For Women Only event celebrates cancer survivors, promotes local healthcare services

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Keynote speaker at For Women Only, Darlene Rich, is surrounded by old friends and former co-workers at Medina Memorial Hospital. With her, clockwise from left, are Rebecca Mannella, who headed cardiac rehab when Rich worked there; Lori Condo, assistant controller; and Cindy Perry, retired head of Community Partners, whose job included planning the For Women Only event.

LYNDONVILLE – For Women Only, the annual event sponsored by Orleans Community Health which raises funds for cancer services, took place Thursday night at White Birch Golf Course.

First on the program was recognition of cancer survivors by Lori Condo, assistant controller at Orleans Community Health and chair of For Women Only. She asked those who had been survivors of cancer to stand up as she called out the number of years – one year, five years, 10 years, 20 years and more than 20 years. Each woman standing received a carnation.

Next, was keynote speaker Darlene Rich, a cancer survivor of 18 years and clerk for the Town of Shelby, now in her 17th year. She not only shared her battle with breast cancer, but the sorrow of having her son diagnosed with brain cancer and the age of 3 and dying at age 23.

Rich has been a regular attendee of For Women Only over the years, and called it “the nicest event.”

She described how she had her mammograms regularly and wasn’t worried when it came time to schedule one in 2006. She was working in heart rehab at Medina Memorial Hospital under Rebecca Mannella when she learned her breast surgeon saw something on her X-ray and wanted a biopsy. She underwent a lumpectomy, and then was given six weeks of radiation and the choice of chemotherapy every three weeks for six treatments or a powerful dose for five days.

“I wanted to get it over with and move on, so I chose the five-day treatment,” Rich said. “That mammogram saved my life.”

On Oct. 20. 2006, she returned to work and was greeted by a mini For Women Only arranged by Mannella and Cindy Perry. Perry was head of Community Partners at the time and in charge of organizing the annual For Women Only for the community.

“They were here, along with my family, to support me all the way,” Rich said.

Her advice to the women in the room was to “Stay positive, stay focused and fight. And remember to get your mammogram.”

Condo announced the evening had grossed $6,300 to provide essential cancer services.

(Left) Cindy Perry, who worked at Community Partners for many years and planned the first For Women Only 25 years ago at the former Village Inn, was introduced and presented flowers by Lori Condo, on behalf of the hospital. (Right) Lori Condo, assistant controller at Orleans Community Health and chair of For Women Only, introduces keynote speaker Darlene Rich to guests Thursday night.

Representatives from several Orleans County agencies were on hand with tables of information and free gifts to guests.

From the Orleans County Health Department, Nola Goodrich and Laiken Ricker, a New York State Public Health Fellow with Orleans and Genesee Health departments, handed out information on rabies, lead and healthy homes.

At the Orleans County Mental Health table, director Danielle Figura and staff member Linda Karp made sure everyone knew about the suicide and crisis hotline, 988.

Denise Johnston-Burris, director of nursing at Hospice, provided information on why they temporarily closed the Martin-Linsin Residence.

“Referrals just stopped coming in,” she said.

She added they are doing everything possible to turn the situation around. She said many people have misinformation about Hospice, including the length a resident may stay there. She said they have had one individual who was there for 2 1/2 years.

A moment of recognition was given to Cindy Perry for her years at Community Partners and planning the annual For Women Only. She recalls the first event at the Village Inn at Childs, when about 30 to 40 women attended. The event has since grown steadily, usually attracting more than 100, and often a sellout.

Kim Gray, Medina Memorial Hospital’s chief nursing officer and director of surgical services, welcomes guests to the annual For Women Only.

Kim Gray, the hospital’s chief nursing officer and director of surgical services, has worked at the hospital more than 20 years.

“Our community hospital is an invaluable asset that provides accessible, personalized, cost-effective and community-focused healthcare,” Gray said. “We offer a wide range of services that are essential for the vitality of our community.”

Some of those services are a 24/7 Emergency Department, two dialysis centers (one in Medina and one in Batavia),  a podiatry clinic, a wound care center dedicated to healing chronic wounds, a cardiology clinic, a cardiac services department which offers a full array of diagnostic testing and treatment options for patients with cardiac conditions and heart disease and a radiology department which plays a crucial role in early cancer screening by using techniques to detect abnormalities that could indicate cancer at an early stage.

These include general X-rays, ultrasound, CT-scans, nuclear medicine, 3-D mammography, bone density testing and MRIs. Full-service laboratories with blood drawing stations are located at the Medina hospital, at the Albion Healthcare Center and the Middleport site.

A new pediatric nurse practitioner, Leah Brenner, has recently joined the family medicine team at the Albion Healthcare Center.

The hospital’s surgery clinic is staffed by the team of doctors Misiti, Schratz, Hodge and Huff, offering comprehensive surgical services in several specialized areas.

During the past year, the hospital began offering the primary doctors the opportunity to order pulmonary function testing by the Respiratory Department, determining how well the lungs are working.

Inpatient services included the Medical/Surgical Department and Transitional Care Unit.

A highlight being announced today is that in October and November the hospital will be offering not only free 3-D mammogram screening, but if a patient needs to receive diagnostic testing through an ultrasound, the hospital will cover the co-pay.

“This is largely thanks to our past For Women Only funding,” Gray said.

The evening concluded with drawing of winners for the basket raffle and 50/50 drawing.