By Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Missy Farr-Kaye's battle with breast cancer has been well chronicled. So has the greater issue of breast cancer in American women. In a public notoriously short on attention span -- and in a rapidly shifting news cycle -- that familiarity can pose problems.
"We have a come a long way in terms of awareness and treatments for breast cancer," ASU's women's golf coach said last week. "But in no way, shape or form have we solved this disease. People need to understand that we aren't where we need to be. We have a lot of work to do."
Farr-Kaye is a two-time breast cancer survivor who was first diagnosed with the disease in 1998, and then had a recurrence in 2008. She underwent four surgeries in six months after the original diagnosis, including a bilateral mastectomy. She underwent more surgeries in 2008 to remove the cancerous mass, followed by radiation and chemotherapy.
About one in eight U.S. women (roughly 12 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, according to the website breastcancer.org. In 2015, U.S. women were expected to be diagnosed with an estimated 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer, along with 60,290 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer.
About 40,290 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2015 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1989. Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women, and breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, beside lung cancer.
"I was 30 and had just had a second child when I was diagnosed the first time," Farr-Kaye said. "The impact, or the possible impact it can have on not just you but your family is so life-changing. It's so devastating. Women need to do all they can to detect it by having regular mammograms and we need to keep working on finding a 100-percent cure."
Farr-Kaye's history with the disease runs deeper than just personal experience. Her sister, LPGA star Heather Farr, was diagnosed with the disease in 1989. Her heroic four-year battle became national news and her death in 1993 became a national rallying cry, with Missy and her mother, Sharon Farr, at the forefront.
"I still think of this as Heather's disease because of how she handled it and what she meant to so many people," Missy said. "She wanted to be remembered as a golfer and an athlete and not be defined by this disease, but when cancer walked into her life, she took it as a challenge and she did such a great job of teaching others.
"Her story was this story of grace and courage and dignity so when I was diagnosed, my mindset immediately became: 'What would Heather do?' If she could do this, I certainly can."
Farr-Kaye tries to impart those lessons on her student-athletes, particularly at times of struggle.
"Whenever they have bad days out on the course I say: 'This is not a bad day. I know what bad days are and this is not one,'" Farr-Kaye said.
Sun Devils junior Monica Vaughn said her coach's approach and attitude are an inspiration.
"Missy has gone through hell and back a few times and is probably the strongest person I know," Vaughn said. "She doesn't let it get her down.
"I know there are days that are harder than others for her, and we've had personal conversations about that. She can't be strong all the time but she never shuts us out and she is always open to talking about it. She knows she has kids to support and a team to hold up and she never lets us down."
October is breast cancer awareness month so the team has been donning pink frequently over the past few weeks to raise awareness and show its support for its coach and others dealing with the disease. Freshmen Taylor Coleman, Madison Kerley and Linnea Strom also volunteered at the Phoenix Race For The Cure earlier this month.
"I'm a two-time survivor and I'm not sure if it will come back again," Farr-Kaye said. "I don't live in fear but I'm not naïve like I was when I was younger so I stay informed on the latest drugs and treatments and the research that's out there.
"We get a little jaded and start believing that we've done so much already. You combat that by being open in talking about breast cancer, by reminding people how many women are still dealing with this disease and by fighting to find a cure. You don't hide from talking about breast cancer because when you have it, there's no hiding from it."