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SOU president rallies from cancer By AYISHA YAHYA ASHLAND - Southern Oregon University President Elisabeth Zinser said she will use her experience with breast cancer to foster awareness about the disease and the importance of early detection. Zinser is recovering from a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April. "I want to use the insight I've gained to be helpful to others," Zinser said at her home Friday. She said she wants to be open about her illness because she has a responsibility to help others. She has joined a buddy support program, where victims of breast cancer can share their experiences. Looking relaxed and healthy, Zinser said she was able to detect a lump in her breast because she does regular self-examinations. "I take everything seriously when it comes to health, as everyone should," she said. Everyone is afraid of the "C-word," but the dangers of the disease can be mitigated if detected early, she said. Zinser added it was important for everyone to take charge of his or her own health. "If you ever face that awful diagnosis, deal with it in your own way," Zinser said. "No one else can tell you how to deal with it. Accept it, embrace it ..." Many women who are diagnosed with breast cancer worry about how their bodies will look after a mastectomy, but reconstructive surgery can alleviate those fears, she said. She does not regret her decision to have a mastectomy. "I don't have to look at a long-term issue - no chemotherapy, no radiation," she said. "I'm very lucky." She said she was thankful for the support she had received from her family and the community. "I've never had this kind of overwhelming embrace," she said. Zinser received hundreds of e-mails and greeting cards from students, faculty and the community. Members of student government made her a banner urging her to "keep smiling and stay strong, and to get well soon." Zinser said the banner meant a great deal when she was in the hospital, and it is now prominently displayed in her home. Zinser's husband, Don Mackin, said the support people get from their friends "has as much to do with healing as anything." "We haven't been here a year, and the outpouring of support is absolutely overwhelming and it means so much to me because it's done for her," he said. "Family can get a deeper meaning at times like this," Zinser said. "What it did was create a deeper love for my family and my work." She is scheduled to return to work after Memorial Day weekend. However, she said she may only work part time initially. She still plans to take full part in the graduation ceremony on June 15. Even through her recovery, Zinser has been working via conference calls with other Oregon educators to select a new chancellor for the Oregon University System. Richard Jarvis, head of the U.S. branch of Britain's Open University, was named Friday. Zinser said she is now walking two miles a day, taking afternoon naps and drinking plenty of water to aid her return to good health. "I'm kind of pushing myself a bit, but not too much," she said. She urged the community to take part in the Relay for Life, an annual race that benefits the American Cancer Society. The relay is planned at noon on June 1 at the SOU stadium. Zinser also said it was important to remember breast cancer can affect anyone, even if there is no history of the disease in the family. "Breast cancer is not just a woman's disease," she added. "It happens to men, too." Zinser's illness came shortly after her investiture as SOU's president. She joined the university last July, coming from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. Reach news intern Ayisha Yahya at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.