'Volley for the Cure' is personal for Glenbard South teacher

As she sat in her doctor's waiting room on May 30, Sue Giffey noticed a steady stream of patients who seemed to be in and out in 15 minutes. So when her time in the office exceeded that, she knew something was wrong.

On June 5, results of a biopsy performed revealed her worst fears.

Giffey had breast cancer.

"I was pretty much somewhere between hyperventilating and sobbing," Giffey said of her reaction.

The Glenbard South High School teacher will tell her story at the school's Volley for the Cure on Tuesday, an event that will raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Admission and money raised from $10 T-shirts available at the school's bookstore will go toward the foundation.

Giffey, 41, said she has always been charitable. Her grandmother told her to give as much and as often as she could. Each year, she donated the money and bought a T-shirt for Volley for the Cure. This year, she bought four. But she said even more important is getting the word out about early detection, which she credits for possibly saving her life.

"I've never said 'no' to anyone who has ever asked me for a donation, even if it's as small as $5," she said. "This year I will talk to anyone who's willing to listen about having a mammogram and early detection."

Giffey went through two surgeries and has been undergoing radiation treatments since Aug. 12. She has around 10 daily treatments left and hopes medication taken for the next five years will eliminate any possibility of the disease's return.

"You want to do whatever it takes to get rid of it," she said.

The diagnosis shocked both Giffey and her students.

Glenbard South middle hitter Mary Dodge is in one of Giffey's classes. When she heard the news, she said she was shocked.

Dodge has cancer on both sides of her family history. She said that she was proud her teacher came out and spoke candidly about her condition.

"She was being so strong about it," Dodge said. "It seems like she wants to help other people who have breast cancer."

The volleyball team has been busy making posters and preparing for the match.

As a 16-year-old healthy athlete, Dodge said she tries not to concern herself too much with the disease. But she knows her family history means it has to stay in the back of her mind.

"You never know what could happen," she said. "It's a scary thing to think about."

Meanwhile, she said she admires Giffey's ability to talk about the disease. Giffey points out that she is the first in her family and was very healthy, so common fallacies should be ignored when it comes to a woman getting her first mammogram.

She said she hopes this event is one of the first of many in her effort to help others. In fact, she says her diagnosis and results might have been a blessing in disguise.

"I told myself, on my worst day, I made a promise to God and to anybody that I will do anything in my power to try to raise awareness," she said. "You value every person, every thing, at a much greater level than you could possibly have done before."