Local woman aims to ease the burden of cancer survivors
Waller after completing the Turn it Up 20 Challenge. Photo by Betsy Ryan Kathy Waller is living proof of the unfortunate randomness with which cancer can strike. She ate right and exercised constantly. Indeed, she completed three legs of a team endurance race from Mount Hood to the Oregon coast. But three days after the race, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Hermosa Beach resident recently marked seven years from the date of her diagnosis. She is now cancer-free, but through her charitable organization, Link of Support, is waging a different kind of battle: one to help people deal with the effects of cancer that linger after remission. The organization aims to help women who have survived cancer deal with the body-image issues that often accompany recovery. Waller formed the organization after undergoing a double mastectomy in early 2009. She was fortunate enough to catch the disease at an early stage, but was left unprepared to deal with the effects it would have on her mental well-being. “Once you’ve made that decision, it’s very emotional,” Waller said. “You feel like you’re going to be deformed, like you’re never going to be the same again.” After healing from the…
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