How You Can Help
Hair Loss—A Shared Experience
November 2006She looks vibrant. Iva Disher loves being back at work, not least because she has such a supportive set of friends and co-workers at Linbeck Group, LP, where she is the executive assistant to the president and CEO.
A year ago, when she found out she had recurrent breast cancer, she decided to hide her diagnosis from her co-workers. At the time, her boss, Chuck Greco, told her, “You might want to think about being more transparent with people; let them hear it from you. Give them a chance to support you.” She's glad she took that advice.
The employees at Linbeck have a reputation for caring. Not surprisingly, there are 28 employees who have worked there for at least 25 years, in a company with more than 250 employees nationally. Iva is now very open, hoping to help other women remember to be vigilant in their breast self-exams.
Her vigilance for more than 13 years is inspiring. In 1993, she had a lumpectomy, and her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then she has had an annual mammogram at M. D. Anderson and has performed monthly self-exams. In November 2005, two months after her mammogram, she found the suspicious lump and was diagnosed with breast cancer in December. Following surgery with Anthony Lucci Jr., M.D., surgical oncologist at M. D. Anderson, she had six months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiotherapy.
During this follow-up period, many of Iva’s co-workers, led by Joe Meschwitz, shaved their heads as a show of support for her. Joe and others thought that Leo Linbeck III, Chairman of Linbeck and owner of a big unkempt head of hair, should participate. Leo’s response was, “I’m a pay-for-performance kind of guy. Let’s find a way to make this pay off for cancer research.” The plan they came up with called for the closeness of Leo’s haircut to be based on the dollars raised. For each $1,000, the trimmer notch would be lowered, but he had the option to make contributions that would raise the notch.
On September 14, 2006, a crowd of rowdy employees, led by Barbara Davidson, good friend and official funds collector, gathered in the lobby to watch the ceremonial head-shaving (at the number 2 setting on the trimmer). More than $10,000 had been raised for Dr. Lucci’s research program focusing on the genetic components of breast cancer. Two months after the September event, Iva, the supervisors, and Leo are recovering nicely and looking better than ever.