breast cancer

W E A T H E RToday: Sunny. Highs in theupper 70s. North winds 5 to10 mph.Tonight: Clear. Lows in thelower 50s. North winds 5mph.

Vol. 156, No. 235©2010 The Daily Citizen

“ ”Time is shortening. But every daythat I challenge this cancer andsurvive is a victory for me.

INGRID BERGMANSwedish actress, 1915-1982

Contact us: 3000 E. Race, Searcy, AR 72143, (Phone) 501-268-8621, (Fax) 501-268-6277

Fundsslatedfor roadrepair

SURVIVOR: BREAST CANCER NOT A DEATH SENTENCE

NATION & STATE, 2AOPINIONS, 4A LIFESTYLES, 5ACALENDAR/OBITUARIES, 6ASPORTS, 1B CLASSIFIEDS, 5B

I N D E X

CitizenDailyThe

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2010 50¢

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTHThrough heightened awareness, people have a betterchance of breast cancer survival than ever. — PAGE 4A

Serving Searcy and White County, Ark., since 1854 www.thedailycitizen.com

LOCAL FOOTBALL TEAMS KICK OFF WEEK 5The six White County high school football teams playweek five of the 2010 season tonight. — PAGE 1B

Karren Patrick was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and has been cancer free for five years. She contributes her survival to earlydetection and awareness. Patrick serves as the Clinical Director of the operating room at White County Medical Center. Annette Whitehead/awhitehead@thedailycitizen.com

Doctor: Awareness aids survival

HIGHWAY REPAIRWhere: Highway 124 eastof Pangburn, from Hwy. 16to Hwy. 157Cost: $1.4 millionSource: State’s share ofseverance taxLow bidder: Delta Asphalt ofArkansasTime frame: To beannounced

By Warren Watkinswarren@thedailycitizen.comThe state is planning on

using $1.4 million of thestate’s share of severancetax revenue to fix a WhiteCounty highway damagedin the development of theFayetteville Shale Play.“WeopenedbidsThursday

on a project to resurface ninemiles of Highway 124 east ofPangburn, from Hwy. 16 toHwy. 157,” saidDavidNilles,spokesman for the Arkansas

Healthychildrenis focus offree eventBy Warren Watkinswarren@thedailycitizen.comA free children’s health

carnival will be held 10 a.m.-noon Saturday at the Centerfor Pediatric Health, 403 S.Poplar next to Hank’s FineFurniture.This year’s indoor/out-

door carnival includes 12area agencies and health pro-fessionals presenting gamesand activities in addition toover 13 businesses provid-ing door prizes and variouscontributions.“We want to tell children

that being healthy can befun,” said Dr. Marty Thomas,director of the center. “At thecarnival people can see whatresources we have for chil-dren in the community andtake advantage of them.”

By Annette Whiteheadawhitehead@thedailycitizen.comKarren Patrick's battle with

cancer began long beforeher diagnosis.

At just three years old, herfather died of prostate cancer, andthen in 1991, her sister died ofbreast cancer. She has also hadtwo nieces who have dealt withtheir own breast cancer diagno-ses. So, it wasn't entirely a shockwhen she was diagnosed withbreast cancer in 2005.“I was almost expecting it at

some point in my life,” Karrensaid. “I was not surprised. I wasdetermined that I was going tocatch it before it caught me.”And that she did. Karren was

getting her regular annual mam-mogram and it showed a smalllesion in her right breast.“With my family history being

what it is, they wanted to biopsyit,” Karren explained. “When theydid, it was malignant, but it wasvery, very small. They caught itearly.”Karren said she's had a height-

ened awareness of cancer and hastaken a proactive stance.

