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| Teresa Heinz Kerry Photo © Getty Images/Jeff Swensen |
Teresa Heinz Kerry and Elizabeth Edwards now have more in common than being part of the 2004 presidential campaign. While John Kerry and John Edwards ran for office, Elizabeth discovered a lump in her breast and was eventually treated for metastatic breast cancer. Nine years later, Teresa Heinz Kerry, heiress to the Heinz ketchup fortune, has announced that she has breast cancer.
Kerry, 71, said that her lump was detected during a routine screening mammogram. "The cancer was detected at an early stage thanks to a mammogram and the work of a remarkable physician who insisted on investigating beyond what the mammogram could show," said Kerry. Stage one breast cancer was found in both breasts, for which Kerry had lumpectomies. After surgery, Kerry will receive five days of targeted radiation aimed at improving her odds of a successful treatment to 95 percent. Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy could increase her odds of survival from 95 to 99 percent, but Kerry is still considering her options. While Kerry says she has not yet reached out to Elizabeth Edwards to talk about their experiences with breast cancer, perhaps they will have time for that in the coming year.
Teresa Heinz Kerry is the chairman of The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies, and in 1996 she set up the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement. She and John Kerry share an interest in environmental issues, and it will be interesting to see if she launches funding aimed at the impact of environmental contaminants on cancer development. Well-educated, affluent, multilingual, and used to being a mover and shaker, in the near future Teresa Heinz Kerry will be sought out by breast cancer organizations as a spokesman and supporter of the search for the cure. Already she is being quoted for her opinion on the recent furor over new USPSTF breast screening guidelines. It is unfortunate that Heinz Kerry has been diagnosed with breast cancer, but having someone of international experience with political clout in the fight is very welcome. While I wish her well, I also urge her to don some pink boxing gloves and take up the cause!
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This is sad news about Teresa Heinz Kerry. It is great that apparently this was caught early and she will very likely overcome this.
One comment in the article is interesting – suggesting that Teresa Heinz Kerry might start to fund efforts on the environmental causes of cancer. If you read “This moment on Earth”, the second chapter, written by Teresa Kerry is on toxins. The information was partially from work funded by her and information from annual conferences that she started in Pittsburgh in on Women, Health and the Environment that she started in 1996. (Later there were annual conferences in both Pittsburgh and Boston).
When This Moment on Earth came out, Teresa Heinz Kerry did a blog tour. Here is a link to one day’s interview where she speaks of the the conferences that she has now hosted for more than a dozen years. http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?p=78 Here is a link to all of the blog tour – which shows how deeply knowledgeable THK is on women’s health, environmental toxins and cancer. http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?p=76
Teresa, the daughter of a doctor, who specialized in onolcology, has used her foundation to try to increase the resources working on exactly that issue. In 2004, very little of the good work done by this brilliant caring woman was ever in the media. My guess is the media had stacked the deck against John Kerry and showing Teresa Heinz Kerry for who she is would have validated him too much for their purposes.
It is sad news that Teresa Heinz Kerry has to deal with breast cancer, but good news that she apparently caught it early and has a great chance of overcoming it.
One comment though, you mention that this might lead her speak on this. I don’t know if that is tongue in cheek – because she has been very involved on the issues of environment toxins, women’s health and cancer for more than a decade. The second chapter of the Kerrys’ book, This moment on earth, was on environmental toxins – and it was written by Teresa.
At the time the book was released, Teresa Heinz Kerry did a “blog tour”answering questions – here is day two where she spoke of the conferences on Women, Health and the Environment that she has hosted annually in Pittsburgh since 1996. http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?p=78
I don’t know how much of that blog tour remains – as it was over 2 years ago, but here is a description of it: http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?p=76
Many things that Teresa spoke of there and in the book have since become major concerns. As you can see, she has been an advocate on this issue and green building (since the early 1990s). In 2004, the media preferred to ignore her efforts.
I am so anxious to hear from anyone out there that had partial breast radiation delivered via the ballon method. Mine happened to be the Cadoura version. I really would like to hear how you felt after the process was complete.
Intelligence and simpiilcty – easy to understand how you think.