Tabitha Andrist
Tabitha was diagnosed in 2008 at age 31. She has been married to her wonderful husband, Chad, for 12 years. They have a son, Jacob, who is 5 1/2 (he will tell you how important that 1/2 is). Tabitha found her lump during a self exam. She underwent a lumpectomy, chemo, and radiation. She tried to keep life as normal as possible for her little guy. She maintained a positive attitude throughout her treatment with the support of her family and friends. She has learned it’s the little things in life that make you smile and help you enjoy another day.
Tabitha’s piece is a jewelry armoire. Her grandmother gave her the armoire to paint for the Rare Chair. Several weeks later, she passed away. Butterflies represent new life. Tabitha likes to look at life after cancer as a new life. The butterfly painted on the armoire was designed by Tabitha. It is a slight variation of her Survivor tattoo.
Kristal Clegg
Kristal was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in April 2011, less than a month before her 34th birthday. Self employed as a Corporate Video Producer, she found herself without health insurance, facing an overwhelming treatment process. With the support of her loving family and friends, she made it through with flying colors. This experience has taught her to not waste a single moment and cherish the time you have with the people you love.
Kristal’s rocking chair was inspired by her grandmother, also a breast cancer survivor, who was a strong independent woman. Titled “A Celebration of Women”, the chair is decorated in decoupage with photos of empowered women close to her and her fellow survivor artists. She hopes that others will see that all women have the strength and inner beauty to beat this terrible disease!
Jamie Garrison
Jamie was diagnosed in 2011 at age 30. She was married and looking forward to starting a family. While breast cancer runs in Jamie’s family, she still felt unprepared for her diagnosis. Jamie discovered the tumor during a self-exam. After following up with her doctor, Jamie underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Jamie chose to participate in RCA in order to create something beautiful while healing. Along with her RCA piece, Jamie is working on a new project at home; she and her husband are fostering two beautiful baby girls!
Leigh Gould
Leigh was diagnosed in 2011 at age 38. She is married with two young children. Leigh discovered her own lump by chance; while she thought it was nothing, she went to the doctor and was shocked to find out she had cancer. She underwent a lumpectomy, 4 rounds of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation. She credits her sense of humor with helping her get through the worst of her treatments.
Leigh chose to be part of the RCA in order to raise money and awareness while having fun. She is thankful that, while it can be emotionally difficult, she is able to help other women on their journey through breast cancer.
Deborah Hintz
Deborah was diagnosed in 2000 on her 38th birthday. She is married and has three stepchildren and is about to become a grandma for the first time. Her mother passed away at 49 from breast cancer and her father died of brain cancer at 45. Deborah’s younger sister is 46 and is a survivor of both ovarian and colon cancer. Cancer is hereditary in their family and it has taken its toll. Deborah is happy to say that this year she turned 50 years old and is the first member in her immediate family to reach that milestone. No one has made it past age 49. Deborah has become a mentor with ABCD and now helps other women navigate their journey through breast cancer.
The design of her piece is a place she finds peace and rest. She had not traveled much before her diagnosis but decided to change that in recent years. Deborah and her husband’s first trip was a cruise to the Caribbean, which ignited their appetite for adventure. The birds, the trees, and sea breeze were all so beautiful. They continue to travel, and refer to their trips as adventures – just as they should!
Julie Karpinski
Julie and her husband are the proud parents of two young boys, ages 4 and 5. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in May 2009. At the age of 33, while breastfeeding her youngest child, she discovered a lump. Without a family history of breast cancer, she could have easily attributed it to the normal effects of breastfeeding. Fortunately, with a little insistence from her mother and a feeling inside that something was not right, she had it examined immediately. The tumor was 2.5 cm and had already spread to one lymph node. From day one, Julie made the decision to treat the disease as aggressively as possible. The most aggressive treatment meant a bilateral mastectomy with lymph node dissection and reconstruction, 16 rounds of chemotherapy, and 6 weeks of radiation. Although membership in the “survivor club” was not something she set out in life to attain, when faced with the opportunity, she chooses to join each and every day. Cancer has made her appreciate everything in life, every hug from her kids, every milestone her kids achieve (even the seemingly insignificant), and every day she has with her husband, family, and friends. Julie embraces life to the fullest and cherishes her 3-year cancer free survivorship.
She is participating to help increase awareness and understanding of breast cancer in young women. The theme of her chair is “Inspiration.” Support from friends and family, and strength from within, are embodied in the vibrant colors, active design, and inspirational words hand painted on the chair.