“I've really had my finger onthe pulse when it comes to cancerfor most of my adult life,” shesaid.Karren is the clinical director

of the operating room at WhiteCounty Medical Center, and hasbeen since 2002. She has beena registered nurse working insurgery for 31 years, and workedwith cancer and hematologypatients during her first year as anurse. With her medical experi-ence and her family background,she was all too aware of the reali-ties of her disease.“The more you know the more

scared you can get because youknow all of the possibilities,”Karren said.Karren's husband, Donald,

who is a heart surgeon at SearcyMedical Clinic, trained at theMayo clinic in Rochester, Minn.

They had the slides and tissuesent there for a second opinionand it confirmed what the doctorshere had planned as a course ofaction.“That really set me at ease,”

she said. “I think our hospital andour doctors here in town are qual-ity. We have quality nursing careand doctors.”Karren's options for treatment

were between having a mastec-tomy or having a lumpectomyand radiation. After some study-ing and consulting with Rochesterdoctors, she opted for the latter.“My husband and I, we really

got going and we got the surgerydone,” she said. “Then I had sixweeks of radiation. Dr. [Cheryl]Payne here in town … She wasjust awesome. She's an awesomedoctor and an awesome person.She made sure she got my treat-

ment done. I did, and getting pastall that was just wonderful.”“She's already a very optimis-

tic person,” her husband said.“She's had enough tragedies. Wewere satisfied that the right deci-sion was made, and we didn'texpect any difficulties. I knewwhat was going on in the operat-ing room, so I wasn't worried.”Treatments depend on how

aggressive the cancer cells are.“Mine probably would have

been very aggressive other thanit was just too tiny to be verymean,” Karren said with laughter.She's now been cancer free for

five years.“She's able to deal with things

much worse than having a onecentimeter breast cancer,” Donaldsaid. “She's a very optimistic,positive type of person.”

Bunko Bash event to benefit White County single parentsBy Luke Jonesljones@thedailycitizen.comA special event is being held to

raise funds for single parents tryingto finish college educations.Bunko Bash is an annual get-

together where groups compete inthe popular dice game and are ableto win a number of door prizes.“When I started this job I had

no idea what bunko was,” saidDan Newsom, executive directorfor the White County Single ParentScholarship Fund and MC for theevent. “I came to find out that theladies of this area are very enthusi-astic about it, to say the least.”Newsom said the event, last year,

garnered 40 participants and raised

between $11 and $12,000. “Thisyear’s goal is $15,000,” Newsomsaid.He hopes to see at least 50 par-

ticipants when the games start at 2p.m. Saturday in the Park AvenueBaptist Church.“We will have room for up to

100,” he said. “I think we’re goingto have much more than 50. We’vesold several tickets already.” Ticketscost $25 and can be purchased atthe door.

Bunko is a dice game played at

a table with four players at each sta-tion. Players roll the dice attemptingto get particular numbers dependingon the round. When the numberstotal 21, that player wins.“It’s a very fast pace,” Newsom

said. “The faster you go, the moreopportunities you’ll have to get21.”After four rounds, which takes

about two hours, Newsom said, thewinner will receive a trophy entitled“Bunko Babe.” Other players willalso receive awards.Several door prizes donated by

local businesses will also be award-ed, including an oil painting by alocal artist, two tickets to an Oct.10 Nickelback concert and a Coachpurse.All proceeds will go towards

the White County Single Parents

Scholarship Fund. The fund beganin Bald Knob in 1999 as an off-shoot of the Arkansas Single ParentScholarship Fund.The fund’s goal is to provide

scholarships to single parents house-hold heads with children over age18.“They can get a better job, then

provide a better life for their family,which encourages their children togo to college, which helps the com-munity,” Newsom said.In 2010, 48 scholarships have

been awarded, valued at $27,300.To date, the fund has awarded301 scholarships valued at over$141,852.For more information about

Saturday’s Bunko Bash, personsmay contact Dan Newsom at (501)230-2414.

SURVIVORName: Karren PatrickWhen: Diagnosed in 2005, can-cer free for five yearsTreatment: Six weeks of radiationFollow-up: Every six months

“My advice to everyone is payattention to your body. It gives yousigns and it gives you signals.”

