By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A murder trial that has twice been delayed will finally begin today with jury selection.
Frederick Miller, 62, faces 25 years to life in prison if he is convicted of killing his girlfriend Rachel Miller on March 4, 2013. Mr. Miller allegedly bludgeoned and stabbed Rachel Miller several times. He has been charged with second-degree murder.
The trial was first delayed when Miller switched attorneys from the public defender to Robert King of Rochester. It was delayed again when King in March filed paperwork for a psychiatric defense, claiming Miller subjected to emotional abuse by his live-in girlfriend.
But King withdrew that defense when Miller refused to meet with a psychiatrist. Orleans County Court Judge James Punch on April 28 said he was forced to preclude expert psychiatric testimony because Miller is refusing to cooperate.
The Millers allegedly had a fight on March 4 at a home they shared on Oak Orchard River Road. Rachel Miller was 53 when she died as a result of blunt force trauma combined with multiple stab wounds, according to an autopsy.
Jury selection begins at 10 a.m. today in the county courthouse.
Photo by Sue Cook – Heather Kuepper was only 23 years old in 2011 when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The photo on the left was taken just hours after her surgery. On the right is her discharge from the hospital nine days later.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
MEDINA – Three years have passed since Heather Kuepper was diagnosed with a Grade III malignant brain tumor (grade IV is the most severe). Doctors said her tumor was so big it was nearly blocking off the flow of cerebral spinal fluid and without an operation, it would continue to grow and would eventually kill her.
Before her diagnosis, Kuepper had experienced headaches, dizziness and numbness. She made an appointment with her primary-care doctor who then referred her to a neurologist in Rochester. The neurologist noticed that the movement of her left eye was jittery, while her right eye moved smoothly.
On June 17, 2011, Kuepper was scheduled for an MRI to rule out the possibility of multiple sclerosis.
“I never expected it to be anything more than that,” said Kuepper.
She was asked to have a seat while waiting for her results. She noticed many people who were also having MRIs were leaving faster than her. She assumed that perhaps other people were just there for quick follow-ups.
“They called me up and told me they were trying to get a hold of my primary-care doctor. I was waiting there for probably three or four hours. They finally got a hold of him and he pulled me into a private room. He told me, ‘I’m sorry. You have a brain tumor.’ At that point, I tuned out everything he was saying. I heard noise, but I couldn’t even focus on anything.”
Provided photo – Kuepper’s tumor, circled in red, was located in the posterior fossa. It was starting to grow on her brain stem.
Because of the size and location of the tumor, Kuepper’s first neurosurgeon referred her to Dr. Silberstein, a pediatric nuerosurgeon who had more expertise. Kuepper’s tumor was an ependymoma, which is a type of brain tumor rarely found in adults.
On July 6, Silberstein began the scheduled six-hour operation at Strong Hospital. The surgery would take 13 hours.
Kuepper woke up to find herself intubated with a breathing tube down her throat because she would be unable to breathe on her own without it during recovery. She was in a room where four nurses provided 24-hour surveillance on her.
During her hospital stay, she also had to learn to eat, talk and walk again. She was put through physical, occupational and speech therapy. She was eventually moved to a regular hospital room with less intensive care.
Nine days after admission, Kuepper was released from the hospital. She had to take 30 pills a day. Kuepper also needed 33 radiation sessions over six and a half weeks. She continued another two to three weeks of other therapy sessions to increase her functionality.
‘I’d rather look silly and stupid, than be dead.’ – Heather Kuepper
Kuepper does have some after-effects from her experience. She has anxiety problems that her doctor said can be post-traumatic stress, which is common in people who have a similar situation, because of how intense and terrifying her experience was. She also has felt survivor’s guilt, but tries to focus on how lucky and blessed she is.
“I do have issues with memory. I had just enrolled in college within weeks of finding out that I had a tumor, so I had to pause while I had the surgery and was trying to recover,” she said. “Everything I learned in that time, I don’t remember and that has caused a lot of depression issues for me, but I’m getting a lot better from that now.”
