Our People - After Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Our Stories

Young, healthy and pregnant, Lisa Armitage was shocked to learn she had breast cancer. She found the compassion she needed in her Mentor. Just hearing the voice of someone who […]

Struggles with how to live your life following a breast cancer diagnosis are very real. In this video Kathryn Walker talks about the immediate bond she felt with her Mentor […]

With the start of a new year comes new hopes, new dreams, new beginnings, and new aspirations. It’s a time to band together and make good things happen. And a […]

As you may know, October is considered National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time of year dedicated to educating, communicating, and elevating understanding about breast cancer detection, treatment, and living […]

ABCD staff member, Judy Mindin shares the founder’s dream for the organization and how the program inspires confidence by giving hope to all those affected by breast cancer. Continuing her […]

Jack Congleton greets me with a warm smile, a welcome sight on an early spring morning that feels more like the middle of winter. Although I’m just meeting Jack – […]

Join us as we celebrate ABCD and Honor Betsy Brenner & Carol Cameron! The Power of One-to-One Award Recipient:Elizabeth “Betsy” Brenner This year, we will honor Elizabeth “Betsy” Brenner for […]

Her phone rang in 1998 and Cancer Physical Therapist, Leslie Waltke, was invited to join a group of women who were determined to bring the need for emotional support to […]

Congrats to Deb Probelski, breast cancer survivor, ABCD Mentor and huge Brewers fan, who was named one of Major League Baseball’s Honorary Bat Girls for 2021. Deb was chosen by […]

Breast cancer before the age of 40 is relatively rare. But it was a stark reality for Nailah Cash O’Bannon and Kathryn Walker, who were diagnosed in their 20s. As […]

Even before her diagnosis, Dara Kumbera knew what it meant to battle breast cancer. In her family, the illness was a familiar and unwelcome occurrence: her mother, grandmother, and cousin […]

Harpreet Grewal, who lives in California, called ABCD soon after his wife Kiran was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. After receiving support as a caregiver, he and his family […]

Proceeds from our 2020 Date with a Plate will go to provide customized services to the thousands who will receive a breast cancer diagnosis this year. Breast cancer didn’t stop […]

Each year, as the calendar flips to October, we start to see pumpkins on doorsteps, leaves changing colors, and gift giving ideas for the upcoming holiday season. We also start seeing […]

Concern over breast cancer awareness being limited to the month of October, resulted in a ten-year partnership between ABCD and the Marcus Corporation. Tim Smith, talks about their role in […]

When Lori Petitti found out she had breast cancer, she felt overwhelmed. “My doctor seemed to be in a rush to make me do surgery and treatment,” says Lori, who […]

Cindy Sellon has been a Mentor for six years and has mentored twenty women. Remembering how she felt that day in her car when she heard the words, “you have […]

Mimi Nieves was used to being in control. A single mother with three young children, she worked full-time and always kept her household – and her life – running smoothly. […]

When a person calls ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis in need of emotional support, what happens next almost seems like magic. Within a few days, each caller is connected with […]

If you’ve never heard of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Karen Leonard wants to change that. Diagnosed in 2009 with IBC, Karen knows firsthand how often this rare and aggressive form of […]

When Nichole Kutmas found a lump the size of a pencil eraser, breast cancer was the last thing on her mind. It was May 2013, and Nichole had just celebrated her 32nd birthday. She had two young daughters.

Judy Mindin was ready for a change. After a successful career in sales and marketing at Pabst Brewing Company, she’d kept busy as a painter, and also owned and operated […]

Since ABCD was founded in 1999, almost 800 people from across the United States have completed ABCD’s Mentor Training Program in order to provide our signature service: delivering customized, one-to-one […]

ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis announced today the appointment of Billie Jean Smith (President), intellectual property attorney at Boyle Fredrickson; Linda E.B. Hansen (Vice President), retired partner at Foley & […]

ABCD past Participant and current Mentor, Mary Reina talks about the phone call that changed her life. Shocked and afraid, her ABCD Mentor became her lifeline giving her the hope […]

