HarveyWallbangers
07-10-2007, 10:36 PM
Nice story.
Hats off to Favres
Meeting with famous duo changes woman's life
By MARTIN HENDRICKS
Posted: July 10, 2007
Grand Chute, Wis. - For Deanna and Brett Favre, it was a brief encounter between innings at their celebrity softball game. For Kim Pingel, it was a life-changing moment.
Pingel, a 34-year-old resident of New Holstein, Wis., was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2006.
The news was devastating to Pingel, who went through 18 weeks of chemotherapy in 2007 and suffered various medical setbacks that delayed surgery to determine if her cancer had spread or was contained.
On Father's Day at Fox Cities Stadium, Pingel had the opportunity to meet the Favres -t hanks to her brother, Scott Horack.
Horack, 36, placed the winning eBay bid for the opportunity to play with Favre and the Packers' offensive team at the Green Bay quarterback's annual softball contest. The Tampa resident won the week-long auction with a $14,085 bid earlier this spring.
"A dream come true," said Horack, a St. Nazianz, Wis. native and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay graduate. "I wasn't going to miss the opportunity. I had a trip to Italy planned, but canceled it. I put the first bid in at $1,000 and the last one in the final 40 seconds so nobody could catch me."
Horack is a die-hard Packer and Brett Favre fan.
"I've followed Brett since he came into the league as a rebel, played his game, overcame his own challenges and adversity with his wife and family," he said. "Brett just goes out and plays the game. He's been a great guy off the field as well as on the field. Brett Favre is someone you can look up to in professional sports, which is rare these days."
It is also rare for anyone to part with such a sizable sum of money for a favorite charity.
Horack, a sales manager at the financial firm of Raymond James, said, "It was well worth it - a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And for my sister, it was really special."
Pingel and her husband, Nick - along with Horack and brother, Brian, sister-in-law Sandi, and father, Allen - were ushered out of the Fox Cities Stadium stands after the fourth inning to meet the Favres. Horack arranged the meeting by mentioning his sister's situation to members of the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation before the game.
"My brother bought me two hats, one I wore to the game and the other I was hoping to get autographed by Deanna," Pingel said. "It was really emotional for me. With everyone watching, 8,000 people staring at us, we had to walk down on the field by the dugout. My dad was so nervous, but it was an awesome day for our family.
"Deanna came up to me and gave me a hug. She talked to me about the situation and keeping my faith and staying strong. Brett came up and asked me how I was doing. We took some photos and Deanna signed my hat. It was an awesome day for our family - something I'll remember the rest of my life."
The autographed pink No, 4 Deanna Favre Hope Foundation baseball cap would not leave her side and became an instant good-luck charm.
"My luck had been pretty crappy with all the side effects from chemo and all the cancellations of the surgery," Pingel said. "But after Deanna signed my hat, everything started falling into place. The day after the softball game I went to the doctor and my surgery was set for the following Thursday."
Pingel underwent double mastectomy surgery at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan and also had three lymph nodes removed to determine if the cancer had spread.
Right up until she was wheeled into the operating room, Pingel had the pink baseball hat with her.
"Then I gave it to my brother Scott and told him not to let anyone steal it," Pingel said with a laugh. "When I came out of surgery, it was in my room with a bouquet of lilies and a picture of me and Deanna when she signed it. I don't remember much from the surgery or afterward, but I remember seeing that pink hat. It gave me hope.
"I love my brother so much, to do all of this for me. And then to hear that the lymph nodes were clear, there was no sign of cancer. I'm so very grateful."
Pingel will heal from her operation and then undergo reconstruction surgery in approximately two months. She now has something in common with Deanna Favre: she's a cancer survivor.
"My brother is a huge Brett Favre fan, and I know $14,000 is a lot of money," Pingel said. "I think he would have paid $50,000. Some people may think he's nuts, but everyone has an idol. My husband loves Matt Kenseth, he's a huge NASCAR fan, just like Scott with Brett and the Packers.
"The money goes to charity and helps kids, so it's all for a great cause. It was my second time at this game, and it's fun to see the Packers playing softball. My family and I had a lot of fun - it was just a great day. One I'll always remember."
Deanna Favre remembers, too.
"What a sweet girl Kim is," Deanna said last week in a telephone interview from Mississippi. "It's great that she's doing so well.
"Every time you come across someone going through what you've gone through, there's this connection. It's hard to describe, but you can almost see into their soul and there's a connection you feel. It's really touching, sometimes I get chills and tears in my eyes. I hope I can provide hope to them, and honestly I feel they help me more than I help them."
Kim Pingel still needs a little help from her pink baseball cap some days, but she is determined to help other cancer patients in the future.
"My autographed hat is right next to my computer, which has a screen-saver picture of Deanna and me at the softball game," she said. "My husband just knows the right time to bring it out when I'm down or have a bad day. It makes me smile - and gives me hope -just seeing that pink hat with Deanna's signature on it."
With the encouragement of her oncologist, Dr. Marshall Matthews, Pingel is preparing to share her story.
"He's an amazing man, Dr. Matthews, and he's been so supportive through everything," Kim said. "He said with all the side effects, the chemo, and all you've gone through at such a young age with cancer, you should consider telling your story to other women.
"Deanna Favre gave me hope and support, and her foundation helps women who don't have insurance. If I can help just one person with my story, I'll do it. There is life after breast cancer."
Editor's Note: The Deanna Favre HOPE Foundation's mission is to provide assistance to women who are underserved or underinsured in their battle against breast cancer.