KARREN PATRICKBreast Cancer survivor

Fayetteville ShalePlay revenue

applied specifically

HEALTH CARNIVALWhat: Children’s healthcarnivalWhen: 10 a.m. until noonSaturdayWhere: The Center forPediatric Health, 403 S.PoplarOffered: Health screen-ings and information, food,gamesCost: Free

Health Carnival setfor Saturday

BUNKO BASHWhat: Fundraiser for White CountySingle Parent Scholarship FundWhere: Park Avenue BaptistChurchWhen: 2 p.m. SaturdayCost: $25

Moneywill go towardcollege scholarships

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The Daily Citizen Friday, October 1, 2010 • Page 3A

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WhyDidn’t I Do This Before?The thought of surgery may leave you with several questions – particularly if you area young, active individual.

We invite you to learn. Have questions answered. Take back your active life!

Tuesday, October 12 at 5:30 p.m.White County Medical Center – Hubach Conference Center, Room APresented by Dr. Tom Day

Seating is Limited – Please Register EarlyCall 1-866-751-2709 to RSVP

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Rhonda Huber displays a pot of chrysanthemums at the 700 block of East RaceAvenue Thursday. Huber has been selling the flowers, along with an arsenalof Autumn items like pumpkins, gourds and even scarecrows, with her father,known as the “Mum Man,” for 15 years. Luke Jones/ljones@thedailycitizen.com

Fall flowers for sale

“I'm very excited aboutall of the new techniquestaking place in my lifetimeto detect breast cancer,”Karren said. “I'm excitedthat we now have all thetechnology we have becauseI think that has saved mylife and has saved my nieceslives as well. It's not a badsubject for me anymore. It'snot a death sentence.”

Karren is thankful that,since she caught it early, shedidn't have to go throughchemotherapy, which wouldhave been in addition to thesurgery and radiation.

Even with her anticipa-tion and catching it early,Karren still felt the fear sofamiliar to cancer patients.

“I was scared that I wouldhave to have the radical sur-gery. It would have been adisfiguring surgery. I've seenthat many times through theyears. There were a fewtimes I really got scaredthinking of all the possibili-ties … what could happen.There were times when I'dhave to remind myself that Iwas getting the best medicalcare available and at least I'dbe alive.”

Karren now gets a mam-mogram every six months.Early last year, her leftbreast — the opposite of theprevious cancer — showeda lesion. It turned out tobe benign, to the relief ofKarren.

Karren had a large sup-port system through herordeal and tries to help withothers around her.

“With people I know, Ireally encourage them toget their diagnostic test andto keep their finger on thepulse,” she said. “Don't takethings for granted.”

Donald advises people toface the issues realistically.

“I think facing the factsis the most important thing

— good or bad,” he said.“They should be prepared.If you have a one-centimeterbreast cancer, be prepared tolive. If you have it spread allover the place, be preparedto die. It's not very comfort-ing, but it's reality. The mostimportant thing is to encour-age the screening test to bedone.”

Karren knows first-handhow important early detec-tion is.

“My advice to every-one is pay attention to yourbody,” she said. “It givesyou signs and it gives yousignals. Also, get your diag-nostic test done. Don't putit off. That is the kiss ofdeath.”

Highway TransportationDepartment. “The apparentlow bidder was DeltaAsphaltof Arkansas in Paragouldwith bid of $1.4 million.”

Severance tax is collectedwhen minerals — in this casenatural gas — is taken out ofor “severed” from the earth.

“The money the depart-ment is receiving from theseverance tax is being appliedto fix those roadways,”Nilles said. “We’re seeingthat money being reinvested

right back into those road-ways where that activity istaking place.”

A section of Highway 124in Van Buren County willbe fixed by a gas company,Nilles said, because that sit-uation is different than theWhite County situation.

