. Her siblings, parents, and grandparents all travelled from various parts of the country to be with her to celebrate.
“If there is one thing I learned, it’s to not take anything for granted,” she said. “I assumed that due to not having a family history of breast cancer and constantly having clear mammograms, that I was safe from it. Always assume it could happen to you — get checked every year.”
Steve Michaud
Bladder Cancer
(July 2013)
In the fall of 2010, Steve Michaud began to think he might have kidney stones. He set up an appointment with his primary care doctor, who ruled that out but suggested it could be an infection and prescribed the recommended treatment.
Two months passed without an incident and then one night, Steve passed bright red blood, causing he and his wife Paula to become very concerned.
“The next day, Paula, an operating room nurse, saw Dr. Daudi and asked him about it,” remembers Steve. “He suggested that someone urinating blood would need lab work and imaging studies.”
Steve already had an appointment with his primary care doctor the next day. She asked for a urine sample and an X-ray, which Steve attended to immediately. The next day, she called Steve to notify him that there were cancer cells in his urine and the X-ray revealed a small mass on his bladder.
“Cancer,” said Steve. “I didn’t hear much of what she said after that. Paula had to call her back and get the information we needed.”
Within a week, Steve was seen by Dr. Daudi, who recommended surgery to remove the tumors. He then referred Steve for Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatments. Steve had them done at TAMC’s Day Surgery Center.
Three months later, Steve was back at Dr. Daudi’s office for a follow-up and was thrilled that everything looked clear. Another four months after his first follow-up he was back for a second one, and they found that cancer had returned. Dr. Daudi scheduled him for another surgery and more BCG treatments.
It turned out that the BCG treatments were having the opposite effect on the cancer: they accelerated it instead of destroying it. Dr. Daudi referred Steve to a doctor at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“I went from Stage 2 to Stage 4 terminal cancer overnight,” said Steve.
He was referred for chemo right away. Steve was told that because of his previous cardiac problems there was only one course of treatment for him. Steve asked to have his chemo treatments at TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care.
Steve started chemo, but as he progressed in his treatments his blood counts dropped and he became septic. As a result he was no longer able to continue with chemo. Fortunately, to date the chemo has held the cancer at bay.
“I couldn’t have done this without the support of my wife, Paula, my family, and my wonderful friends, and co-workers.” said Steve. “My daughter, Trisha, organized a benefit dinner for me with the help of the Caribou Lioness Club. It was very humbling, and helpful. I didn’t know I had that many friends! I take it one day at a time, and so far that’s working out great!”
Adriana McCarty
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
(August 2013)
In April 2010, Adriana McCarty of Fort Fairfield noted a lump on her neck that concerned both her and her doctor, so she was sent for a biopsy. Adriana was 33 weeks pregnant with second child when she got the news: cancer. Hodgkin’s lymphoma was her diagnosis, and Adriana’s life was suddenly turned upside-down.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a form of cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of your immune system. The cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally and may spread beyond. As Hodgkin’s lymphoma progresses, it compromises a person’s ability to fight infection.
“The next two weeks were a whirlwind of activity,” Adriana remembered. “I met with Dr. Arjun Sood at TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care, and we laid out a plan.”
The plan began with making sure the McCartys’ unborn child was safe. All options were considered and in order to keep both mother and child safe and healthy, an immediate birth was the best way to do so.
“In order to start immediate treatment, we had to induce labor so I could have my daughter at 34 weeks,” said Adriana. “She was in EMMC’s NICU for the first few weeks and then transferred to TAMC’s Women & Children’s Unit so she could be near us while I was in treatment.”
Adriana, her husband, and her children adjusted to the life of a cancer patient, but it was not without struggles. The McCartys’ two little girls grew healthy and strong very quickly, as little ones do, and soon Adriana’s treatment was over. She had a PET scan upon completion which revealed that the cancer was gone.
“It’s almost surreal; I never thought this would happen to me,” she said. “My mother fought breast cancer and my father fought malignant melanoma a long time ago, but there was no history of this in my family. I’m just glad it’s over.”
Kylie Pelletier
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
(Sept. 2013)
Kylie Pelletier has always been an active and healthy youngster, so when she wasn’t recovering from what her parents were told was bronchitis, they became concerned.
“I noticed that Kylie had been bruising easily, was consistently pale, and didn’t have an appetite,” said Kylie’s mom, Sherrie Pelletier. “It was the week of Christmas 2010 when we took her to the ER, hoping it was something else. Dr. David Jones was wonderful, and he gave us the news so compassionately: leukemia. It’s the most horrible news a parent could hear.”
Within a few hours of getting the news, the Pelletier family was on their way to EMMC. Five-year-old Kylie immediately had a bone marrow biopsy and was quickly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She began chemo a few days later.
Kylie lost her hair toward the beginning of her chemo treatments, but she didn’t let that get her down. After the first month of treatment, Kylie’s leukemia entered remission and has remained there for two years. She continued to receive a maintenance protocol of chemo once a month until this past February, and she continues to have blood-work done.
Kylie will be monitored by her doctors for the next five to six years.
Last year, Kylie was honored as a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ Champion. This program identifies a child from each state with a remarkable medical story to act as ambassadors for the 17 million children treated at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals annually.
“Kylie’s dream is to become an oncologist and to cure cancer,” said Sherrie. “She tells her doctors this all the time; she wants to take their job.”
