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EndZone - Walking the talk
Lakeland College AD fights back by being out front on cancer detection
Lakeland College AD fights back by being out front on cancer detection
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By Leilana McKindra
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
Lakeland College Director of Athletics and assistant women’s basketball coach Jane Boucher hates talking about herself. However, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in May of last year, Boucher has chosen to break the silence to trumpet the importance of regular self-exams and early detection.
Cancer is prevalent in the veteran coach’s family. Both her mother and grandfather died from it; consequently, she regularly scheduled mammograms.
“My mom died six years ago on New Year’s Eve,” Boucher said, “and she made me promise that no matter what. I’d do my monthly exams.”
Keeping that promise certainly played a role in saving Boucher’s life. When a spot was detected during a routine mammogram May 17, her doctor suggested she undergo an ultrasound for further analysis. That procedure led to an appointment with a surgeon and a needle biopsy.
Boucher was with a close friend the next day and on her way to help a former Lakeland coach move when the surgeon called with the bad news. Boucher said she had downplayed the possibility of cancer so much that hearing she was afflicted came as a shock. “I have to say, it was pretty surprising since everyone told me not to worry about it.”
Within days of confirming the diagnosis, Boucher underwent a procedure to remove a small lump measuring about 1.2 centimeters along with several lymph nodes. Shortly after surgery, she began a stretch of 33 radiation treatments over seven weeks.
Boucher worked at home for the first two or three weeks after the operation. Remarkably, she has continued to oversee the Lakeland athletics department on a full-time basis and fulfill her duties as an assistant women’s basketball coach — even when the exhaustion from radiation treatments was so severe that it wore on her mentally.
“Sometimes after the radiation, when driving home from work I would think, ‘I can’t go to work tomorrow,’ ” she said. “But the next morning, I would get up and say, ‘I’m not going to take off work for this. If I take off from work, I’m going on vacation.’ ”
The lessons and experiences from 28 years in teaching, coaching and athletics administration have kept her motivated. She also has drawn on the strength and never-give-up attitude her mother displayed during her own battle with cancer. Support from family, friends, coaches and former players has helped, too.
Boucher completed the radiation treatments in October. Now well past the six-month mark of being cancer free, she currently is in the midst of what will ultimately be a 10-year hormone therapy regimen to help decrease the risk of recurrence. Boucher said time has flown since May, and she isn’t waiting to be free of cancer for five years to claim her status as a survivor.
“I think I’ve won now,” she said.
As she presses forward, Boucher recognizes that her experience has changed her outlook in many ways — she lives more for the day at hand, avoids looking too far into the future, dwells less on the little things and is less hesitant to ask for help from friends.
A conversation with her niece, who is a nurse, also convinced her to begin doing one of the things she hates most — talking about herself.
“She was like ‘Jane, knock it off. Think of the good things you can do because you’re going to share with someone,’ ” Boucher said. “I said, “I don’t like to share.’ Then she told me she thought this was something my mom would want. She totally convinced me it was the right move to make because of being able to educate people.”
Since then, Boucher has taken advantage of the chances that have come her way to talk about breast cancer, and she is actively seeking opportunities to do more. In telling her story of determination and courage, Boucher stresses a simple but critical message.
“I’m just a plain Jane, and cancer got me,” Boucher said. “I’m not Deana Farve, Sheryl Crow or Melissa Etheridge. We’re probably not going to stop it from hitting, but we’ve got to have early detection. If I didn’t do that, I’d be in a world of hurt. I’d be going through some different treatment and maybe not having the bright outlook I have now.”
Cancer is prevalent in the veteran coach’s family. Both her mother and grandfather died from it; consequently, she regularly scheduled mammograms.
“My mom died six years ago on New Year’s Eve,” Boucher said, “and she made me promise that no matter what. I’d do my monthly exams.”
Keeping that promise certainly played a role in saving Boucher’s life. When a spot was detected during a routine mammogram May 17, her doctor suggested she undergo an ultrasound for further analysis. That procedure led to an appointment with a surgeon and a needle biopsy.
Boucher was with a close friend the next day and on her way to help a former Lakeland coach move when the surgeon called with the bad news. Boucher said she had downplayed the possibility of cancer so much that hearing she was afflicted came as a shock. “I have to say, it was pretty surprising since everyone told me not to worry about it.”
Within days of confirming the diagnosis, Boucher underwent a procedure to remove a small lump measuring about 1.2 centimeters along with several lymph nodes. Shortly after surgery, she began a stretch of 33 radiation treatments over seven weeks.
Boucher worked at home for the first two or three weeks after the operation. Remarkably, she has continued to oversee the Lakeland athletics department on a full-time basis and fulfill her duties as an assistant women’s basketball coach — even when the exhaustion from radiation treatments was so severe that it wore on her mentally.
“Sometimes after the radiation, when driving home from work I would think, ‘I can’t go to work tomorrow,’ ” she said. “But the next morning, I would get up and say, ‘I’m not going to take off work for this. If I take off from work, I’m going on vacation.’ ”
The lessons and experiences from 28 years in teaching, coaching and athletics administration have kept her motivated. She also has drawn on the strength and never-give-up attitude her mother displayed during her own battle with cancer. Support from family, friends, coaches and former players has helped, too.
Boucher completed the radiation treatments in October. Now well past the six-month mark of being cancer free, she currently is in the midst of what will ultimately be a 10-year hormone therapy regimen to help decrease the risk of recurrence. Boucher said time has flown since May, and she isn’t waiting to be free of cancer for five years to claim her status as a survivor.
“I think I’ve won now,” she said.
As she presses forward, Boucher recognizes that her experience has changed her outlook in many ways — she lives more for the day at hand, avoids looking too far into the future, dwells less on the little things and is less hesitant to ask for help from friends.
A conversation with her niece, who is a nurse, also convinced her to begin doing one of the things she hates most — talking about herself.
“She was like ‘Jane, knock it off. Think of the good things you can do because you’re going to share with someone,’ ” Boucher said. “I said, “I don’t like to share.’ Then she told me she thought this was something my mom would want. She totally convinced me it was the right move to make because of being able to educate people.”
Since then, Boucher has taken advantage of the chances that have come her way to talk about breast cancer, and she is actively seeking opportunities to do more. In telling her story of determination and courage, Boucher stresses a simple but critical message.
“I’m just a plain Jane, and cancer got me,” Boucher said. “I’m not Deana Farve, Sheryl Crow or Melissa Etheridge. We’re probably not going to stop it from hitting, but we’ve got to have early detection. If I didn’t do that, I’d be in a world of hurt. I’d be going through some different treatment and maybe not having the bright outlook I have now.”
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