Today, Kuepper works for CRFS in Albion. She sometimes struggles with retaining new information.
“At work, I have to carry a packet of information with me for about two months before I can do it on my own,” she said.
Provided photo – Kuepper had 13 stitches to seal the nearly 5-inch incision running up the back of her neck. This photo was taken after she had begun to heal.
Kuepper explained that there are 120 different kinds of brain tumors. It is the most common form of solid tumor for children under age 15. Brain tumors are the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children under age 20 (behind leukemia). They are the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in males and the fifth-leading for females between the ages of 20-39.
She advises that people should take their symptoms seriously for any illness or health problem.
“I would definitely say if you think you’re being silly getting worried about symptoms, don’t,” she said. “Go to the doctor. I had put off symptoms for a couple weeks, but when they kept happening, something in me just kind of told me to go to the doctor and see what it was. I never in a million years would have thought that I’d have brain surgery and me going through radiation. My motto now: I’d rather look silly and stupid, than be dead.”
She is also going to run a half marathon on May 25 in Buffalo. She is using the run to raise money for brain-cancer research through Race Toward a Cure during May, which is Brain Tumor Awareness Month.
For those who would like to donate to her efforts, you can see her fundraising page by clicking here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Newcomers and veterans will take your questions
Photos by Tom Rivers Ilene Benfer debuted today as a docent at the Cobblestone Society Museum. She is pictured inside the blacksmith shop.
GAINES – For many years Ilene Benfer brought her fourth-grade class from Kendall to the Cobblestone Society Museum. Her students most enjoyed the one-room schoolhouse, a structure from 1849 with cobblestone masonry.
“They are amazed that every grade could fit in there,” Benfer said. “This was long before Smart Boards and computers.”
Benfer now teachers Kendall third-graders. She recommends teachers bring their students to the museum.
“The children need to see, hear and touch history,” said Benfer, a Waterport resident.
Today was opening day for the museum, and also the first day Benfer was an official volunteer for the site, which is a National Historic Landmark. Benfer was in the blacksmith shop. She likes the old tools, and marvels at ingenuity of Joseph Vagg, the blacksmith who worked there. He had to fashion parts to fit carriage wheels, farm equipment and other community needs.
A carriage and other artifacts are displayed inside the blacksmith shop on Route 98, just south of Route 104.
Benfer took volunteer training last Saturday. She is serving as a docent, giving tours of the museum, which includes eight historic structures.
“I get to live in the past for a few hours,” she said.
She would like to see more schools bring students to the museum to learn about the past.
Some of the tools of the blacksmith trade are on display as well as an old manure spreader.
While today was Benfer’s first day as an official volunteer, Paul Letiecq has been a steady presence at the museum for 20 years. He was back at his favorite spot this afternoon at the entrance of the Cobblestone Universalist Church. The building was constructed in 1834. It’s the oldest cobblestone church in North America.
“I think this is a real asset to our community that we have the historic complex that we have here,” Letiecq said about the museum. “It tells a story of our heritage.”
Paul Letiecq enjoys talking about the Cobblestone Universalist Church, which was built in 1834.
Letiecq, 80, is retired as a full-time minister. He served the Presbyterian Church in Holley for 10 years.
In his retirement, he has been a supply minister for the Universalist congregation in Middleport. That group meets in a cobblestone church built in 1841.
Letiecq enjoys talking about the history of the Cobblestone Universalist Church in Gaines, as well as some of the social movements of that era as universalism spread as New Englanders moved across New York.
The cobblestone church once required pew rentals for the people to sit in the first floor seats. If the people didn’t pay or were visitors, they had to sit upstairs.
The Cobblestone Unversalist Church still holds church services at least twice a year and also is used for weddings.
One church, the Free Methodist Church, started in Albion and has spread to more than 1,000 in the world after it opposed the pew rentals in the early 1860s. Letiecq likes to share that story.
