Retired Coshocton County Sheriff navigates breast cancer: 'Everybody’s journey is different'

COSHOCTON – Jo Kobel remembers telling her husband, Bill, that she didn’t think her hair would fall out from chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. It was a short time later she ran her fingers through her hair and a clump came out.

That was about 10 years ago. While Jo said she’s not the kind to attend cancer events, she’s happy to share her story and console those who went through what she did. Everyone’s journey is different, she said, but she wants to help others understand the navigation of that journey where she can.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time where the focus on research, fundraising and testing is amplified. Kayla Border, a radiology technician at Coshocton Regional Medical Center, said the number of mammogram screenings they do always goes up in the fall. And that’s a good thing as early detection can be key in survival.

Awareness campaigns can take many different forms during the month, such as deputies of the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office wearing pink badges. This is especially touching to Jo as she retired nearly two years ago from the sheriff’s office as a dispatcher and the support of her law enforcement family was key during her cancer fight.

Capt. Dean Hettinger said this is the first year they’ve done the pink badges. Sheriff Tim Rogers was given a pink badge last October and he wanted to expand it to the department. Hettinger said they went through a Fraternal Order of Police lodge to get the badges. He said most of the officers are wearing them this month.

“It’s fun and exciting to do something different and that supports a really important cause,” Hettinger said.

Jo’s Journey

Like a lot of women, Jo said she felt a lump in her breast during a self-exam. She went for a test.

“The called me and asked me to come in at the end of the day, so I knew it wasn’t good news,” Jo said. “The surgeon said it was breast cancer. Everything is matter of fact to me, so I said ‘what do we do?”

She then went to the James Cancer Center in Columbus for surgery. The mass was about four centimeters. Jo had both breasts removed as a preventive measure.

“I’m here alive, because I went there and had the surgery,” she said. “I’m one of the lucky people. I know there are a lot of people still on therapy and all that, but I was cleared with no symptoms.”

She had to do chemotherapy and it resulted in her hair falling out.

JD Hardway, a lieutenant with the sheriff’s office now, was laid off from the department at the time and was working as a barber in Warsaw. She went to him to have her head shaved, because she didn’t want it to be patchy and raggedy as it fell out.

She went to Hardway because she knew him. After that, several officers shaved their heads in support of Jo, including Hettinger and Jo’s husband, Bill, who is retired from the sheriff’s office as well.

“It was solidarity. It meant they were behind me and cared about me. It meant a lot,” Jo said. “My friends were great. Everybody (at the sheriff’s office) was great. Everyone was really good to me.”

She is sometimes asked to talk to someone newly diagnosed. They usually have questions about the process of treatment and having breasts removed if that’s deemed the right thing to do.

“If somebody wants to talk, I’m unavailable, but everybody’s journey is different. Mine was completely different from somebody else’s,” Jo said.

Like many, Jo feels she was given a second chance and she wants to make the most of it. She had a motorcycle for a while, but now has a little scooter she puts around town on.

“I don’t care if people laugh at me or not. I just laugh the whole time I’m riding that thing and living life,” she said.

Importance of screenings

Border has worked in radiology for six years and as a mammographer for five years with CRMC.

When someone comes in for a test they are asked a few background questions, like if they are having any problems, family history of cancer, implants or any procedures done on their breasts in the past. The exam usually includes four pictures from different angles encompassing all of the breast tissue. Someone would then receive a phone call or their results in the mail.

Border said they do about 15 mammograms a day, three days a week. It’s suggested a woman gets an exam annually after the age of 40 so the radiologist can track the breast tissue over time.

“Breast cancer can be really sneaky. One year your breast tissue will be fine and the next year you will come back and there will be something there that wasn’t before,” Border said. “Coming every year helps the radiologist keep that nice flow of watching your breast tissue change throughout the years.”

Men can get breast cancer too, but it’s more rare with Border saying they see one about every six months. If a man is screened it’s usually due to a specific issue. She said the scanning process for men is the same as for women, but they usually get a diagnostic.

“We do screening images, but we go more in-depth with them,” she said.

Getting a yearly exam is especially important for women going through menopause, Border said, as hormones in the body can flare up cancer that was not present in the past. Some doctors believe women over 70 no longer need regular exams, but Border has seen plenty of older patients develop breast cancer.

“We still encourage people to come. We say come get them until you physically can’t do it anymore,” Border said. “It’s ultimately up to them and their doctor, but if they’re physically able to come in and move around, we encourage you to come in and get it done.”

llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com

@llhayhurst

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