When Jeanne Miller chose to have both her breasts removed, the cancer cells left her body. The scars remained.

"They asked me if I wanted to save the (left) breast, and that they could do that with chemo or radiation prior to surgery, but radiation causes a lot of lung damage," Miller, of Portage, said. "I just wanted the breast gone and be done with it. But it was hard. I get to look at it every day."

Miller is a new member of the Pink Ribbon Angels group, which provides assistance to Columbia County breast cancer patients to cover uninsured expenses associated with diagnosis and treatment.

The organization was formed by local curling friends inspired by a similar group of Rice Lake women who provide financial assistance to breast cancer patients in Barron County through fundraising efforts at the Rice Lake Curling Club's Annual Curl for a Cure event. After a successful Curl for a Cure fundraising event at the Portage Curling Club in 2004, the group continued to fight for women's health.

Michelle Kornaus, the founder and president of the PRA, was an oncology nurse for 10 years. Some of her patients survived and others succumbed to cancer.

"When my sister got breast cancer, I said to her, ‘Kathy, this is not a death sentence anymore. I know that for a fact because of the money that goes into research,' " Kornaus, of Portage, said.

Miller knew Kornaus through curling, but they became closer as Miller discovered she had breast cancer. The group is sponsoring big events during October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, including free mammograms at Divine Savior Healthcare.

Miller had annual mammograms but found a tumor in her right breast during a self-exam in June 2007. There was no family history of breast cancer, Miller said, and her lifestyle was healthy.

"The breast looked different, and the first thing that caught my eye was that the skin was discolored, then I could feel the lump," Miller, 60, said.

About half of all women have fibrocystic breasts, where some lumpiness and thickening of tissue is a normal occurrence, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, all women need to have mammograms and complete self-exams on a regular basis. Miller's breast tissue was so dense, she said, that an ultrasound was needed to locate the lump.

Miller waited two months for a biopsy and diagnosis because her only daughter was getting married in August 2007.

"I did the mother thing and waited because I thought that I didn't want to be in the middle of this and ruin her day," Miller said.

A week went by after the tests at the UW Health Breast Center in Madison, and then Miller got a phone call from her primary physician. Miller remembers the exact date she found out she had breast cancer - Sept. 28, 2007.

"She was just chit-chatting, and I thought, she has never called me before, so I knew that it wasn't good news," Miller said. "She said that I had breast cancer, and all I could say was, ‘You're the one that they made call me to tell me? You're brave.' Then she said to me, ‘No, you're the brave one.' It was like it didn't even register."

Miller's husband, Chuck, and daughter, Emily, were constant companions and advocates for her, she said.

"They found another lump in my left breast, which was not cancerous, and then presented all these options, which is a lot to take in. But you need to make those decisions and make them quickly," Miller said.

Miller chose to have a bilateral mastectomy in order to head off any chance of cancer developing in the left breast down the road, she said. After being told she would have the emotionally draining surgery in two weeks, Miller had to wait seven and a half weeks before it was performed.

"I had surgery on November 16 for them both and it was actually a relief that this part of the journey was done," Miller said. "Through my treatment, Michelle was my touchstone, and she was a force behind some of the treatment decisions I made."

There are five members of the board of directors for PRA, and four to six assistants, Kornaus said, and at least two of them are breast cancer survivors. Throughout the years of fundraising, the group has collected $43,100 and assisted nine local women with breast cancer, from purchasing a $400 wig to buying prescription medications when a woman's insurance would not pay.

But breast cancer is a misnomer, as men also get the disease. Men have breast tissue, just no milk ducts, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"We have had no requests from men for assistance, but that wouldn't matter. Any Columbia County patient we could take care of, no questions asked," Kornaus said. "I would have no problem with men joining the group, either. I would enjoy it."

After Miller's double procedure, she began chemotherapy treatment in January after 20 lymph nodes on her right chest had cancer in them, she said. The treatment was every three weeks at Divine Savior Healthcare, and it was done by the end of April. Her husband accompanied her to each session, she said.

"This is Portage, so everyone knows you. It was comforting that I knew my nurses and the ladies that administered my cocktail - that's what they call the chemo, a cocktail," Miller said.

Reconstructive surgery for both breasts began May 12 in Madison, which was an outpatient procedure. Miller still has one more surgery left to schedule.

"Even with reconstruction, you still have scars. It isn't like plastic surgery where they have breast tissue to use. I still have two scars," Miller said. "And my husband has no problem with how I look. He says that I'm still the beautiful girl he fell in love with."

