When Dave and Mary Krenik reached out to Jaci (Voit) Kopet (CHS 1988) to give the honorary cancer survivor speech at the 31st annual Le Sueur County American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Kopet responded with an eager yes.
But recalling her journey through diagnosis and treatment of stage three inflammatory breast cancer was harder on her emotionally than she initially expected.
“At first it was ‘oh, I can do this,’ but it was dredging up a lot of memories and reliving what I thought I had packed away. But I’m glad I did it.”
Held at the Le Center fairgrounds on Friday, through a silent auction, a 50-50 raffle, a wine pull and donations and sponsorships, the Relay for Life raised almost $60,000, far exceeding the $35,000 goal and the $48,000 collected during last year’s event.
Diagnosis
Only about four percent of people who have breast cancer have the inflammatory type, Kopet said, so perhaps it was understandable that her diagnosis took several months.
She initially sought treatment in December of 2017 to address pain she was experiencing in her breast and armpit area, but her doctors didn’t think it was the result of cancer, especially since she had a mammogram two months earlier. They thought it was muscle strain.
But as the new year rolled around, the pain worsened. Kopet went to physical therapy, but that didn’t help.
“By this time, I couldn’t even raise my arm above my head. In the back of my mind, I kept asking ‘is this cancer?’”
In March, she had a second mammogram, which again was negative as was an ultrasound.
“I felt relief, but I still don’t know what this is. I’m in a lot of pain. I just was not comfortable in stopping right there; I knew something was wrong.”
Shortly after, the cancer manifested itself with a rash on her chest area. Kopet’s doctors sent her to dermatology. She didn’t get a clear answer there either. The dermatologist thought maybe it was an autoimmune disease but agreed to do a biopsy.
A week later, back at her regular doctor, Kopet found out she had cancer.
“Looking back, I knew all along it was cancer but hoping it would be something else, anything other than cancer.”
There is no convenient time for cancer, Kopet said, and for her it came when son Carter Kopet (CHS 2018) was a senior and she was looking forward to senior activities and graduation. Daughter Cassidy (Kopet) Block (CHS 2015, grade 4 teacher at CHS) was in college at MNSU, but most importantly, her mom Helen was in hospice care. She passed away the same morning that Kopet was scheduled to receive her PET scans.
“The day is still a blur, but with my family by side, I said goodbye to my mom in the morning, and I headed to the doctor for the PET scan results in the afternoon with (husband) Robbie (Kopet). I already knew I had cancer, but I just didn’t know how bad it was. Was I able to get treatment? That was my biggest fear.”
She learned she had stage three inflammatory breast cancer. It had spread to her armpits, and she had a nodule in her neck as well.
Her doctor had a plan but said it was going to be a long journey.
Healing
Both agreed that Rochester was the best place, and Kopet was able to get in right away. Two days later, while her family planned her mom’s funeral, she and Robbie spent two days in Rochester preparing a plan with her medical team. The following Monday was her mom’s funeral, and two days later, Kopet started chemotherapy.
That was the start of a nine-month trek: three months of harsh chemotherapy, a mastectomy and then proton radiation for 26-days straight that she could only do in Rochester.
“As hard it was, I was determined that life must go on. I was not going to let this define who I was or what limitations I had."
Treatment was hard, but Kopet said she was extremely blessed.
“I have tolerated it incredibly well. The hardest part wasn’t the physical part but the mental part, the fear of the unknown and the constant worry. And as silly as it sounds, losing my hair was at the top of the list of the hardest things I have ever done.”
Fast forward to late December 2018. Kopet’s treatment was complete, and scans showed the cancer was gone. She only needed follow-up scans.
It took a while for Kopet to get back to a normal routine, but it didn’t last long. In May of 2021, her cancer came back for another round. So, she started chemo treatments once again, but this time her treatment team added immunotherapy, a newer technique that encourages a person’s body to fight the cancer.
A year later, it looked like her cancer was once again at bay, Kopet said, but once it comes around a second time, it is likely to return, so she continues with an immunotherapy treatment every other week in Rochester.
All told, she has so far had 130 immunotherapy and chemo treatments and 26 radiation treatments.
Lessons learned
“Something good comes out of everything,” Kopet said, “even the toughest times of your life.”
She shared what she learned as advice to those diagnosed with cancer.
Kopet said to believe in the power of prayer, and when people asked her what they can do for her, she requested they add her to their prayer lists. Although it is cliché, she said to enjoy every day.
“Cancer sure puts your life in perspective. The things that I thought were big deals before cancer are kind of like hangnails now.”
Kopet said to put trust in the medical team.
“We are so lucky to have the Mayo Clinic in Rochester so close to us, and there are so many treatment options available now, and it is because of programs like this that raise money for patient support and medical research.”
She said don’t let cancer define you, lean on her friends for support to take her mind off the disease and make treatment days fun days by incorporating activities like shopping and eating out. She thanked the many friends who supported her, especially with trips to Rochester. She said try not to look at the whole big picture. It’s too overwhelming. Focus on the next treatment.
Kopet thanked her husband for his constant support and her children for fulfilling her life with happiness when she is stressed.
“I will never take for granted that I got to see Cater graduate from high school, both kids graduate from college. I got to see Cassidy and Garrett (Block) get married, Cater and Katelyn (McCabe, CHS 2019) get engaged and most recently I became a grandmother, and those are truly the important things in life I never thought I’d see.”
Kopet also thanked her extended family and friends for being there for her.
“I can never give back for the amount of support I’ve gotten. I feel very fortunate to come from this small, incredible community. I never thought I was fighting alone.”
Also at the Relay for Life, Terri Horn (CHS 1977), pastor at the Methodist Church of Le Sueur, gave the prayer. She reminded everyone that made up the large crowd on hand that they are the salt of the earth.
The Murry Brothers, including Phil Murry and his siblings Tim, Rich and Chuck sang the National Anthem and “You Raise Me Up” during the survivor lap. The four lost to cancer their brother Michael, who was also Harmeyer’s father in law, just 13 days earlier.
After the speeches, survivors and then caregivers took a lap around the luminaries, lighted bags that memorialized someone who had cancer or has survived it. Music and activities continued past sunset.
