Supporting a cause

With a lot of hope and a little humor, Shirley Reitmeier collects bras to raise awareness for breast cancer

CROOKSTON - Shirley Reitmeier isn’t bashful talking about breast cancer.  "It doesn’t matter, big or small, let’s save them all," she said. That includes not only women’s breasts, but also men’s.

While women are diagnosed with breast cancer much more frequently than men, the disease does occur in males, she said. Reitmeier, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2008, is organizing an event called "Shirley’s Bradway Show" to benefit breast cancer research. She hopes to raise $5,000 through ticket sales to the show, which will be held Sept. 25 in Crookston.  Reitmeier is encouraging people who buy tickets to donate a bra for another project she has launched.  "One bra will get them in a door prize drawing, but they can bring 20, she said. "If they have a truckload, bring it that night. We can find another truck," she said Reitmeier plans to create a wall hanging with the bras. The artwork will be on the side of Eagle Drug in Crookston for two weeks beginning in mid-October. October is breast cancer awareness month.  Reitmeier began collecting the bras in June during Relay for Life in Crookston and has about 350, in colors from pink, to green, to yellow, to white. "I’m hoping to get 500 to 800 bras." She got the idea for the wall hanging after seeing a display of bras on the side of a store on Broadway in Fargo. "I said, ‘We have a Broadway in Crookston. We can do this,’" Reitmeier said. She believes raising breast cancer is awareness is critical because it can save lives. "My passion is to get people to do the mammogram, do the follow-up." Reitmeier credits early detection of a 2-centimeter cancerous tumor in her breast to saving her life. She had a lumpectomy to remove the tumor and followed that up with radiation treatments. Because the tumor was not larger than 2 centimeters she didn’t have to also have chemotherapy treatments.
Early detection

Reitmeier knows that some women are reluctant to get mammogram, but she believes that it is their responsibility to do so.  "You have to learn to stand up and take care of your own body." As a former longtime health-care worker, she saw the downside of not taking care of it, she said. Reitmeier, formerly Shirley Moen, worked for Altru Health Systems in Grand Forks as an emergency room and operating room technician for 19 years before she remarried and moved to Crookston.  "I hear people say,’ Oh it hurts so bad to get a mammogram." she said. But not getting one can, at the least, result in longer, harsher radiation treatment. "I’ll tell you what, it hurts a helluva more to have radiation."

Reitmeier acknowledges that hearing the results of her own mammogram was a shock.  "It was just like a sucker punch to the stomach." The first few weeks after the diagnosis were hard and she cried, she said. Though Reitmeier can joke about her lumpectomy now, telling people, ‘I’m a boob and a half,’ she didn’t feel that way initially.  However, after Reitmeier gave herself time to be sad, she was ready to move on and do what she needed to do.  "It’s like, well, OK, we can deal with this." With a positive attitude and the support of friends and family, she is moving forward.   "There was a time to cry, and there’s a time to rejoice."  One of the ways she’s rejoicing is to increase awareness of the disease.   "It’s a passion."

Donations

Women whom she’s contacted about making bra donations are delighted to help, Reitmeier said.

"They’re saying, ‘Wow.  That’s great." They don’t seem to have any qualms about donating, either, because the wall hanging will be tasteful.   "Your name is not going next to the bra," Reitmeier said with a laugh.  There are drop-off boxes for the bras at Eagles Drug and Rejuve Hair Salon in Crookston and Daydream Specialties in Grand Forks. People can also donate by calling Reitmeier at (218) 289-5608.

Tickets for the Bradway show, which features comedians Jodie Maruska, Rox Tar-rant and Brenda Elsagher, are $25 per person and will be available beginning Tuesday. They can be purchased at River View Gift Shop, Eagle Drug, Montague’s Flower Shop or by calling Lori Ingeman at (218) 281-7907.