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Dorothy Klyap of Indiana County is fishing for women just like her.
A breast-cancer survivor, she is casting her energy toward women battling breast cancer with the goal of helping them to thrive instead of just survive.
A resident of the village of Pine Flats outside Clymer, Klyap is distributing literature to women to increase breast-cancer awareness and telling them about a therapeutic-fishing program called Casting for Recovery.
In March, Klyap attended a Casting for Recovery program at Spruce Creek Retreat in Huntingdon County. The program, sponsored by doctors, nurses and other professionals from Pittsburgh, is aimed at helping breast-cancer patients. The program, free to participants, not only educates women about the disease, but also helps them to recover through fly fishing on Spruce Creek, she said.
“Fly fishing is the best exercise for breast-cancer patients, and it’s therapeutic,” said Klyap, who ironically is a fly fisherman.
Her husband, Jim, was one of the guides that taught women to fish at the retreat.
Klyap’s life changed in June 2010, when she learned she had breast cancer.
“It’s devastating,” she said upon learning the bad news. “I broke out and cried right away.”
After struggling through a rough year that included a lumpectomy and chemotherapy and radiation treatments, her life changed again.
She was declared free of cancer by her doctors June 13.
“I have a long road to go, but I am going to make it,” she said about continuing the road to full recovery.
She credits her physicians, Dr. Patti Ann Stefanick, a Johnstown breast surgeon who performed her surgery; her oncologist, Dr. Gopala Ramineni, of UPMC Cancer Center in Indiana; and her radiologist, Dr. Ali Tunio, of UPMC Cancer Center in Indiana, with helping her to defeat cancer. All three, along with their staffs, were great, she said.
The 65-year-old said a big help in fighting the disease was all the support she received from her husband; children, Bridget Polenik, and son, J.B.; her childhood friend, Sandy Dudek; plus many other people, some of whom she doesn’t know, who sent gell-well cards and gifts. She also was placed on the prayer chain at many churches.
“I have the most wonderful husband,” she said. “He was always at my side.”
She said the best birthday gift she ever received was Dec. 17, when her son, who lives in Montana and whom she hadn’t seen for a while, came to visit her.
Her son and daughter-in-law manage a 5,000-acre ranch in Montana. Three years ago, Klyap volunteered at a Casting for Recovery program for men that her son and daughter-in-law held on that ranch. She said her son is planning to hold another program, this time for women, next year.
“I will go to help him,” she said.
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