For the past 16 years, Judy Mindin has dedicated her time and talents to ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, helping our organization provide customized, one-to-one mentoring for breast cancer patients, […]

Robin Schwarz was a busy mother of two young children when she learned she had breast cancer. It was 2010, and Robin did not know anyone else who had been […]

For years, Keeshia Jones had regular mammograms without any sign of a problem. But in July 2018, her screening mammogram revealed something suspicious. After more testing, Keeshia learned she had […]

Cheryl Biro has been involved with ABCD for almost 10 years and has seen the organization through several different lenses during that time, first as a Participant, then as a […]

One of the most fearful aspects of a breast cancer diagnosis is the loss of control patients feel. For ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis Mentor Kathy Korducki, who was diagnosed […]

As an ABCD Mentor and the co-chair of the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse Fashion Show, Rachel Weinberg is highly engaged in the breast cancer community. And while she is just […]

When Maureen Luddy told friends about her breast cancer diagnosis, they asked what they could do to help her. Her response was always, “I’m going to be fine. If you […]

ABCD provides holistic care that medical providers cannot offer. Working as a complement to healthcare providers, MSW, Leanne Walz, discusses the value of having someone there who truly understands at […]

Elise Haschker could feel her mind spinning. It was January 2022, and she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her medical team gave her a folder full of information, […]

ABCD’s first Latina Mentor, Maria Nieves – a single mother, has lived with breast cancer for the last thirteen years. Her faith in God and ABCD have helped her through […]

Following a breast cancer diagnosis, healthcare providers focus on ensuring patients understand the next steps and receive prompt treatment. But patients also need emotional support – and healthcare providers play […]

Bonnie Anderson, was at the perfect place in her life – she was a borderline empty nester, she had just married the love of her life and then a call […]

Here’s what you should know if you’re on the receiving end of such a call (and it doesn’t involve Dr. Google) Because my mother and maternal aunt had breast cancer, […]

28 weeks pregnant Jessica Storm was diagnosed with breast cancer. ABCD was able to match her with a Mentor who had been young and pregnant when diagnosed and was now […]

In June 2016, shortly after Phyllis Eig learned she had breast cancer, her surgeon invited her to a weekly support group for newly diagnosed patients. Days later, Phyllis found herself […]

The partnership between Kesslers Diamonds and ABCD began a number of years ago and continues today. Jim Bretzel talks about the importance of our Mentors, and how he believes the […]

Faith, determination, and a fight-to-win mantra all helped Melodie Henderson get through more than a few bumps in the road during her cancer journey, which began in 2017. That November, […]

Morgan Oldenburg isn’t one to seek the spotlight. But as the eldest daughter of the late Melodie Wilson Oldenburg, Morgan recognizes her role in carrying on an important legacy in the Milwaukee community. Her mother, an Emmy award-winning journalist, local anchorwoman, and television reporter, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992; seven years later, she founded ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

“Here and now.” That’s what matters most to ABCD Mentor Janice Cowden. She’s a mother, grandmother, and former pediatric nurse who’s also a passionate advocate for the metastatic breast cancer […]

It was 2016 and an exciting but hectic time for 34-year-old Jessica Barolsky and her husband Michael. They had just welcomed Noah, their new baby boy, into the world to […]

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Board of Directors

Billie Jean Smith, Board President

Linda E.B. Hansen, Board Vice President

Cindy Moon-Mogush, Board Treasurer

Gina Rich, Board Secretary

Wayne C. Oldenburg, Past Board President

Bonnie Anderson

Cheryl Biro

Lisa Gibb

Janet Howenstine

John LoGiudice, MD

Maureen S. Luddy

Sandra Underwood, PhD

Alonzo P. Walker, MD

Kathryn Walker

Leslie Waltke, PT, DPT

Past Presidents

Our Team

Ellen Friebert Schupper

Ashley Kopca

Carrie Williams

Our Stories