Two of Miller's friends have had breast cancer, she said. One is a survivor of 12 years.

"We did the Walk for the Cure in Madison, and you hear that women survive. You need to hear that. You need to hear that women do survive," Miller said.

The "indignities" that women go through, such as losing hair or breasts, can save your life, Miller said. She did not wear a wig, but instead opted for a sporty baseball cap.

Find a doctor that you are comfortable with, Miller said, and get someone to be an advocate for you.

"I thought I was safe - no family history, no medications - but there is no safe," Miller said. "I have never cried once about the whole process. You're amazed at how brave you get."

Miller was the former county clerk, so as news of her illness spread, get-well cards began to flood in. It kept her feeling loved and supported, she said. Also keeping her comfortable were her four dogs, Miller said, which required them to purchase a king-size bed so they could all sleep with her at night.

Along with physical changes from breast cancer, Miller's mentality has shifted, she said.

"I would hope that I'm not as reserved as before. I'm not quite as cautious and I do things now instead of waiting," Miller said. "Cancer is always there in the back of my mind, and it always will be, but I hope they find a cure."

To help the Pink Ribbon Angels with donations or volunteering your time, contact Kornaus at 742-1924.

See pink for the entire month of October

The Pink Ribbon Angels, a group that provides assistance to Columbia County breast cancer patients to cover uninsured expenses associated with diagnosis and treatment, will soon "Paint the Town Pink" with October events for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Portage Common Council voted unanimously Thursday to put up pink ribbons and banners in the city for Paint the Town Pink in October.

• Oct. 1, Pink Ribbon Angels will cover the costs of mammograms from 2 to 4 p.m. at Divine Savior Healthcare.

Also, the "Curl for a Cure" silent auction and raffle begins with prizes displayed in the window of HoopLa at 118 W. Cook St. Tickets can be purchased through a member of the Pink Ribbon Angels, or at HoopLa, at a cost of $5 for one ticket and $10 for three tickets. The grand prize is a French braid quilt. First place is an outdoor fireplace with two chairs. Second place is a two-night stay at the Wilderness Resort, and third place is an iTONE docking station for an iPod music and video player. Other prizes include a pink golf bag and clubs, four tickets for a University of Wisconsin men's hockey game, and various gift baskets.

Other local businesses will have $1 pink donation cards for sale, which will then be displayed in the window.

• Oct. 6, Pink Ribbon Angel presentation to the Rotary Club from noon to 1 p.m. at Dino's Restaurant. Pink Ribbon Angel pins will be available for $5.

• Oct. 8, Pink Ribbon Angels will cover the costs of mammograms from 2 to 4 p.m. at Divine Savior.

• Oct. 10, the Portage High School and Portage Junior High School bands will perform together wearing pink ribbons at a home game of the Portage Warriors football team against DeForest. Band director Tom Shaver will also have a pink bow on his stand and address breast cancer awareness.

• Oct. 12, Divine Savior Healthcare will host a free Breast Cancer Education and Awareness event, with part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Band to perform, and face-painting done by the Portage High School Art Club. Pink food and beverages will be served. A white "Tree of Hope" will have ribbons to honor survivors of breast cancer, or those who have died as a result of the disease.

• Oct. 15, Pink Ribbon Angels will cover the costs of mammograms from 2 to 4 p.m. at Divine Savior.

• Oct. 23, Pink Ribbon Angels will cover the costs of mammograms from 8 to 10 a.m. at Divine Savior.

• Oct. 23, Maple Ridge Elderly Care will host a benefit dinner from 6 to 8 p.m. at a cost of $10 per person. The Women's Civic League of Portage will bake pies and auction off the remaining desserts.

• Oct. 26, Pink Ribbon Angels will host the a capella group the UW MadHatters at the Portage Junior High School gymnasium from 6:30 to 8 p.m at a cost of $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 years old and younger.

• Oct. 29, Pink Ribbon Angels will cover the costs of mammograms from 2 to 4 p.m. at Divine Savior.

• On Nov. 8, the largest fundraiser for the Pink Ribbon Angels is the fifth annual "Curl for the Cure" event from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Portage Curling Club. The all-day event is $35 per person, which includes an event T-shirt, a goody bag, a learn-to-curl lesson and two games and entertainment with food and beverages (including beer). Winners of the silent auction and raffle will be announced.

jmccoy@capitalnewspapers.com

745-3519