Jennifer Ott
In June of 2011, 2 months after her 40th birthday, Jennifer was diagnosed with Stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma in her left breast. She was shocked – she didn’t have a family history, she was too young, too healthy, she didn’t smoke, she had a baby . . . none of the known risk factors. She was still breastfeeding her son at the time – he was only 10 months old – when she found her lump and thought that surely it was just a side effect of nursing. She was so wrong, but so lucky that it was found when it was. Jennifer had a 4.5 cm lump removed in July of 2011, had 4 rounds of chemotherapy and 7 weeks of radiation. With her current medication, she is cancer free and intends to stay that way. Jennifer believes she could not have made it through treatment without the support of her husband, who is AMAZING, her sister, mom, mother-in-law, family and friends who took such good care of her and prayed so hard for her recovery.
Jennifer’s son is the inspiration for her piece. He was only 10 months old when she was diagnosed, and he, along with her husband and family, is her reason for fighting so hard to live. He is the center of her world and Jennifer truly believes he is a gift from God that gave her the strength to fight cancer. And her boy loves cars!
Linda Roeber
Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of 2012 at age 36. The diagnosis was especially surprising to her given her age and active, healthy lifestyle. Linda credits her diagnosis with helping her to focus on the things she has in life that she is truly thankful for. Fighting cancer has opened her eyes to all the love and support that has always been in her life that she is now able to embrace.
Linda became involved in the Rare Chair Affair after meeting previous survivor artists and realizing how many other women are affected by the disease. She believes in the WBCC’s purpose and believes they are truly determined to save lives by striving for more research on preventing recurrences and to hopefully, in the future, lessen the chances or prevent the development of breast cancer.
The inspiration behind Linda’s chair is a simple quote she read: “Follow Your Bliss”. The symbol on her chair is the Seventh Chakra, Sahasrara. Throughout her years practicing yoga, Linda has learned that the Seventh Chakra symbolizes enlightenment and a greater understanding. Linda thinks of this as bliss and intends to continue following the bliss she has found in her life since diagnosis.
The Tree of Life on the stool symbolizes many things to Linda: love, wisdom, protection, strength, beauty, forgiveness, friendship and prosperity–all of which she has found in herself and those around her throughout her journey.
Melissa Tabler
Melissa was diagnosed with breast cancer on November 11, 2008 shortly after her 38th birthday. She found her lump while showering one day and that was the day that changed her life forever. With three children and her youngest just two years old, she knew she had to be very aggressive with her treatment. Just before Christmas she started a long cancer journey that included a bilateral mastectomy, six treatments of chemotherapy and one year of Herceptin. It was one of the most difficult things she has ever endured in her life. Melissa’s husband and children were the light at the end of the tunnel. She fought with everything she had and is still winning almost four years later!
Melissa’s chair was done with mosaic tile and is titled “Shattered”. The meaning behind the title comes from her journey and the difficult time she had accepting her appearance and the scars that were left. She wanted to create beauty from something that started out as whole, was changed, and then recreated into something beautiful and unique.
Kim Utech
Kim was diagnosed in 2010 at age 41. She has a wonderful husband and two children who were five and seven at the time of her diagnosis. Kim had a history of fibrocystic breast disease so when she found a lump in February of 2010 she and her OB-GYN assumed it was a benign cyst and decided to follow up in December with her annual mammogram. At that time, a large tumor was found and a biopsy confirmed cancer. Diagnosed with stage 3C breast cancer, Kim endured 16 chemotherapy treatments, 3 surgeries, and 31 radiation treatments. She is overjoyed to share that she is now in remission!
Juggling cancer treatments and surgeries, while continuing to raise two small children and work part-time as a veterinarian, Kim chose to participate in RCA in order to bond with other survivors and share her story of hope.
Kelly Herda
Seventeen years ago, Kelly’s mother, Linda Roark (nee Long), and grandmother, Janice Long, lost their hard fought battles with breast cancer. They died just six months apart from each other.
Since that horrible loss, Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition has provided Kelly with a venue to work in a proactive manner towards finding the cause and ultimately the cure for breast cancer. As a volunteer for the WBCC, she currently serves on the Policy Committee and over the years wrote an Advocacy Guide that is used to train advocates on breast cancer facts and prepare them for Lobby Days, served on the committee for the Rare Chair Affair, worked as a volunteer for many of the WBCC events, and provided administrative support at the WBCC main office.
Kelly wanted to create a piece of outdoor furniture that would reflect her mother’s love for her gardens along with her grandmother’s love of travel and decided that a floral theme reminiscent of Monet’s French gardens would please them both. To create this piece, she enlisted the talents of her two oldest daughters, Chelsea and Carly, who are both accomplished artists and WBCC volunteers as well.
Kelly was thrilled to be asked to take part in the Rare Chair Affair as a co-survivor artist and to be given the opportunity to honor the memory of her mother and grandmother at this special event.