Newsroom

04/30/2007

In loving memory

West Pittston resident William Thiel puts all of his energy into fulfilling a promise he made to his dying wife: to save other women’s lives.

His wife, Maureen Thiel, was 43 when she died of breast cancer on May 16, 1998, after three doctors told her not to worry about breast lumps.

On the seventh anniversary of his wife’s death, Thiel launched "Maureen’s Mission," a non-profit organization founded to promote early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Since then, nothing has stopped him from promoting a universal standard of care for women, which would outline steps doctors should take when women have breast lumps.

If a universal standard of care existed when his wife found her first lump in 1994, she might be alive today, he said. If doctors followed the accepted standard of care for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for a lump, his two sons Erik and Ryan might still have a mom, he said.

Thiel, 47, and his two children recently have taken their message to the Montel Williams’ show in New York City. With no public speaking background, Thiel said he was nervous and had to learn how to do "sound bites" to get out his message on television. The show is scheduled to air soon, but Thiel does not yet have a date. He was invited back to the show for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

"I have to find the women out there today who were told they don’t have breast cancer, but they do, because their survival rate six to 12 months from now is not good," Thiel said. "I have a long way to go. Women out there are dying every day."

Writer Maureen Buchanan Jones, of Amherst, Mass., told the Thiels’ story in the book, "A Promise Fulfilled: One Couple’s Journey through Misdiagnosis, Breast Cancer and Advocacy," which is available is available online at amazon.com and iuniverse.com and may be available in bookstores soon.

Thiel drove to Massachusetts to meet Jones, who holds a Ph.D. in English literature, leads writing workshops, and has published other books. Jones was impressed with Thiel’s determination to get out his message,

"He never stops. He just keeps trying to get out information to women about breast cancer, proper diagnosis and proper care," Jones said. "I have never met anyone like him."

Thiel also has partnered with Senator Jane Orie to pioneer a to create a "Pink Ribbon Advisory Committee"to study the timely detection of breast cancer and draft a standard of care. The proposed legislation, called Senate Resolution 52, was referred to the public health and welfare committee for consideration.

"That was a milestone," Thiel said. "Since I started this two years ago, I have been staying focused on having a standard of care."

Thiel continues to lobby state and federal officials, and his organization has been partnering with other breast cancer organizations to publish a pamphlet on standards of care to place in doctors’ offices.

He created a Web site, maureensmission.org. He held a "Swing for Life" golf outing in 2005 and plans to hold another in October to raise awareness and money for Maureen’s Mission and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Rick Leed from the pilot show "Misdiagnosed" recently flew to Thiel’s house from California to film a show about his mission. Thiel also has been contacted by Newsday and USA Today.

"I’m not going to quit," Thiel said. "You will never meet more of a true patient advocate than me."

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