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'Live your life well'

Throughout the month of April, we will be featuring residents who are battling, or have battled, cancer. County of St. Paul CAO Sheila Kitz recently shared her journey.

LAKELAND - The devastating effects of cancer is nothing new to Sheila Kitz. She lost a sister to colon cancer in 2001, and was the second daughter in a family of nine children to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Kitz, who is the CAO for the County of St. Paul, is currently on medical leave from her position after having a double mastectomy on March 10, followed by an immediate reconstruction.

It was November of 2018 when Kitz first noticed something wasn't quite right.

"I discovered the lump in my left breast in November of 2018. I was alerted to a discoloration on my breast that looked like a bruise. When I felt it, I definitely felt a lump," explains Kitz. Since she was heading to the city for a conference in a couple days, she requested her doctor schedule a mammogram for her. 

Later that same month, Kitz would be diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. Along with siblings who have battled cancer, Kitz says her grandmother passed away from breast cancer long before Kitz was even born.

This family history resulted in the surgeon requesting Kitz undergo genetic testing to determine if the cancer could have been caused by a heredity gene mutation. 

"Because it takes quite some time to get into the Provincial system, I paid for the testing from a company called Colors, in California. The test was done using my saliva and I received the results within a month." 

That test confirmed that Kitz did have the BRCA2 hereditary gene. 

While a double mastectomy was taken into consideration at the time, it was quicker to continue with a lumpectomy and get the cancer out of Kitz's body. She had surgery in January of 2019, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy every three weeks from April to August of that year. She also went through 25 days of radiation that wrapped up in September.

Because of the mutated gene, Kitz is more susceptible to recurring breast and ovarian cancer. So, Kitz chose to have her ovaries removed in June of 2020, and then went ahead with the double mastectomy.

When Kitz received her diagnosis, there were many thoughts that ran through her mind, but her concerns quickly shifted to her two children. The same year Kitz was diagnosed with cancer, her daughter had dealt with a non-cancerous tumour that was so large doctors couldn't save her breast.

"In September that year (2018), she had a mastectomy with immediate construction to prevent the further growth of this tumour. So as you can imagine, my first thought was: how can I tell my daughter and my son about me having cancer?" says Kitz, as she recalls the sequence of events.

Kitz also worried about how she would manage her job with the County of St. Paul while going through treatment, and "I also was sad about the fact that I would be losing my hair," she says. "I really hated being bald."

In addition, Kitz's daughter decided to be tested for the hereditary gene, and it was found that she too had BRCA2. 

"Since confirmation of this, she had a mastectomy of her other breast as a preventative measure since she is also predisposed to breast cancer," says Kitz.

Since her diagnosis, many of Kitz's siblings have gone through genetic testing. So far, Kitz's twin sister also has BRCA2 and went ahead with a preventative double mastectomy. 

"My sister who had breast cancer before me tested positive and has had a second mastectomy. I had a niece who was diagnosed with breast cancer the same time as I was undergoing treatment. She is also positive – so is her twin sister who has recently had a preventative double mastectomy." 

Out of nine siblings, there are five who are positive for the gene mutation, two who are negative, and two who are unknown.

Following her diagnosis and throughout her treatments, Kitz has relied on her large circle of friends. She says she is blessed to have a wonderful partner, large family, amazing kids, and a great work family.

"It took me a whole week or more to call the people who needed to know," says Kitz.

One moment Kitz says she will never forget involves her family doctor in St. Paul. 

"I will never forget how great Dr. Senekal was when I saw her for the results of the mammogram-biopsy. She cried with me and said a prayer for me. I will never forget that," says Kitz. She says she also felt supported by County of St. Paul council and staff while she was away from work. 

When asked how Kitz approached the treatment process, she says she took it one day at a time and simply tried to stay positive.

"I almost died during my first chemo as I had a severe allergic response to the first . . . drug they gave me. That was quite a sobering moment," says Kitz. After that, she made sure she was prepared, getting a will and other appropriate documents in order.

But, Kitz's body reacted well to treatments overall. She had a day or two where she felt unwell after each treatment, but other than those few days, she says she did not feel bad. 

"I planted a garden at my son’s house that summer and made a point to go out there to spend time in the garden. Most importantly, I made a point of practicing being grateful. I started and ended each day listing out what I was grateful for no matter how big or small. I continue this practice today," says Kitz.

She also now has a bucket list filled with things she wants to do, although the pandemic has slowed those plans a bit.

"I want to live life fully, laugh, love, and share my time with my family and friends." And that's exactly the message she would like to pass on to others.

"Life if precious. Have the appropriate documents prepared – a will, personal directive, power of attorney," and "Live your life well."

Kitz also encourages people to advocate for themselves, do regular exams, and "if something doesn't feel right, get it checked out."

Financial support

During her treatment, Kitz received support from Haying in the 30's, a local organization that raises funds and financially supports people battling cancer.

"I felt so blessed to receive this support. At that time, I did not realize how many costs I would incur for cancer treatment." Kitz says she hopes to be able to volunteer for the organization in the future, and will be sure to support the non-profit moving forward.

Kitz also received monetary support from the St. Paul Fire Department.

"This also was unexpected, and I am so grateful to have the support of the volunteer firefighters."

*Throughout the month of April, LakelandToday will be featuring residents who are battling, or have battled, cancer. If you are interested in sharing your story, please reach out to our newsrooms.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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