Libby Goller is 2008 Elizabeth Heins Recipient: Elizabeth Heins Award Goes to Three-Time Cancer Vet

By Jeff Meyers, The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Jul. 22–COOPERSVILLE — For Libby Goller, three separate bouts with cancer have only strengthened her desire to help others facing similar experiences.

“It is really nice to be able to speak to somebody who has gone through what you are experiencing,” Goller said as she talked about the impact cancer has had on her life and how she has turned the bad news of diagnosis into positive support.

“Helping others is just something I feel compelled to do. I just want to share what I’ve been through. I’m just hoping to help someone else see that cancer diagnosis is not always the end of the world, although sometimes, unfortunately, it is.”

Her dedication to helping others has earned Goller the 2008 Elizabeth Heins Award, given annually to someone in the community who has been an inspiration to others.

SELF EXAMS KEY

The key to Goller’s success against cancer was an early diagnosis on each occasion, so proper screening to identify tumors in their earliest possible stages is one step she goes out of her way to stress.

“I was fortunate,” she said. “My whole mission is awareness. Cancer is out there, and if caught early, you will always have a better chance of surviving.”

In 1994, Goller was already proactive in cancer prevention. At 52, she had been receiving annual mammograms and was also doing regular breast self-exams. Her persistence paid off.

“I’d been swimming three days a week at the ‘Y,’ and I automatically did the self-breast exams monthly,” she recalled. “One day, I felt a lump that I hadn’t noticed before and immediately set out to get another mammogram.”

She’d had her regular mammogram five months earlier, and the test showed no signs of cancer. However, doctors did find a stage 1 tumor with the follow-up scan.

Ironically, Goller’s mother, Margery Hugaboom, had been diagnosed with breast cancer a year earlier, and Goller decided that she wanted the same surgeon who had operated on her mom.

It was during that experience that she first came in touch with the FitzPatrick Cancer Center and its staff.

“The Cancer Center is a phenomenal clinic,” she said. “The staff is just incredible, very warm and welcoming.”

She came through the experience with “flying colors,” she said, noting that surgery and treatments had removed the cancerous cells, and subsequent check-ups showed no signs that the cancer had returned.

SELF ADVOCATE

Two years later, however, doctors found an unrelated tumor in one of her kidneys. It was a shock that she never expected.

“I had a feeling of betrayal,” she said. “With the experience with breast cancer, I had looked at my diet and did all sorts of things to promote good health — drinking bottled water, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and decreasing my fat intake.”

Fate doesn’t always follow logical human expectations, and this new bout with cancer resulted in the loss of the diseased kidney despite the steps she had taken to have a healthier lifestyle.

“It made me more aware of my own body,” she said.

In fact, she had asked for the examination that uncovered the tumor because she simply didn’t feel right.

“You have to be your own advocate.

Goller moved beyond the experience and didn’t miss a step in a life with only one kidney. If anything, she became even more active in her cancer-support activities through several outreach groups.

“You enter sort of a sisterhood,” she said of the women she has offered support to over the years. “You have the opportunity to meet not only women but family. It really does become a phenomenal social network.”

FAMILY SUPPORT

Her third brush with cancer came in 2001 when a microscopic tumor was found in her other breast. Again, catching the cancer in its early stages helped doctors treat the tumor effectively, and she hasn’t had a recurrence since.

She still gives a lot of credit for where she is to her family and especially her husband, Walter.

“He’s very supportive, very much a nurturing person,” she said.

The Elizabeth Heins award, created in 2005 in honor of the late Elizabeth Heins of Plattsburgh, is given to a breast-cancer survivor who exhibits qualities similar to that of Heins, who was a staunch supporter of Reach to Recovery and the Treasure Chests survivor groups in the community.

Past recipients include Gracelyn Murphy, Cindy Topnick and Marie Beemer.

jmeyers@pressrepublican.com

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