| Description |
: |
. .
HARLAN NEWS-ADVERTISER
FRIDAY AUGUST 29, 2014
Harlan, IA
Page A01
COURAGEOUS BATTLE
Nadine Kenkel's fight
against cancer ends with
her passing this week,
but her message will live
on forever
The symptoms are so quiet;
however, they should not be ignored.
"-- Nadine Kenkel, educating the public about
Ovarian Cancer, the 'silent" killer
EARLING -- When Nadine Kenkel was faced with a Stage IV Ovarian Cancer diagnosis, she decided she was going to make it her mission to be an advocate for Ovarian Cancer awareness. A self-proclaimed stubborn and persistent person, she tackled this mission...
Read More
|
. .
HARLAN NEWS-ADVERTISER
FRIDAY AUGUST 29, 2014
Harlan, IA
Page A01
COURAGEOUS BATTLE
Nadine Kenkel's fight
against cancer ends with
her passing this week,
but her message will live
on forever
The symptoms are so quiet;
however, they should not be ignored.
"-- Nadine Kenkel, educating the public about
Ovarian Cancer, the 'silent" killer
EARLING -- When Nadine Kenkel was faced with a Stage IV Ovarian Cancer diagnosis, she decided she was going to make it her mission to be an advocate for Ovarian Cancer awareness. A self-proclaimed stubborn and persistent person, she tackled this mission with seriousness, grace and, of course, her trademark sense of humor.
As a survivor, she leaned on her strong faith as she addressed women speaking about the "silent" symptoms which often accompany the disease.
It didn't matter if it was an audience of one, groups as small as 10 or a roomful of 200 people, Nadine shared her cancer journey hoping as she said to "prevent other women from going through the health hurdles she had endured."
A registered nurse for more than three decades, who faithfully had yearly exams and was very diligent about her health, she stressed to women that if the disease could sneak up on her, it could sneak up on anyone.
Nadine, 56, died Monday, August 25, surrounded by her family, following a four-year battle with the disease. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 30 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Earling. (See death notice on page 2A)
Beginning the fight Nadine's advocacy efforts began shortly after her initial diagnosis in April 2010, made by her friend and colleague, Jill Ferry, PAC at Myrtue Medical Center. She then became a patient of Dr. David Crotzer, gynecological oncologist at Estabrook Cancer Center-Nebraska Methodist Hospital in Omaha.
Ferry knew Nadine for more than 25 years, as she was her mentor when Ferry was a graduate nurse, and she was one of Ferry's first patients in her practice when she started working as a physician's assistant.
"Nadine's efforts to be an advocate for early detection of Ovarian Cancer started shortly after she was diagnosed with her cancer," Ferry said.
"I remember her telling me that she was tired of seeing everything 'pink' for breast cancer awareness and no one knew the color of ribbon for ovarian cancer was 'teal.' She wanted to paint Methodist Hospital teal! She began her own campaign of Kenkel Kure and started telling her story to groups of ladies and individuals. She spoke at many endeavors including the school, church groups and even giving nurses at the hospital educational credits to hear her talk. Her goal was to speak to over 1,000 women and I do believe she met this goal in more ways than one."
Nadine shared candid details of her surgeries, aggressive chemotherapy treatments, and clinical trials during the past four years through group e-mails sent to hundreds of people. She was instrumental in developing many fund raising events which would benefit research and education of Ovarian Cancer.
Some of those events include a Teal Out during the HCHS basketball season, a golf tourney at Shelby County Rosman-Glendale Golf Course, and participation in the Nebraska Chapter of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition's Walk to Break the Silence held each September in Omaha.
Shortly after her diagnosis, she manned a table in the hallway at MMC to provide information on Ovarian Cancer awareness, and she never missed a chance to speak to others about her awareness mission.
A volunteer and organizer of the bloodmobiles in Earling, Nadine would sometimes call and remind people to donate blood as she sat and waited at doctor's appointments. She had received blood transfusions during her cancer journey, so she understood the important need for blood donors.