“Charging for pews was quite controversial,” Letiecq said.
EAGLE HARBOR – A steam pile driver is being used here to reinforce a concrete wall along the canal in August 1927.
It was just east of Eagle Harbor over Otter Creek where the canal retaining wall collapsed flooding over 500 acres to the south up Otter Creek.
The Albion Eagle Harbor Road was flooded out along with a couple of houses. Canal traffic came to a halt for over six weeks until the damage was fixed.
ALBION – These mothers are leading and watching out for their youngsters earlier today in front of the Wal-Mart at Albion.
Cheryl Wertman took these pictures and shared this message: “Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and grandmothers who support their sons, daughters, and grandchildren in all their academic and extra-curricular activities.”
Photos by Sue Cook – Zoe Wheeland, 2, poses with her mom Lori on their day out with Thomas. They traveled from Fairport because Zoe is a fan of the TV show. Lori encouraged Zoe to look out the window during the train ride by asking her to look for bunnies.
Photos by Sue Cook – Zoe Wheeland, 2, poses with her mom Lori on their day out with Thomas. They traveled from Fairport because Zoe is a fan of the TV show. Lori encouraged Zoe to look out the window during the train ride by asking her to look for bunnies.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
MEDINA – Thomas the Tank Engine is stopping in Medina for a six-day visit this weekend and next, and the attraction already is bringing people to Medina from outside the state and some even from outside of North America.
Martin Phelps, the Medina Railroad Museum founder and director, said that the museum is excited to have Thomas back for another year.
Fisher-Price owns the rights to Thomas through HIT Entertainment. Phelps said he reached out to the company to ask that Medina be chosen again as the solo New York state stop for Thomas. The event raises between $30,000 and $40,000 for the museum’s upkeep and operation.
Near the museum’s entrance, a bubble machine fills the air. Brothers Logan and Tyler Brown play in the bubbles with their grandfather Joe Baldoni.
“Thomas is very particular where he goes to,” explained Phelps. “One of reasons he chose us is because of the Erie Canal, the old-fashioned look of the town, and we are the longest railroad freight house museum in the United States and Canada. We are one foot longer than a football field. The building was New York Central Railroad freight house built in 1905. We acquired the building in 1992 and made the museum out of it.”
Phelps said that on the first day of the event there were people who came to Medina specifically for the Thomas event from London, England; Australia; Japan; Nova Scotia; Montreal, Canada; Dominican Republic and Albany. Many visitors are coming from Rochester and Buffalo. The event is mostly seeing guests from New York state, Pennsylvania, and Canada. Other volunteers said they met people from many other states as well.
“We probably did about 12,000 tickets as an average,” Phelps said of the six-day run. “This brings in a good impact on Genesee County, Orleans County, and Niagara County. So everyone does very well. It’s a great event. Thomas the Tank Engine is a great thing for kids. This is a major fundraiser for the museum.”
Marty Phelps, the conductor, holds 1-year-old Connie Hoffman and her brother Jeffrey, 4. Their mother, Melissa, brought them from Buffalo for the event.
“Thomas is my favorite,” said 4-year-old Jeffrey Hoffman of Buffalo. “I liked riding the train.”
He is a big fan of the TV show and was very excited to come on Friday. He even said the drive from Buffalo didn’t feel very far.
Abbagail Hamilton was hired by JED Photography to take photographs of children with Thomas. She came from Orchard Park and found Medina very aesthetically pleasing.
“I let myself get a little bit lost this morning,” she said.
Lockport resident Richard Faery is the driver for Thomas. He said that the term ‘driver’ is used in England, where Thomas is from. If Thomas were from America, then Faery would be called the engineer. He became the driver in 2006. He said that to get the position, he went to Phelps and asked, “Marty, can I dress up as the driver?” Phelps had responded to him, “Do you want to be the driver?” and since then it has been Faery’s volunteer position.
