inPerson
W
hen Mt. Lebanon resident
Ann Bart was diagnosed with
breast cancer in 1982 at the age
of 38, the disease was rarely
discussed in public. There was little awareness
about it and information about treatment
options was limited at best. The Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation hadn’t yet
been founded, and the first Race for the Cure
was still a year away.
“I felt like I was the only person going
through it,” said Ann, who is now happy and
healthy at age 70. “I thought it was a disease
that someone older got. Occasionally, you’d
meet someone who had been diagnosed in
her 30s, but we thought that it mostly affected
post-menopausal women. Today, of course, we
know that’s not the case.”
Throughout her 30s, Ann had been treated
for having fibrocystic breasts, which can lead
to lumpiness in the breasts. Unfortunately,
a misread mammogram missed the early
signs of breast cancer, and by the time hers
was diagnosed, it was advanced and had
spread to her lymph nodes. She underwent a
mastectomy, the removal of her lymph nodes,
and then two years of chemotherapy.
Following her diagnosis, her main goal was to
be able to see the oldest of her three sons, who
was then a high school freshman, graduate from
high school. Today, she is a 32-year survivor
of the disease with no reoccurrences—and
she recently had the chance to witness her
grandchild’s high school graduation.
Ann credits her survivorship to the support
of her family and her strong faith in God. She
also gives thanks to her surgeon David Steed
and oncologist Lee Damashek, both of whom
are now retired.
“When I hit three years, and then five years,
I was so happy. And then, I hit 10 years, then
15, and then 20…and now, 32. I just want my
story to inspire others, especially when I tell
others that mine wasn’t caught early,” she said.
At the time of Ann’s diagnosis, there were no
support groups. The only group that existed,
she said, was the American Cancer Society’s
Reach to Recovery program, in which the
group’s volunteers would visit her while she
was in the hospital to offer encouragement
and support.
“I knew of no other people my age who were
going through it,” she said. “You just didn’t go
around announcing it, and no one knew what
to say, especially because we worried that our
children would hear rumors. We tried to remain
positive for them.”
Ann said that when First Lady Betty Ford
went public with her breast cancer diagnosis
and mastectomy in 1978, the tide started to
change a little. Then, in July of 1982, Nancy
Brinkner founded the Susan G. Komen
Foundation in honor of her sister, who had
died of breast cancer in 1980 at age 36. The
foundation’s mission: “to save lives and end
breast cancer forever.”
“Prior to Betty Ford’s announcement, breast
cancer was still hidden,” she said. “You were
told what you had and then you were told that
you were going to have treatment, but that was
it. Now when people get diagnosed, they have
so much support and education. But it was a
different world back then.”
Ann had a maternal aunt who had been
diagnosed with breast cancer in her 60s, but
had no other instance of breast cancer in her
family. Eight years after she was diagnosed,
Ann’s own mother was diagnosed with breast
cancer at age 70. Even though it was caught
early, her mother passed away five years later.
Now, Ann and her sister participate in the Race
for the Cure each year in honor of their mother
and sister.
“It’s so inspirational to see the hillside of
survivors, all in pink,” she said. “Because of
Komen’s work, people are aware. They’ve not
just brought attention here – they’ve brought
it everywhere.
“The timing of the race on Mother’s Day is
just so poignant,” she added. “It’s a beautiful
tribute to the survivors who can finally see that
they are not alone and hope for the day when
we will find the cure.”
Ann hopes that her story motivates other
women to get screened. “Don’t be overdue
for your mammogram,” she said. “It’s not a
fun thing to do, but it’s nothing compared to
surgery and treatment.” Since the majority of
health insurance providers will cover routine
screenings, she said women have “no excuses.”
“In my day, we didn’t have the education and
support that there is today. And, we’re blessed
to live in a city that is cutting edge in terms of
medicine. If you feel anything suspicious, you
have to go after it,” she said.
As for women who are facing the same
diagnosis, she said, “Try not to get too caught
up in the stage of your diagnosis. Yes, you have
a battle to fight. But you have to have hope.”
Ann Bart
Breast Cancer Survivor
Continues to Inspire Others
with Message of
Awareness and Hope.
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