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Cancer survivor shares strength

By Dave Zuchowski For The 4 min read

When Frances Kachur, torch in hand, leads the Survivors’ Walk around the Laurel Highlands High School stadium at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 as this year’s Relay for Life Survivors Ambassador, she’ll really have earned the honor. Not only is the Hopwood resident a 12-year cancer survivor, she’s also devoted her time, energy and indomitable spirit to help others get through the same ordeal she had to work her way through.

“In 1994, during my annual mammogram, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at Magee Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh,” she said. “A week later, I had my left breast and 28 lymph nodes removed. From that time on, I thought of my life as a new beginning and looked straight ahead with the help of God’s love, prayer and support of my family and friends.”

For the next five years, Kachur was put on the drug Tamoxifen as part of her treatment plan. However, in 1997, she had two mini-strokes and was diagnosed with uterine cancer as well. That same year, she underwent another operation, a hysterectomy that removed her cancer-stricken organs.

During her tribulations, Kachur said she got her strength from her family. They included her husband, Peter Paul, who died in May 2005, her daughter, Carla Corna of Pittsburgh, and her sons, Paul, Keith and Nick, who all live in Uniontown.

“I also have two beautiful granddaughters, Rachel and Francesca, that I love dearly,” she said.

Unfortunately, Kachur’s health problems weren’t yet over.

While on vacation in Florida in February 2003, she noticed a burning sensation in her urinary tract and was taken to the emergency room at a nearby hospital.

“I thought I had a bladder infection, but a CT scan showed I had a mass on my right kidney,” she said. “That Saturday, the examining physician recommended surgery for the following Monday. When I said I was from Pennsylvania and wanted to go home, he advised me to take the first flight back.”

While still in Florida, Kachur phoned Dr. Alan Kunschner, her physician at Magee, who found Dr. Walter O’Donald, a surgeon she thought could help her. When she got off the plane on Tuesday, she went directly to his office and underwent a series of tests that confirmed the original diagnosis. On that Thursday, she had the kidney removed. Fortunately, it was benign.

“Nowadays, I take one day at a time,” she said. “I like to look around and when I see what I have, I feel blessed. If I had not gone for my annual mammogram when I did, I might not be here today.”

“I’m definitely a survivor,” she continued. “I’m cancer-free, but go for checkups every six months.”

For the past 12 years, Kachur’s also been volunteering her time with the Fayette County Relay for Life, a team event sponsored by the American Cancer Society to raise money to combat the disease and increase community awareness.

Currently the oldest member of the Relay Committee, Kachur was chosen by 30 other members of the committee to be this year’s Survivors Ambassador.

As a volunteer for an allied organization, Reach to the Recovery, she also calls or visits people recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

“When I was diagnosed with the disease, I decided to reach out to any woman who was going through the same ordeal and let them know they’re not alone,” she said. “Throughout the year, I give them emotional support by talking to them, crying with them, hugging them and loving them. Dealing with cancer is hard work. You can’t get through it by yourself,” she said.

At 2 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month, Kachur also meets with a group of about 20 women at Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Uniontown. Bosom Buddies, as the group is called, is made up of cancer survivors and their friends and family. Kachur calls them loving and optimistic survivors who know there’s life after cancer.

“We don’t give them medical advice,” she said.

“Instead, we offer them love, encouragement and friendship. Each day, my faith, my smiles and my laughter are with me. It’s my way of trying to give something back to the world.”

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