“SEECO has some typeof water facility at the loca-tion in question,” Nilles saidof the Van Buren County fix.“That is why they made theoffer to fix it. The stretch

is about one-third mile andtheir trucks must get into thatfacility on a regular basis. Itwasn’t economically soundfor their trucks to go intothe facility with less than afull load due to the weightrestriction in the area sothey offered to help pay forimprovements to the road-way if we would raise theweight limit right there. Asa result, their trucks couldenter the water facility witha full load.”

Outside exhibits willinclude:

■ Searcy Fire Departmentbringing their new HazardHouse demonstrating theimportance of family fireplanning.

■SearcyPoliceDepartment– fingerprints for ID kits inthe event of emergencies.Children’s fingerprints changeas their hands grow so thisshould be updated regularly.

■ Doublebee’s Food Tent– free hot dogs, popcorn, andbottled water for all

■ Northstar EMS – chil-dren will have an opportu-nity to explore an ambulancereducing fears in emergencysettings.

■Roaming BalloonArtists– everyone loves balloon ani-mals

■ Pumpkin Patch - oncechildren have visited all thecarnival exhibits, they canbring their “passport” to thepumpkin patch to receiveand decorate their very ownpumpkin.

Inside exhibits include thefollowing:

■ Puzzle Making – littleartists will decorate puzzlepieces to become a mural thatwill hang in the Center

■ Face Painting – a carni-val favorite for most

■ Fishing for Goodnesspresented by RivendellBehavioral Health Services ofArkansas. Kids will fish for aprize behind the curtain whileparents have an opportunityto receive information aboutservices.

■ Bean Bag Toss, present-ed by White County MedicalCenter’s New Life Center.Parents will be informed aboutclasses offered to expectantparents.

■ MyPyramid Trail Mix– kids will build their owntrail mix based on the foodpyramid understanding theimportance of nutrition.

■ Halloween SafetyDuck Pond – just in time for

Halloween, kids will learnsafety tips for safe trick ortreating and receive a reflec-tor band.

■ Inflatable Bowlingpresented by White CountyChildren’s Safety Center. Kidsplay while parents are pro-vided information about thecenter.

■ Vision Screeningsprovided by Searcy FamilyEyecare. Children will receivefree vision screening.

■ Bandage Tent pre-sented by Sherwood UrgentCare. After applying tempo-rary wound tattoos kids willbandage their wounds whilelearning basics of first aid.

■WhiteCountyInvestedinSubstance Abuse Eradication(WISE) Coalition will beproviding helium balloons inaddition to educational hand-outs.

■ Learn the importanceof proper hand washing witha fun interactive game andfinally get to play in the bath-room sink.

■ Dental Education pro-videdbyScarbroughDentistry.Dental hygiene is presented inwith an oversized mouth andkids will receive a new tooth-brush.

■ White County RegionalLibrarySystemwillbepresent-ing the Wheel of Charactersgame which will bring homethe importance of reading andliteracy to all ages.

Door prizes will be provid-ed by The Center for PediatricHealth,WhiteCountyMedicalCenter, Stanley Pharmacy,Hibbett Sports, Union DrillingIncorporated, Reaper PhysicalTherapy, Inc., Quality Office,Inc. and Hays Kids. All doorprizes will be drawn at 11:45am on Saturday and you donot have to be present to win.

“We have planned for 150-200 kids in regards to exhibitprizes, pumpkins, food andgoodies so plan to come ear-ly,” Thomas said.

Thecarnivalwillbeopenedby the center’s official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Children: Free event to focus on kidsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Dr. Marty Thomas, right, and Chellee Burson, assistantmarketing director, prepare the MyPyramid Trail Mixtable for the children’s health carnival Saturday at TheCenter for Pediatric Health. In the activity, kids will buildtheir own trail mix based on the food pyramid under-standing the importance of nutrition. Warren Watkins/war-ren@thedailycitizen.com

Repair: Funds slated for road repairCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

Doctor: Awareness is key to survivalCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

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