Janae Schomers with the American Red Cross, recalls Nadine's dedication to promoting bloodmobiles and recruiting donors. The two met in May 2011 at a blood drive in Earling where Nadine was serving as registration volunteer that day.
"I mentioned the need for a dedicated volunteer to take on the Earling community blood drive and she generously offered to help. As we continued to work together, we also became friends sharing a lot of laughter and even a few tears
(usually from laughing so hard). She knew how to make a person laugh with her quirky sense of humor!," said Schomers.
Schomers said during Nadine's time as Earling's coordinator, blood donations in Earling reached an all time high of
78 life saving units collected at the July 2013 and May 2014 blood drives.
Inspired many with her mission to educate Gene Gettys, Jr., mayor of Harlan, remembers Nadine fondly, and through his efforts with Relay for Life had the privilege to introduce her at the 2014 event in Harlan as a speaker at the event.
"Her ability to mix Ovarian Cancer facts along with specifics of her personal experience was of great interest to her audience," he said. "Nadine would 'tell it like it is' and sprinkle humor into her message.
"Her mission was to educate and she was passionate about creating awareness to help others. A trademark of hers, I believe, was to truly help others through her journey."
Harlan Community Superintendent of Schools Justin Wagner said Nadine has been critical to the district's overall cancer fund raisers over the years. Her efforts have supported the raising of tens of thousands of dollars in cancer research overall.
"I'm not sure I've seen a person touch so many students and teachers' lives in such a positive way than Nadine Kenkel has for our staff and students," said Wagner.
"She had a way of bringing the best out of everyone around her. When she would look at the volleyball team, for example, and say, 'you can fight and you have more in you than you'll ever know, now go do it,' she had a level of credibility that was unmatched because she fought and fought hard and was so successful in many ways."
Wagner said her positive energy and constant giving of herself will never be forgotten by students and staff. "She believed whole-heartedly in the 'joined as one' spirit," he said.
The annual Teal Out fund raiser for Ovarian Cancer awareness has been successful, and Wagner said it will continue in the future, to be held September 18 this year in honor of Nadine and the impact she has had on Coach Angie Spangenberg and the entire volleyball team.
"Nadine has been their 'special' guest speaker for the past three years in post-season play, and her ?? ght and positive attitude has inspired the entire program," Wagner said. "The posters this year will highlight 'Colleen's Dream,' which is in honor of Nadine and her fight against Ovarian Cancer."
Passion for making a difference Her most recent advocacy effort was raising awareness for Colleen's Dream Foundation. An Ovarian Cancer awareness foundation created in honor of Colleen Drury by her family, the foundation has a local connection in that Colleen's daughter, Nicole, is married to former Harlanite Billy Cundiff. Colleen died in February 2013 of Ovarian Cancer.
But Cundiff's friendship with Nadine did not just begin through their connection with Colleen's Dream.
More than a year earlier, Nadine reached out to Cundiff - via letter - following one of the lowest points of his now
13-year NFL career. Kicking for the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 AFC Championship game at New England, Cundiff missed a 32-yard, potential game-tying ?? eld goal in the waning moments. The Patriots clinched a Super Bowl spot with a 23-20 victory, and Cundiff's days with the Ravens were essentially over. Since then, he has bounced back nicely as the kicker for Washington and Cleveland (his current team), and he has never forgotten Nadine's inspiring words of encouragement.
"She wrote me a letter to let me know that I needed to keep my head up," Cundiff said. "She shared her story and provided an unbelievable example for me.
"That was kind of my intro (to) Nadine. Here she is pouring her heart out, trying to get me to feel better about a situation that I felt like I didn't really get a fair shake at, and she's facing this life-threatening disease where at any time her number could be called. It was extremely humbling." From that point moving forward, Cundiff continued getting to know Nadine better until her eventual involvement with Colleen's Dream.
