Brava

October 2011

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Choosing Life In the face of a terminal diagnosis, Shirley Brickl has chosen to take the time to live By Kresha Gallegos "People don't talk about death," Shirley Brickl says honestly. Her voice is quiet but strong, her brown eyes warm and bright. She sits in the front room of the Sauk Prairie home she shares with her husband of 38 years, Dean. An oxygen line snakes across the fl oor to where she's seated in a wheelchair, her body bearing wit- ness to the cancer that has metastasized throughout her body. She is here to talk about death—her own. Having been through a long battle with cancer, Brickl is open and candid. As she speaks, she pauses often, sometimes glancing at a photo of her family on the wall in front of her. Th e home is fi lled with images of the couple's family, including their two daughters, Kristen, 33, and Melissa, 29. "It's not easy. But it's out of my hands," she says, describing her 16-year journey through cancer treatments. "I take it one day at a time." With that, she breaks into a mischievous grin. "And that's the story—to date!" It's a phrase Brickl repeats frequently, and always with a smile. Just months ago Brickl was told her cancer had spread. She could choose further treatment and push through the diffi cult side effects as long as possible, or she could end her treatment and take what time she had to live sans side effects. She opted for the latter. Today, she knows the end is near. Quick to point out that this is simply the end of this life, Brickl offers a perspective on what it feels like to have fought back time and time again. It's a message not about facing death, but about living on your own terms. Brickl is no stranger to breast cancer. Her mother passed away from the disease at the age of 60. Th ough nearly 85 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history, a genetic con- nection to the disease can almost double the risk of developing it. Like many women who have seen the toll cancer takes on a family member, Brickl and her six sisters have long lived with a height- ened awareness. In fact, it was the sisters' collective vigilance that led to Brickl's initial diagnosis when she was just 42. For nearly 30 years, the tight-knit group has gathered for annual "sister's weekends." On one particular weekend in 1995, Brickl's sister, Pam Schreiner, a nurse, insisted that the group learn to per- form breast self-exams, even bringing a prosthetic breast along to show the proper technique. Not long after, Brickl found something during a self-exam that would prove to be a cancerous tumor. Looking back, Brickl says she felt "chosen." Th e diagnosis, she continues, came at a point when she was questioning her life's pur- pose. In touch with her faith, she wondered what the plan was for her life. October 2011 bravamagazine.com 61

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