Hats off to Favres
Meeting with famous duo changes woman's life
By MARTIN HENDRICKS
Posted: July 10, 2007
Grand Chute, Wis. - For Deanna and Brett Favre, it was a brief encounter between innings at their celebrity softball game. For Kim Pingel, it was a life-changing moment.
Pingel, a 34-year-old resident of New Holstein, Wis., was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2006.
The news was devastating to Pingel, who went through 18 weeks of chemotherapy in 2007 and suffered various medical setbacks that delayed surgery to determine if her cancer had spread or was contained.
On Father's Day at Fox Cities Stadium, Pingel had the opportunity to meet the Favres -t hanks to her brother, Scott Horack.
Horack, 36, placed the winning eBay bid for the opportunity to play with Favre and the Packers' offensive team at the Green Bay quarterback's annual softball contest. The Tampa resident won the week-long auction with a $14,085 bid earlier this spring.
"A dream come true," said Horack, a St. Nazianz, Wis. native and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay graduate. "I wasn't going to miss the opportunity. I had a trip to Italy planned, but canceled it. I put the first bid in at $1,000 and the last one in the final 40 seconds so nobody could catch me."
Horack is a die-hard Packer and Brett Favre fan.
"I've followed Brett since he came into the league as a rebel, played his game, overcame his own challenges and adversity with his wife and family," he said. "Brett just goes out and plays the game. He's been a great guy off the field as well as on the field. Brett Favre is someone you can look up to in professional sports, which is rare these days."
It is also rare for anyone to part with such a sizable sum of money for a favorite charity.
Horack, a sales manager at the financial firm of Raymond James, said, "It was well worth it - a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And for my sister, it was really special."
Pingel and her husband, Nick - along with Horack and brother, Brian, sister-in-law Sandi, and father, Allen - were ushered out of the Fox Cities Stadium stands after the fourth inning to meet the Favres. Horack arranged the meeting by mentioning his sister's situation to members of the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation before the game.
"My brother bought me two hats, one I wore to the game and the other I was hoping to get autographed by Deanna," Pingel said. "It was really emotional for me. With everyone watching, 8,000 people staring at us, we had to walk down on the field by the dugout. My dad was so nervous, but it was an awesome day for our family.
"Deanna came up to me and gave me a hug. She talked to me about the situation and keeping my faith and staying strong. Brett came up and asked me how I was doing. We took some photos and Deanna signed my hat. It was an awesome day for our family - something I'll remember the rest of my life."
The autographed pink No, 4 Deanna Favre Hope Foundation baseball cap would not leave her side and became an instant good-luck charm.
"My luck had been pretty crappy with all the side effects from chemo and all the cancellations of the surgery," Pingel said. "But after Deanna signed my hat, everything started falling into place. The day after the softball game I went to the doctor and my surgery was set for the following Thursday."
Pingel underwent double mastectomy surgery at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan and also had three lymph nodes removed to determine if the cancer had spread.
Right up until she was wheeled into the operating room, Pingel had the pink baseball hat with her.
"Then I gave it to my brother Scott and told him not to let anyone steal it," Pingel said with a laugh. "When I came out of surgery, it was in my room with a bouquet of lilies and a picture of me and Deanna when she signed it. I don't remember much from the surgery or afterward, but I remember seeing that pink hat. It gave me hope.
"I love my brother so much, to do all of this for me. And then to hear that the lymph nodes were clear, there was no sign of cancer. I'm so very grateful."
Pingel will heal from her operation and then undergo reconstruction surgery in approximately two months. She now has something in common with Deanna Favre: she's a cancer survivor.
"My brother is a huge Brett Favre fan, and I know $14,000 is a lot of money," Pingel said. "I think he would have paid $50,000. Some people may think he's nuts, but everyone has an idol. My husband loves Matt Kenseth, he's a huge NASCAR fan, just like Scott with Brett and the Packers.
"The money goes to charity and helps kids, so it's all for a great cause. It was my second time at this game, and it's fun to see the Packers playing softball. My family and I had a lot of fun - it was just a great day. One I'll always remember."
Deanna Favre remembers, too.
"What a sweet girl Kim is," Deanna said last week in a telephone interview from Mississippi. "It's great that she's doing so well.
"Every time you come across someone going through what you've gone through, there's this connection. It's hard to describe, but you can almost see into their soul and there's a connection you feel. It's really touching, sometimes I get chills and tears in my eyes. I hope I can provide hope to them, and honestly I feel they help me more than I help them."
Kim Pingel still needs a little help from her pink baseball cap some days, but she is determined to help other cancer patients in the future.
"My autographed hat is right next to my computer, which has a screen-saver picture of Deanna and me at the softball game," she said. "My husband just knows the right time to bring it out when I'm down or have a bad day. It makes me smile - and gives me hope -just seeing that pink hat with Deanna's signature on it."
With the encouragement of her oncologist, Dr. Marshall Matthews, Pingel is preparing to share her story.
"He's an amazing man, Dr. Matthews, and he's been so supportive through everything," Kim said. "He said with all the side effects, the chemo, and all you've gone through at such a young age with cancer, you should consider telling your story to other women.
"Deanna Favre gave me hope and support, and her foundation helps women who don't have insurance. If I can help just one person with my story, I'll do it. There is life after breast cancer."
Editor's Note: The Deanna Favre HOPE Foundation's mission is to provide assistance to women who are underserved or underinsured in their battle against breast cancer.