This past January, Nadine helped organize that ?? rst-ever Teal Out event at Harlan Community, with 100 percent of the funds donated to Colleen's Dream. She also raised additional funds for the foundation and traveled to Arizona in February to attend a golf tournament and black-tie fundraiser near Cundiff's home.
The Cundiffs surprised Nadine by having her daughter, Jenna, attend the Arizona event as well. Nadine brought along a friend, Holli Fessler, who also had Ovarian Cancer. Holli passed away earlier this summer.
The primary goal of Colleen's Dream is to develop an early detection test for Ovarian Cancer, which does not exist at this time.
"It's been amazing. Her selflessness is unmatched," Cundiff said. "And I think the reason why my wife and I both were just drawn to her is that she reminded us so much of my mother-in-law, Nicole's mom.
"The ability to go through chemo and the harsh surgery and all the setbacks that she had, and yet still to have this unbelievable outlook on life and to live her life to the fullest and try to educate women on the disease and to live by example - you don't meet a lot of people like that. "Her constant effort... She wanted to get involved with us and she had this passion of trying to make a difference. I feel like for what she has given us, there is no way we could ever repay her. She definitely gave us a lot more than we could give her, that's for sure."
Driving spirit never let up Ferry said Nadine has in?? uenced her greatly, and her educational materials are present in her of?? ce exam rooms to hand out to women of all ages regarding the hidden symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. When Nadine was placed in hospice, Ferry vowed to her that she would continue to teach her work, educate patients and support her family.
"In my field, I know that each day is a gift and not a given right," said Ferry.
"Nadine is a perfect example of living life to the fullest when you are told you have a short period of time left on this earth. She beat the initial odds and lived longer than the statistics of ovarian cancer told her she would live. I believe this is due to faith and determination to heal and beat this disease. She never gave up, even the day before she left this earth, I saw a determined lady who fought a battle that ultimately took her life. Her presence and touch, smile and laughter will linger in Shelby County and surrounding areas forever as an advocate for Ovarian Cancer Awareness and ultimately an earlier detection screen and cure."
Less than a year after her initial diagnosis, the Kenkels and friends vacationed in Mexico. As they were preparing to partake in a zip line adventure, the college age worker who was adjusting their zip line harnesses asked Nadine if she was scared to zip line since it was her first attempt.
Nadine with her quick wit and determination answered "I have Stage IV Ovarian Cancer I am not afraid of anything." That same wit and determination gave her the drive as she fought her battle to do her very best to educate others about Ovarian Cancer and the silent symptoms.
Her husband, Steve, and children, Jenna and Tony, will continue to be advocates for Ovarian Cancer research and awareness as they promote fund raising events on the local level and beyond.
One can only imagine they will continue that mission with the same grace and humor that Nadine showed during her journey.
. .
HARLAN NEWS-ADVERTISER
FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014
Page 2A
DEATHS
Nadine Kenkel, 56
EARLING -- Nadine Ann Kenkel, 56, Earling, died August 25 at Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan.
Services will be held Saturday, Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Earling. Visitation was held Thursday, Aug. 28 from 2-8 p.m. and continued Friday, Aug. 29 from 2-8 p.m. at the church.
Kenkel is survived by mother Mary (Weihs) Schmitz of Harlan; husband Steve Kenkel of Earling; daughter Jenna (Todd) Hucka of Harlan; son Tony Kenkel of Earling; granddaughter Priya Hucka of Harlan; brothers Randy (Julie) Schmitz of Bettendorf, Neil (Judi) Schmitz of Westphalia, Leon (Jan) Schmitz of Parkville, MO, and Scott (Linda) Schmitz of Auburn, WA; sister Annette
(Bill) Dotzler of Sioux City; mother-in-law Bonnie Kenkel and father-in-law George Kenkel, both of Harlan.
Pauley Jones Funeral Home
in Harlan is in charge of
arrangements.
. .