Medina resident Sherry Tuohey volunteered and was asked to operate a platform. She helped people on and off the train. She was excited to see people from outside the area coming to Thomas and exploring Medina.
“Please support the local organizations,” she said, making note that in the food court was prepared by local businesses and service clubs.
Volunteering beside her was Torby Barker of Tonawanda, who sometimes stays in the area. “We make it like a historical package,” he said of the village of Medina. “If you come here two or three days, you won’t run out of the things to do.”
Timothy Zhu, 2, of Farmington, helps Roger the Balloon Guy make a hat. Besides the train and museum, children can also do crafts, dance, see magic, color, get temporary tattoos, watch videos and more. Sir Topham Hatt also has shows throughout the day.
Ticket purchases include admission to the museum and the 25-minute train ride. Tickets can be purchased at the museum or online by clicking here.
These boys rode the train together and waved out the window. When asked if they were having fun, they shouted back, “Yes!”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Scouts from Albion and West Barre put hundreds of flags on veterans graves this morning at Mount Albion Cemetery and also at Saint Joseph’s Cemetery, both on Route 31. The Scouts and their leaders are pictured at the Ingersoll Fountain at Mount Albion before they put flags on the graves.
Brett Schreiner, 7, (left) and Isaac Hickman, 7, are both wolves in West Barre Pack 175. They were at Mount Albion this morning with Albion Scouts in Pack and Troop 164 and 60.
Seth Krenning, left, is a Tiger Cub in Pack 164. He and about 30 other Scouts placed flags on veterans’ graves this morning.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Local farmers play rock concert for students
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The FFA State Convention is a showcase for student achievement and also inspirational speakers. On Friday night the winner of the extemporaneous speaking contest, Kaylee Eaton of the Cattaraugus-Little Valley FFA, delivers her winning speech in front of a crowd of about 1,000 people in the Medina High School Auditorium.
Eaton’s speech was about the emergence and promise of urban farming. There has been a “huge revolution in agriculture” with hydroponics, aquaculture and rooftop gardening, Eaton said. Urban farmers benefit with customers who are close by, she said.
Matt Lohr of Virginia shared about his experiences in the FFA and meeting his wife Andrea through the program. Lohr said his wife was a giving person who inspired others. She died at age 36 on July 10, 2011, after a five-year battle with breast cancer.
“The ultimate gift you can do is make a difference in the lives of people around us,” Lohr said.
He also shared about Roger Bannister, an Englishman who was the first to run a mile in under 4 minutes. For 75 years, runners tried to break that threshold but it didn’t happen until May 6, 1954.
Bannister’s achievement was a breakthrough for runners, and he showed the world it was possible.
“Now 3,500 runners have done it,” Lohr said.
He urged the FFA students to set high goals.
“Are you living life with a dream? Do you have a purpose?”
One of the parking areas by Medina High School is lined with tractors.
A local band, Savage Cabbage, performed Friday night in the high school gymnasium. Here lead singer Frank Starowitz belts out a note from a hard-rocking song. Mike Moore is in the middle with Gary Tarr at left.
Frank and his brother John Starowitz perform in the band together. They are also co-owners of Star Growers.
John Starowitz plays the guitar with the band Savage Cabbage.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 May 2014 at 12:00 am
10,000 expected for Thomas’s 6-day run
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – He rolled into town for the first time in 2005 and Thomas the Train Engine has proven to be a star, drawing thousands of visitors to Medina.
Today was the kickoff for Thomas’s six-day visit to Medina. There will be train rides today through Sunday and again on May 16-18. About 5,000 tickets have already been sold and that number is expected to climb to 7,500 to 10,000 for the 10th annual visit by the popular character.
In the top photo, a crowd gathers around Thomas for photos before its first ride out of town and back. Thomas moves his eyes, mouths and this time he will talk as the train leaves and returns to Medina.
