The Celebrating Women Luncheon with its butterfly mascots may seem to conjure up images of fragility and fluttering around. That couldn’t be farther from what it’s all about. If anything, it represents strength, courage and especially this year . . . passion.
Why passion? More about that later.
The two-day fundraising program for Baylor Health Care System Foundation’s (BHCSF) breast cancer research started with a patron party at Lisa and Kenny Troutt’s estate, thanks to the planning by Chair Debbie Oates and Underwriting Co-Chairs Christie Carter and Susan McSherry. This wasn’t Debbie’s first chairing of the Celebrating Women luncheon. Nope! She had chaired in 2006, then Crystal Charity Ball in 2009 and did a mother-of-the-bride masterminding for her daughter’s wedding in 2012. Just this past year she orchestrated the move of the CCB’s move into their new digs, and just the day before the luncheon she had received the Kappa Kappa Gamma Platinum Key award. Whew!
In addition to arranging the patron party, she had also gotten Lana and Barry Andrews as honorary chairs. The Andrews family is one of the area’s biggest supporters of cancer research, so it was natural for them to take on this responsibility. As Lana put it, “Giving back is what we do.”
While others checked out the indoor basketball court and the grounds, BHCSF’s queen bee Lindalyn Adams joined Dee Collins Torbert on the couch in the living room. They had a front-row couch for the brief presentation by Baylor Health Care System/Scott + White Healthcare President/CEO Joel Allison and BHCSF President Robin Robinson thanking all and preparing them for the next day’s lunch. As luncheon keynote speaker/ESPN analyst Chris Spielman leaned against the wall, he blended in with the rest of the guests (Emilynn and Claude Wilson, Lydia Novakov, Tiffany Divis, Pam and Vin Perella, Anne Reeder, Richard Eiseman and Martha and David Tiller).
Wednesday’s activities started with a reception in the Wedgwood Room. Speaker Chris Spielman posed for photos with guests against the sponsor backdrop at one end of the room, while the room filled with guests like Virginia Chandler Dykes, Ann Stuart, Mary Suhm, Carol Seay, Pam Perella, Nancy Carter, Claire Emanuelson, Pam Busbee, Caren Kline, Lynn McBee, Piper Wyatt, Tincy Miller, Margaret Keliher, Di Johnston, Barbara Stuart and daughter Melissa Macatee, DeeDee Lee, Dr. Alan Miller and Kristina Whitcomb.
Over to the side Robin Robinson and PlainsCapital’s Isabell Novakov reviewed their notes. Minutes later Robin stepped up to the mic and welcomed the patrons and introduced Chris, who had briefly stepped out of the room and returned just at the right moment. He laughed that he had been taking care of business and everything was fine.
Then Isabell told how PlainsCapital was pleased to once again host the reception.
Luncheon presenting sponsor Tom Thumb’s Connie Yates followed Isabell telling personal stories of Baylor’s involvement with breast cancer patients. She closed by saying, “Don’t ever give up hope.”
While the adults were showing their appreciation, an adorable blonde in a pinker-than-pink party dress with white stockings was starting to show signs of scene stealing. The 4-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzie” Selkirk (according to grandma Lauren “Lala” Selkirk, Lizzie would be turning 5 on October 29) was accompanied by her brother Ben and dad Bruce Selkirk. Typical of an ingénue, she was playing the range from shy to flirt. But that was just a warm-up for the luncheon.
At 11:40 a.m. the doors opened and the crowds filled the ballroom to capacity. After Debbie, Christie and Susan welcomed guests, the Rt. Rev. Anthony Burton gave the invocation and lunch (roasted tomato and chipotle bisque en croute; sliced beef tenderloin with rosemary aioli accompanied by assorted fall greens, roasted fingerling potatoes, hearts of palm, baby carrots, pear tomato and shaved parmesan with creamy balsamic vinaigrette and spicy cheese straw; and chocolate molten cake with caramel sauce) was served.
