March 14, 2001

Able-bodied

Perfomer used humor to tell story of
standing up to breast cancer

By Jennifer Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff

Although her steps are slow and aided by a cane, Kate Shoemaker considers it a victory to be walking on her own two legs.

Shoemaker, of Eau Claire, has battled many health problems over the years, including several infections on a leg that was badly broken and close to amputation.

Uncomfortable with doctors' suggestions to remove the leg, Shoemaker protested, and the amputation never took place.

"I've seen a lot of doctors," said Shoemaker, whose occupation is in natural healing. "It took me just going 'Whoa. Stop. We're going to go talk to someone else.' "

Her body. Her choice.

"I'm still walking on it," she said. "Not the best, but it's still mine."

With his wife's struggles in mind, Earl Shoemaker was comforted when he heard actress and producer Liza Vann speak Tuesday about how she, too, questioned doctors' treatment methods during her confrontation with breast cancer.

"She such a strong advocate for doing homework on one's own," Earl Shoemaker said of Vann. "We've done a substantial amount of homework in the medical field ourselves. She's just telling me what I already know, but it's nice to hear."

Vann, of New York City, presented a one-person show at UW-Eau Claire emphasizing the heaing power of humor. In the 65-minute performance, Vann talked about her brother Peter's cocaine addiction and her own less-than-traditional encounter with breast cancer.

After a mammogram in 1992, doctors noticed a suspicious mass in her left breast. Vann was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, then underwent seven weeks of radiation and six months of chemotherapy.

But instead of being passive and letting doctors dictate her treatment methods, Vann demanded choices. She read up on the subject, spoke with patients who beat the disease and came back to her doctors with her own preferences for treatment.

"I am not the bell of the bell curve," she said, citing how a mastectomy was an option but she "took it off the table."

"Mastectomy should never be a first choice," she said. "It should be a the last choice. Remember, you are the one at the table. Hell, you're the one on the table."

"What I'm trying to point out is that your best advocate is you."

Vann limited surgeries, adjusted her chemoptherapy and even told the surgeon where he could and could not make the cut during the lumpectomy.

"It's about choices," said Vann, a petite woman with curly brown hair who conducts about 10 shows a year. "You're here to get the job done. The job of your life is here.

"Every day you have to make your point. You have to give it your best shot."

Whether it be fighting breast cancer or intervening in family crises, Vann suggests applying critical thinking and keeping a few rules in mind along the way — like picking your battles, looking for the logic and taking responsibility for your actions.

Speaking of responsibility, Vann said her "ex-junkie" brother has been clean and sober for three years after taking drugs on and off for nearly 30 years.

"I'm proud that he fights the fight," she said.

Vann is now cancer-free. She meets with her specialist and undergoes routine mammograms once a year.

Abby Fromader, a 19-year-old UW-Eau Claire sophomore, attended the performance mainly because three family members have been stricken with breast cancer. She was impressed with Vann.

"She was really energized and has a lot of knowledge on the subject," she said. "It was great to see her positive attitude about the disease."

Schmidt can be reached at 830-5840, (800) 236-7077 or jennifer.schmidt@ecpc.com