The train rides lasts about 25 minutes. The train will leave every 45 minutes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, while rides on Saturdays and Sundays run from 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
The Medina Railroad Museum hosts the train. Museum volunteer Linda Belson helps to welcome Thomas and visitors by sprucing up the sign at the museum. A ticket includes a pass to the museum at 530 West Ave.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Belson said about the Thomas visit. “We love seeing the kids. It benefits the whole community.”
Rick Henn, manager of the passenger car fleet for WNY Railway Historical Society, is ready to welcome riders on five railroad coaches from 1946-1947. The Railway Historical Society owns the coaches and is happy to see so many people ride them in Medina as part of Thomas’s visit.
“The kids are great,” Henn said. “The kids really come out.”
The museum also works with the Railway Historical Society for a Polar Express experience in November and December. That has proven the museum’s biggest attraction, bringing about 20,000 riders.
A volunteer gives Thomas a final look over before his first ride this morning.
The visit over six days by Thomas the Tank Engine is expected to bring 10,000 people to the community.
For more information on the Medina Railroad Museum and Thomas the Tank Engine, click here.
Albion and Lyndonville/Medina musicals are honored
Photo by Sue Cook – Regan Stacy (Little Red Riding Hood) and the Christian Hahn (The Wolf) perform an energetic dance number together as Red tries to escape his clutches. Stacy was honored in the “Stars of Tomorrow” program for her performance.
ROCHESTER – The Albion and Lyndonville/Medina drama departments both were honored Thursday in the annual “Stars of Tomorrow” program through the Rochester Broadway Theatre League.
Both programs compete in Division B, which includes many large suburban districts. Albion (The Wiz) and Lyndonville/Medina (Into the Woods) were honored for outstanding production crew. Albion was recognized for outstanding student orchestra. Lyndonville/Medina was honored for outstanding singing ensemble.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Albion students perform The Wiz in late March. This group incudes Steven Stauss as Lion, Josh Raymond as Scarecrow and Kyle Thaine as Tinman.
This was the third production where Medina students have joined Lyndonville for the annual spring musical that is performed in Lyndonville. The program received many awards through the “Stars of Tomorrow.” In addition to the ones already stated, Thomas Follman (as Jack) and Joseph Mangiola (as Rapunzel’s Prince) were named outstanding supporting actors. Regan Stacy (as Little Red Riding Hood) was named an outstanding supporting actress.
Photo by Sue Cook – Cinderella’s Prince (Nate Pace) and Rapunzel’s Prince (Joseph Mangiola) sing about each of their chosen princesses and how magnificent the two women are during a performance of Into the Woods. Mangiola was named a best supporting actor.
The RBTL also gave a “Tip of the Hat” award to Deanna Mangiola who played “Jack’s Mother” in Into the Woods.
Special recognition, submitted by the musicals’ directors, also was announced for Miranda King of Albion and Tiffani Durow of Lyndonville/Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 May 2014 at 12:00 am
A new map – “Route 98 has it all!” – connects attractions along Route 98 from downtown Albion going north to Lake Ontario.
About 20 businesses and attractions are noted along the Route 98 corridor, starting with Arnold’s Auto Parts a block off 98 on West Bank Street and ending at the Oak Orchard Lighthouse.
The map highlights restaurants, fly shops, gas stations, an art gallery, gift shops, farm markets, marinas, lodging and historic sites, such as the Pratt Opera House and the Cobblestone Society Museum.
“We’re trying to connect the waterways and the historic attractions,” said Judith Koehler, who worked on the project for the Albion Main Street Alliance. The organization partnered with the Western Erie Canal Alliance in the project.
The map will be distributed beginning today in other canal communities, including Lockport and Lyons. The map will also be available at several locations in Orleans County.
Koehler pushed to have the map ready for the start of the canal season and she met that goal. The canal opened this week for its 190th season. Koehler said Albion wants to connect its canal and historic enthusiasts to tourists at the lake, and vice versa.