Following lunch, Joel revealed that the recent partnership with Scott & White Healthcare was enabling Baylor to expand its ability to care for patients.
Following the Circle of Care Award presentation to The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-CH. 8, the third Circle of Care Award was bestowed to the Selkirk family. Why the Selkirk family? We’ll get to that a little later.
Before introducing Chris, Robin Robinson told how the mobile mammography unit just outside had been made possible “thanks to Darlene and Baron Cass and individuals like you.”
He admitted that Baylor is impatient about solving the deadly problem of cancer, and “through the Celebrating Women program, $600,000 has been awarded for Baylor’s genetics program in order to increase the number of counselors on our staff.”
Robin then explained that everyone in the room is a breast cancer co-survivor. By supporting a breast cancer survivor in some form, they have co-survived the battle of breast cancer. Robin revealed, “I am a breast cancer co-survivor. My mother survived 25 years after her breast cancer diagnosis.”
Then Chris addressed the ballroom, telling of his family’s battle against cancer. In many ways, despite his fame on the professional football field, Chris had been a typical guy. He had his plans all laid out for himself and his family including wife Stefanie and their four kids (Madison, Noah, Macy and Audrey). Through childhood and adulthood, he had been a top athlete through hard work. In 1997 injuries took him off the field, but he worked hard to recover. It was in 1998 that Stefanie learned that she had breast cancer and underwent treatment. A year later Chris’ attempt to return to football was squashed by another injury. However, the end of his on-field career was replaced by his becoming a sports broadcaster. All this time, he, Stefanie and the kids were in the battle against her breast cancer. Four times it returned, and four times the Spielmans won the battle. Stefanie wasn’t the least bit shy about her cancer and wanted others to be aware of the disease. She and Chris made it their mission to spread the word and to fundraise for breast cancer research. They were passionate about this mission.
But, despite their efforts and medical treatments, the cancer returned a fifth time. It was fatal. Stefanie died on November 19, 2009. Now, the family faced the future without her. But burly Chris was not going to stop the battle. Sure, he was now a single parent with one son and three daughters to raise. And, yes, his broadcasting duties required him to be separated from the kids at times. Still, he was going to carry on the mission that he and Stefanie had nurtured like a fifth child.
But Chris wasn’t the only one at the luncheon who had become a widower, a single dad and warrior in the battle against breast cancer. Bruce Selkirk was another such man. It was in January 2011 that his wife Amy had retired from her nurse practitioner work to raise Lizzie and Ben, then 2 and 7, respectively. “That month, only weeks after a clean mammogram report, Amy found a lump in her breast. Her discovery led to the diagnosis of a rapidly growing, aggressive breast cancer defined as ‘triple-negative breast cancer,’ or TNBC.”
Instead of a year focusing on the trials, tribulations and joys of raising their children, Amy and Bruce were faced with a battle for her survival. Despite an aggressive treatment program, Amy died January 2012.
Like the Spielmans, Bruce and the children were left without a wife and mother. But Bruce was not going to let the battle end there — “It’s not in my nature to give up, and I’m blessed with the opportunity to do something. We couldn’t save Amy, but maybe we can save someone else.” Since Amy’s death, he has had two priorities — parenting and the “raising of money to fund a breast cancer vaccine trail led by Dr. Joyce O’Shaughnessy, the Celebrating Women Endowed Chair in Breast Cancer Research at Baylor, and Dr. Karolina Palucka, a researcher at Baylor Institute for Immunology Research.” Bruce and the Baylor Health Care Foundation have raised $1M for the Amy T. Selkirk Fund.
In other words, Bruce replaced his anger and sorrow with a passion to beat cancer.
But despite the story of their loss, the Selkirks acceptance of the award was not one of tears. Leave it to Lizzie, who played the coy cutie with a pink rose on stage causing Robin to admit, “I’m in love with that little Lizzie.”
Let’s hope that thanks to warriors like Chris and Bruce, Lizzie and her generation will not be victimized by breast cancer. This year’s Celebrating Women Luncheon provided $2M to the war chest.