Kelly Kreth accepted the annual Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Co-Survivor Award during the organization’s annual conference in Dallas last weekend for making his wife feel “beautiful, brave and proud” during her treatment for a rare form of breast cancer.  Kelly is the first Arkansan to receive the prestigious award.

 A co-survivor is someone who supports a breast cancer survivor through diagnosis, treatment and beyond. The Komen for the Cure award honors a friend, spouse, family member or co-worker who finds meaningful ways to ease the burden of someone dealing with breast cancer.

 For last year’s Race chair Ellen Kreth, that person was her husband Kelly. After Ellen’s right breast began to swell noticeably, her doctor recommended a mammogram, which led to a diagnosis of Stage 3B Inflammatory Breast Cancer at the age of 33.

 Prior to diagnosis, life was just as Ellen thought it should be – happy, healthy and ordinary. She and her husband were proud parents of a 5-month baby and 3-year-old daughter. Following diagnosis, Ellen wondered how she could keep up. She had a bilateral mastectomy, a total of four months of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation and a hysterectomy.

 Her husband, Kelly, took on his role as co-survivor with these things in mind and his hope to make this journey as normal as possible for their family.

 “When I was too weak to move, Kelly showed his support in many ways, including trips to the grocery store and spending more time with our daughters,” said Ellen. “Along with me, Kelly put on his fighting gloves and never wavered in his compassionate care.”

Kelly, who is a pilot, flew out of New York on the morning of Sept. 11, and when his plane was grounded in Cincinnati, he rented a car and drove ten hours to be with Ellen for her doctor’s appointment.  On the drive home, he called her friends to tell them about the diagnosis so they could offer Ellen words of encouragement.  He stood by her through numerous doctor’s appointments and chemotherapy treatments.

 While Ellen says all that is commendable, she says Kelly’s story is so much more than taking on the ordinary tasks of life.  “He made his wife – who had gained weight from all the steroids, who was bald, wearing fake eyelashes, fake hair and fake breasts – feel beautiful, brave and proud and more of a person after the diagnosis than less,” Ellen explains.  She says because he commended her for being brave and courageous, she was able to fight harder against the cancer.

 It’s been almost nine years since Ellen’s diagnosis. Since that time, Kelly’s encouragement led his wife to speak and educate others about Inflammatory Breast Cancer, serve as the 2009 Komen Arkansas Race for the Cure^® Chair and he has also become an advocate – sharing stories and experiences with other co-survivors at the race.

 “Because of the success of our organization, we can now say that if found early there is a 98% survival rate at 5 years, but the journey of a survivor is not easy with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and drug therapy,” says Sherrye McBride of the Komen Arkansas Affiliate. “To find someone who will be by your side and love and support you is special.  Kelly Kreth is one of the most special.”