“This will be a reciprocal partnership,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Two local FFA students – Jayne Bannister, left, of Albion and Jack Hill of Medina – were recognized during the FFA State Convention today in Medina.
Jack, a Medina eighth-grader, won first place in the state for reciting and delivering the FFA junior creed. That qualifies him to compete in the National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky in October.
Jack was judged on his accuracy and mannerisms in delivering the creed. Judges then asked follow-up questions.
Jack said he loves FFA and the agriculture community.
“I’m in love with tractors and farming in general,” he said. “I’ve grown up loving anything with an engine in it.”
Jayne Bannister, a junior at Albion, was elected president of District 9 for the FFA. That includes chapters in Albion, Medina, the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, Letchworth, Pioneer and two new chapters at Barker and Roy-Hart.
Jayne will connect with the local chapters, sharing leadership development programs and other FFA initiatives. She also was recently picked as the Niagara-Orleans dairy princess.
Jayne said she will use the roles to help educate the public about agriculture.
“There is a misunderstanding about what agriculture is with the general public,” she said. “We need to bridge that gap.”
After high school, she plans to major in animal science with a minor in education. She said she may pursue being an agricultural teacher. She also would be happy returning to her family’s beef and fruit farm at Point Breeze.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Orleans jumped from $101M in 2007 to $150M in 2012
File photo by Tom Rivers – Ken Nice, a fruit grower in Knowlesville, walks through his orchard last May when the trees were in bloom. Orleans County’s farm revenue is dominated by fruit, vegetables and other crops.
The revenue from Orleans County farms totaled $150.3 million in 2012 for sales of fruit, vegetables, milk, livestock and other farm products, a 48.8 percent jump from the $101.0 million recorded in 2007, according to the Agricultural Census.
State-wide, the numbers increased 24.9 percent to $5.52 billion in 2012. That was up by $1.1 billion from the $4.42 billion in 2007, according to the federal Ag Census, which is done every five years.
The county breakdowns show the agricultural is a very big business locally, especially in the four GLOW counties. Wyoming County, which was ranked second overall in 2007, has claimed the top spot in the state with the new Census. Revenue at Wyoming County farms totaled $318.5 million in 2012, up from the $229.9 million in 2007.
Suffolk County, which has a thriving greenhouse and aquaculture industry on Long Island, was the top farm county in 2007 but has fallen to third in the new Census. Suffolk is behind Wyoming and Cayuga, another strong dairy county, at $293.5 million.
Some of the dairy animals are pictured at Poverty Hill Farms in Albion. Dairy and livestock make up a small portion of the Orleans County farm sector.
Genesee, Orleans County’s southern neighbor, ranks fourth overall in the state at $236.9 million, which is up from the $177.8 million in 2007. Livingston is ranked eighth overall in the state at $186.8 million.
Orleans is just out of the top 10. It ranks 13th at $150.3 million. The county’s ag bounty is nearly all crops at $138.5 million. Dairy, poultry and livestock make up less than 10 percent at $11.9 million.
The county’s ag revenue has more than doubled in 10 years. In 2002, the total was $68.9 million. State-wide ag revenue jumped 74 percent from 2002 to 2012, from $3.18 billion to $5.54 billion.
Corn prices were on the rise between 2007 and 2012, helping to fuel the increase in farm revenues. This photo shows the grain storage facilities owned by Panek Farms on County House Road in Albion.
Here is a list of the state’s top 15 counties for ag revenue:
GAINES – One outstanding artifact at the Cobblestone Museum in Childs is this backdrop displayed in the Farmers Hall.
It was painted in 1929 for use on the stage in the Murray Grange Hall. Around the pretty scene businesses advertised which helped pay for the artwork. Most are long gone except NL Cole, now Stockham Lumber, and J.B. Merrill, now Merrill Grinnell Funeral Home. Both of these ads are in the bottom row center.
