Board of Directors

Wayne Oldenburg

Wayne C. Oldenburg, Board President

Oldenburg Group Incorporated

Linda Hansen

Linda E.B. Hansen, Board Vice President

Foley & Lardner LLP (ret)

Billie Jean Smith

Billie Jean Smith, Board Treasurer

Boyle Frederickson

Ruth Kallio-Mielke

Ruth Kallio-Mielke, Board Secretary

Deloitte

Bonnie Anderson

Bonnie Anderson

Milwaukee Catholic Home

M-dowell

Mary J. Dowell

MJ Dowell & Associates

gibb

Lisa Gibb

LifeStyled by Lisa Gibb

howenstine

Janet Howenstine

The Northridge Group (ret)

John LoGiudice MD

John LoGiudice, M.D.

Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin

Cindy Moon-Mogush

Cindy Moon-Mogush

Bethesda Lutheran Communities

Gina Rich

Gina Rich

Writer/Community Volunteer

Sandra Underwood

Sandra Underwood, PhD

UW-Milwaukee College of Nursing

Alonzo Walker MD

Alonzo P. Walker, MD

Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin

K Walker

Kathryn Walker

Artisan Partners

Leslie Waltke

Leslie Waltke, PT, DPT

Aurora Cancer Center

Our Team

Ellen Friebert Schupper

Ellen Friebert Schupper

Executive Director

ellen@abcdmentor.org

Judy Mindin

Judy Mindin

Director of Program Services & Healthcare Partnerships

judy@abcdmentor.org

Julie Frinzi

Julie Frinzi

Director of Marketing & Community Engagement

julie@abcdmentor.org

Leanne Mindin

Leanne Mindin

Communications & Digital Media Strategist

leanne@abcdmentor.org

Betsey Bryant

Betsey Bryant

Senior Service Specialist & Support Center Manager

betsey@abcdmentor.org

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 they absorbed the shocking news, both women found themselves at the beginning of an unexpected path, in which they would navigate the challenges of treatment, […]

Morgan Oldenburg

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.

Perspective

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 the forefront of the breast cancer community. They did this by setting ABCD apart with its ability to provide perspective through personal experience.

Comfort

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 cancer free with a thriving child. During her weakest moments she found comfort with her Mentor because she really understood.

ABCD Provides HOPE

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 and support she needed at a very difficult time in her life.

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 three galleries in the Milwaukee and Door County areas with her husband. But in 2006, life began to feel hectic and unbalanced, so Judy decided […]

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. As a member of the Latino community, and the youngest of eleven siblings, Mimi greatly valued her independence and her ability to handle challenges on […]

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 – an ABCD Family & Friends Mentor – for the first time, his friendly, gracious nature immediately puts me at ease. Over the past ten years, […]

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 breast cancer” Cindy understands firsthand the importance of encouragement from someone who has been given the same diagnosis, gone through the same treatments and surgery, […]

Lori Ahrenhoerster

When I meet Lori one late summer afternoon, I’m struck right away by her genuine warmth and openness. It’s a beautiful day, and our conversation flows freely. But it is a conversation she never expected to have. With no family history of breast cancer and almost none of the other common risk factors, Lori had […]

Understanding

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 helping to build ABCD’s awareness and how important it is for someone going through breast cancer to have someone who truly understands at their side, […]

Karen Leonard

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 breast cancer is misdiagnosed, and how important it is to connect with others who have been on the same journey. “IBC is sometimes called ‘no […]

Nicole Kutmas

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.

ABCD provides CONFIDENCE

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 legacy is at the core of ABCD’s program – our founder believed with all her heart that no one should go through a breast cancer […]

Compassion

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 can say – “yes, that was me, I’m here, you’re not alone” meant the world to her.

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 best help for someone going through breast cancer is someone who can empathize with you. Kesslers commitment to ABCD and its services has helped us […]

Guidance

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 one night from her doctor upset her world. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her breast cancer diagnosis guided her to ABCD’s founder where she […]

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 had all passed away from the disease. Dara’s own diagnosis came in 1998, when she was only 30 years old. After considering her options, Dara […]

Faith

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 the times when the battle was not easy and giving up became her reality.

Support

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 and how her connection with ABCD was life changing.

Kindness

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 this most vulnerable time in the life of someone who is dealing with breast cancer.

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