By Amanda McGregor
STAFF WRITER
—
Beverly resident Ashley Herron Shultz wanted to devote herself to a worthy cause, so she signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk this summer.
She set to raising $2,300 for the organization, which benefits breast cancer research and patient support programs, and she brainstormed an idea to host a benefit on the North Shore to celebrate local breast cancer survivors.
Shultz's efforts have blossomed into the Miss Pink Pageant, a gala next Friday night, May 21, at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem. There, 11 women ranging in age from 20s to 60s will wear gowns, share their stories and compete for the title of "Miss Pink."
"I always wanted to give back because breast cancer survivors have already been through so much," said Shultz, who has competed in pageants and was crowned Miss Massachusetts International last year.
"They have stories to share," Shultz said, "and at the same time, they're raising awareness that this can happen to anyone, men and women."
Since February, Shultz has solicited donations from local shops, jewelers and other businesses. She even arranged for the contestants to get pampered on the day of the event, including a trip to the salon and a limo ride.
"One of the women e-mailed me and said, 'Thank you for doing this. I haven't felt pretty in a long time,'" said Shultz, 22, works as a development assistant at Gordon College in Wenham.
Each woman will present her story during the pageant, and a "Miss Pink" will be named.
"Basically, Miss Pink is going to be representing New England as a courageous woman and a hero," Shultz said. "She'll be raising awareness and saving lives because of her story."
There will be music, food, giveaways, raffles, entertainment and a silent auction. Prizes include items donated by the Red Sox and the New England Patriots.
"It's going to be a very emotional event," Shultz said, "but it's important that people know."
Ashley Russell
One year ago yesterday, Ashley Russell was diagnosed with breast cancer, at age 24.
Months before the diagnosis, Russell noticed the lump and went to her doctor and got an ultrasound. But the doctor lost track of it, she said, and it took Russell two months to hunt down the results.
Once she was retested and diagnosed, she connected with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to treat a 7-centimeter-by-9-centimeter mass in her right breast that had spread to her lymph nodes.
She started chemotherapy almost immediately, on June 1. Just before that, her friends threw her a party at the Lobster Shanty in Salem.
"You've got to put a fun twist on things," Russell said. "I'm not always perfect, but I try to have a good attitude."
She underwent nine rounds of chemo and 33 radiation treatments, and the surgeon removed all of her lymph nodes on the right side.
Her father, John Russell of Salem, brought her to all but three appointments.
"He's my rock," she said.
Her mother, who lives in Maine, would stay with her after the treatments.
"She was really intuitive about what I needed," Russell said. "She said to me a million times, 'If I could change places with you, I would.' It was completely heart-wrenching."
The tumor shrunk to less than half its original size, but ultimately, Russell underwent a total mastectomy of her right breast.
She said she relied on family, friends and a sense of humor to get her through the ordeal. Still, it was hard to experience at a young age.
"It still shocks me," said Russell, who lives in downtown Salem. "It feels really surreal. ... I've been through so much more than people my age, so I can have trouble relating to people."
Russell said she is looking forward to the Miss Pink Pageant.
"I'm totally not the pageant type, but it's for a good cause," said Russell, 25. "I'm actually really excited for it. Spreading awareness is a good thing to do."
Trisha Grzela
Trisha Grzela was on her couch doing a self breast exam three years ago when she felt something in her right breast.
"I looked at my husband and said, 'Oh my God, what is this?'" recalled Grzela, of Swampscott. "I knew instantly."
Subsequent testing confirmed her fears: She had invasive lobular carcinoma, and the cancer had spread into her lymph nodes.
She underwent a mastectomy and had eight lymph nodes removed.
"I wasn't going to choose cancer" over a breast, said Grzela, who owns the Radiance Aveda salons in Salem and Marblehead.
Grzela underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy over four months and six weeks of radiation. Before she started, her husband, Robert, shaved her head, crying as he did it, she recalled.
Despite feeling awful from the treatments, she maintained her energy and tried to walk daily. She stuck to a raw food diet in an effort to fight the cancer.
"I had sores in my throat, I was hugely emotional, and it makes your fingernails bump up," said Grzela, a mother of three children, Kori, Kacey and Perry, who was 8 at the time of her diagnosis.
"It affects your thinking — they call it chemo brain," she said. "Sometimes you can't even spell. I lost a ton of weight. Water tastes like metal, and you have no yearning for anything."
Meanwhile, Grzela had been slated to expand her business to Salem, building the Radiance Aveda salon on Derby Street, and she decided to proceed, soldiering through the illness.
"My whole team at work was there for me," said Grzela, 51. "Because of them, we could get this place to survive."
Kathy Randele
Kathy Randele's doctor found a lump in her left breast two days after her 47th birthday, in October 1996.
She underwent a lumpectomy to remove the cancer and began chemotherapy at Mass General in Boston, where she endured four rounds of chemo, followed by radiation.
The treatments made her hair fall out, caused sores in her mouth and left her weakened.
"Each month, they had to reduce the chemo because my white blood cells were so low," Randele said. "The last month I went in, I was in a wheelchair. I was totally wiped out."
Her daughter, Ashley, was in sixth grade at the time. Her husband, Tom, took her to every chemo treatment, and a high school friend took her to daily radiation appointments.
Randele had to take a leave from her job. She relied on family and friends to help out and meditated and used visualization to stay positive.
"I just learned to say, 'Yes,'" said Randele, who lives in Lynnfield and works for the town.
Now 60, Randele has been cancer-free for 13 years.
"My goal was to see my daughter graduate from high school," Randele said. "She'll be 25."
It was Randele's cousin Jeanne Hennessey, owner of the Lorraine Roy boutique in Danvers, who urged her to compete in the Miss Pink Pageant.
"I'm a very under-the-radar person," Randele said, "but this is really good for a lot of women to know about."
Miss Pink Pageant
When: Friday, May 21, 6 p.m.
Where: Hawthorne Hotel, 18 Washington Square, Salem
Tickets: $50 donation for general admission; $25 for students. All proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.
More information: E-mail MissPinkPageant@gmail.com