On Mother’s Day, the Cobblestone Museum will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. when you may be able to get a first-hand look at this treasured artifact.
Photos by Sue Cook – More than 300 people attended the For Women Only event at the White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville. The event raises an average of $5,000 each year through ticket sales, raffles and other fund-raisers. That money goes to Orleans Community Health for the cancer services program, which assists women who are unable to afford screening due to insufficient or no insurance.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
LYNDONVILLE – Last night, the White Birch Golf Course was host to more than 300 attendants for the 18th Annual For Women Only breast-cancer awareness event. The event brings together survivors and supporters alike to educate women about the need to be screened for breast cancer and other types of cancer. That should raise survival rates and treatment success.
“Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women,” said Lisa Franclemont of the Cancer Services Program of Genesee and Orleans. “The greatest risk factor is being a woman and aging. Of other risk factors, three-quarters of breast-cancer patients have no known risk factors.”
‘If you haven’t had a mammogram, get it done.’ – breast cancer survivor Patty Olinger
Franclemont said that women are frequently told by their doctors if they are older than 50 they no longer need mammograms or screening.
“Over 75% is found in women over age 50. Therefore, if you have been told you do not need one because of your age, this is not true,” she said.
Local artist Carol Culhane provided calligraphic writing on quilt squares with messages written by attendees to honor or memorialize those who have been affected by breast cancer. The quilt will be hung in Medina Memorial Hospital once it is completed by Debbie Secrist.
Franclemont explained that if cancer and treatments would ruin your quality of life as an older woman, then testing to prevent advanced cancer should be a priority, regardless of age. The New York State cancer registry says that 14,000 women are diagnosed each year and around 2,800 die annually.
Women in their 20s should perform monthly self exams. Women over 40 should have mammograms, but people with risk factors should get one when they are younger. She also encourages women to become “breast friends” and remind each other to get checked.
Patty Olinger is a breast-cancer survivor of four years. She tells the crowd about the need for both mammograms and self exams. A mammogram didn’t detect her cancer, but she felt a lump later on.
“If you haven’t had a mammogram, get it done,” Olinger told the crowd. “If you’re making excuses, stop making excuses. If you think it’s going to hurt, it’s not a big deal. What hurts more is telling your kids that you’ve got breast cancer because you see their faces, and I don’t care how big and strong you think they are, it’s the worst thing you’ve ever done.”
Darlene Rich stands with other breast-cancer survivors. Survivors were asked to stand and be recognized for their strength.
Shelby Town Clerk Darlene Rich was diagnosed eight years ago with breast cancer. She remembers the day perfectly because she found out the same day of the For Women Only event in 2006. For her treatment, Rich was able to do a radiation seed twice a day for five days followed by chemotherapy sessions because her cancer was caught early as Stage 1 intraductor carcinoma.
She encourages those who are diagnosed or survivors to reach out to each other for support.
“If someone was diagnosed, they could call me and talk to a survivor,” she said. “I believe in talking about mammograms. I am living proof mammograms do work.”
Rich said she appreciates community events such as For Women Only. “It does spread word.”
The evening also featured laughter as a healing tool. DIVA by DIVA performed during the evening. The group of women is a rotating crew of women from different places and walks of life who attend events for women to offer inspiration while also helping with fundraising efforts. Last night, they sang songs, read poems and quotes, danced and even got the whole room involved in singing “You’ve Got a Friend” to conclude the performance.
The group DIVA by DIVA from Buffalo includes, from left: Ann Mosner, Mary Kate O’Connell, Donna Sawicki, Karen Cassiey, Carol Wrozek, Lynn Hodson and Mary Moebius.
“Laughter is a great healer. I saw a granddaughter, mother and grandmother all laughing together. If we can do that through theater, then why not?” said group leader Mary Kate O’Connell.
To schedule a mammogram at Orleans Community Health in Medina, call 585-798-8054. For more information about Community Partners and their services, call (585) 798-6641.