HARLAN NEWS-ADVERTISER
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
page 6A
REMEMBRANCE
Nadine Kenkel, 56
Feb. 25, 1958 - Aug. 25, 2014
HARLAN –– Nadine Ann Kenkel was born on February 25, 1958 to Leland and Mary (Weihs) Schmitz and grew up in Westphalia. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Boniface's Catholic Church in Westphalia and graduated from Harlan Community High School in 1976, where she spent several years playing for the Cyclonette basketball team. Nadine was capped as a Registered Nurse from Jennie Edmundson College of Nursing in 1979.
June 2, 1979, Nadine was united in marriage to Steve Kenkel at St. Boniface's Catholic Church in Westphalia. They were blessed with two children: Jenna and Tony. Steve and Nadine farmed the 5 generation family farm near Earling and were active members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Nadine worked her entire nursing career, 34 years, at Myrtue Medical Center, in Harlan, working in many areas, including the Emergency Room, as charge nurse on the floor, starting the Cardiac Rehab Program, and most recently Home Health and Hospice. She chose to work part-time to be able to spend more time with her children after they were born. She retired in February 2013. Nadine loved taking care of others and helping anyone she could. Nadine was a devoted wife and mother, who enjoyed attending every HCHS event, even after Jenna and Tony were out of school. She enjoyed making treats for the athletic teams and also for her many nieces and nephews. Nadine loved working in her garden and canning salsa and jam. She was also famous for her homemade bread and Chex-mix, which she shared with everyone! Nadine found joy in sending cards and messages to others in times of need. Nadine loved visiting family and friends, cheering on the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Harlan Cyclones, sitting on the beach listening to the waves, walking, and spending as much time as she could spoiling her precious granddaughter, Priya Nadine.
Nadine was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer in April 2010. Throughout her entire journey, she endured 3 rounds of intense chemotherapy, all while educating over 1,000 people on ovarian cancer, while sharing her personal story. She became active with Colleen's Dream Foundation, which solely raises money for research to find an early-detection tool for ovarian cancer, since there isn't one. Nadine initiated the first ever Teal Out at HCHS and Ovarian Open with all funds going to Colleen's Dream. Nadine also began coordinating the Red Cross Blood Drives in Earling in 2011, more than tripling the amount of units collected. She received the Loess Hill's Chapter Blood Services Award in May 2014. Nadine valiantly fought her cancer for four and half years, always with a positive attitude and smile on her face, making the most out of each day. She always said "I am strong. Together we're stronger." Nadine died peacefully surrounded by her family on Monday, August 25, 2014, having attained the age of 56 years and 6 months.
Nadine was preceded in death by her father, Leland. Nadine is survived by her husband Steve Kenkel of Earling; children Jenna (Todd) Hucka of Harlan and Tony Kenkel of Earling; granddaughter Priya Nadine; mother Mary Schmitz of Harlan; sister Annette (Bill) Dotzler of Sioux City; brothers: Randy (Julie) Schmitz of Bettendorf, Neil (Judi) Schmitz of Westphalia, Leon (Jan) Schmitz of Parkville, MO, and Scott (Linda) Schmitz of Auburn, WA; father and mother-in-law George and Bonnie Kenkel of Harlan and in-laws: Connie (Jeff) Fries, Carole
(Charlie) Mohr, Sandy (Chad) Davis, Sherry Frost, Roger (Cristie) Kenkel, Ronda (Jeff) Shirley, and Sara (John) Kenkel; 28 nieces and nephews, 7 great-nieces and nephews, other family members and many friends.
The 11:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Rev. Chris Fontanini and Homilist Deacon Jim Deblauw on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Earling. Deacon Gail Stessman assisted with the service. Music was provided by Tyler Gubbels, the Earling Piano Group, and the Schmitz Cousins. Serving as casket bearers were Tom Meissner, Dave Kramer, Dave Wisniewski, Jeff Fries, Jill Ferry, Brian Grote, Matt Koesters, and Gaige Lytle. In an effort to continue educating others, Nadine chose to donate her body to Creighton University Medical School.
. . |
