Elizabeth (Betsy) Brenner, former president and publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, knows the shock of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I think you've got two choices," Brenner said, recalling her initial diagnosis in 2003. "You can go curl up in a ball at the bottom of your shower and wait for your life to end or you can live your life.
"I guess the advice I’d give people is 'go live your life.' That is the best and most obvious choice it seems to me."
Brenner, who retired in 2016, has done more than just live her life. She has given back to others through her leadership with the support group, ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis.
She'll be among two people honored Thursday night during the group's "Date with the Plate" fundraiser, which will be held virtually.
The other honoree is Carol Cameron, who will be recognized for her "passion and leadership" in working with "families impacted by breast cancer in the Native American community."
Brenner is being saluted for helping ABCD expand its services locally and nationally. She has worked with the group for more than a decade and served as board president from 2010 to 2012 and vice president from 2017 to 2019.
"I so admire Betsy it's sometimes hard for me to just say it in one or two sentences what is so amazing about her," said the group's executive director, Ellen Friebert Schupper. "She has been a transformational leader. She was able to understand what was needed, identify a plan and a task to follow.
"And Betsy was with us to see through the organizational changes we had to make so that we could support more people."
Brenner was uniquely placed to help ABCD. After all, she had firsthand experience with the group.
After moving from Tacoma, Wash., where she was publisher of the The News Tribune, to Milwaukee, she tapped into the ABCD program that provides one-on-one mentoring and support services, which are free.
A doctor, she said, can offer a diagnosis and medical information.
"They can’t get give you social service information, talk about the financial impact, the ins and outs of how you need to live, what do you tell your kids," she said. "Where do you go to buy a wig."
Even during the coronavirus pandemic, the group has not stopped helping others.
"When COVID hit, ABCD didn't skip a beat," Brenner said.
The group always offered its services over the telephone and online.
"The way we delivered services was more important than ever," Friebert Schupper said. "Because all of our services are delivered virtually as we experienced a surge in request for support we were able to meet every single need that was being requested. In whatever way someone needed our support we were able to provide it."
In August alone, the group matched 46 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and people living with the disease with mentors. All of the mentors are breast cancer survivors who have been professionally trained to provide help and advice.
The group is especially concerned with getting out the word that people should not put off mammograms during the pandemic.
During Thursday night's fundraiser, founding and current board member Dr. Leslie Waltke is expected to offer a clear message: "Going in to get your mammogram is safer than going to the grocery store."
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'Go live your life': Betsy Brenner to receive award from breast cancer support group - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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