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Local Woman Turns To Mentors During Breast Cancer Journey

By Pat Ciarrocchi

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- On Sunday, Mother's Day, Komen Philadelphia will kick off its 25th annual Race for the Cure for breast cancer from the steps of the Art Museum.

Among the women wearing pink, which denotes the warriors in the fight, will be 52-year-old Karen Refsynder of North Wales. This Race for the Cure will be her first. She was diagnosed in December, 2014.

Karen and I met in the Mount Airy offices of her acupuncture therapist, Dr. Nancy Post. Her gratitude was palpable. Karen had found a mentor, one of many she says, who are walking with her on this journey through breast cancer.

"The fear is - you're frozen," Karen said. "The fear is you think the doctors are the only persons who have an answer for you."

When Karen heard the words, "You have breast cancer," to her it felt as if the doctor – in his next breath said – "You can have surgery in three days. We might as well take care of it."

In three days?

The cancer was very small. It wasn't aggressive.

"I was crying," Karen said.

Breast cancer had left Karen scared, but not paralyzed.

Treatment could wait.

"They kept saying, 'What are you waiting for?'... and I kept saying, 'I want to get more consults.' I wanted to get my power back. I didn't want to relinquish it all to the medical doctors."

For Karen, a three-month wait for the first of two lumpectomies allowed her to build scaffolding for well-being.

Dr. Post became a first rung.

"No one has a catastrophic diagnosis and doesn't have a reaction to it. In Chinese medicine, we don't just treat the cancer, we are treating the person," Dr. Post said. "They get some treatment, and then, their brain clears and they start thinking more clearly about their options."

Options gave Karen back her power. With fine gauge acupuncture needles, herbs and counseling, Dr. Post says she started to build Karen's energy, immunity, and to stage a defense against what most likely will be the side effects of the drugs and chemotherapy. Those decisions are still to come.

A 1997 study looking at acupuncture in resolving the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy found a high level of effectiveness.

Dr. Post calls it a surprise that this isn't completely integrated as complimentary treatment, because the science is nearly 20 years old.

Karen found she had the emotional network of family and friends to help her navigate the days leading up to choosing a surgeon and a treatment protocol. She consulted with five surgeons. The doctor she selected would remove the tiny tumor, go back in weeks later to get a wider margin – as a precaution – and to remove a lymph node for testing, to make sure the cancer had not spread. It did not. That was a relief.

Introducing a nutritional overhaul made sense. Karen wanted to help fight the cancer herself.

Though Karen is a vegetarian and slim in stature, nutritional experts directed her to better choices – leafy greens three times a day, root vegetables, foods without hormones, mushrooms, some fruits and a morning smoothie, filled with vitamins. Karen says it boosted her energy and alertness, but also gave her control.

Touching Karen's pulses, Dr. Post "listens" to the body's meridians – energetic lines that pass from head to toe through her organs. Placing needles, Dr. Post finds "points" that re-direct energies. She says it helps someone – especially someone with a life-changing diagnosis -- to re-generate.

"I have needles in the meridians that go through where her scars are…so her scars can heal faster," Dr. Post said.

Joining the Komen Race for the Cure is about feeling empowered, said Karen.

"I feel I just want to wear pink. This was a really hard struggle for me. If I can do it... you can do it."

It's a message of being scared, perhaps, but definitely not paralyzed.

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