That Barry Girl

Fanny Barry

Fanny Barry is a native of Boston, Massachusetts. She completed treatment for Breast Cancer in 2004. After completing her treatments, she battled depression and left her job of 18 years as a manager in the wetlands program for the Army Corps of Engineers to work on her books and develop That Barry Girl Foundation, Thriving, not just Surviving for breast cancer patients and survivors.

During her treatments she discovered her love for writing and drawing helped her cope. She documented her experience in the illustrated book series: I Wish I Knew; I Wish I Knew How to Help, and I Wish I Knew Who I Have Become. These books represent her personal observations on how her life and the lives of those closest to her changed while undergoing treatment. They are an attempt to share her insights with other breast cancer patients, their family and friends in the hopes of helping others through her experiences.

Fanny has an MS from Boston University School of Communications specializing in Communications for Government and Non-Profit Organizations. She has a BS in General Engineering as well as post graduate work in Plant and Soil Science. She brings diverse communications and management skills from her work with the Army Corps of Engineers where she was the Chief of Policy and Technical Analysis for the Regulatory Branch. Her work as a program and project manager equipped her with the skills necessary to develop and manage the foundation with her good friend Bathsheba Monk. She is passionate about helping women with Breast Cancer thrive during and after treatment. She is currently building a home in Mexico where lives now. Her goal is invite recovering patients there for rest and recuperation after treatment and to use her expertise, talents and insight to help people make the transitions necessary to move them along their path.

Advisory Board

Advisors provide comment on overall goals and objectives including proposals for fundraisers, marketing strategies, target grant providers as well as providing reviews and comments on grant applications. They advise on hospitals to target for distribution and areas where the books would be helpful. Additionally, they provide review and comment on material developed for marketing and development and advise on potential collaborative partners.

Marie J. Barry

Marie J. Barry is the treasurer for That Barry Girl Foundation. A mother and homemaker for more than 40 years, she managed the finances for her family of seven children: mortgages, college tuitions, vacations and athletics in addition to food, clothing and shelter. She learned the financial manipulations necessary to give her family what many would consider a privileged upbringing on a one-salary income. In doing so she gave them all the tools to thrive. Fanny’s mom, she has a BS in Chemistry and Nutrition from Mount Saint Mary’s College in New Hampshire, the equivalent to a finance degree in life studies and a unique insight into what it means to have someone you love be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Kimette Glenn

Kimette Glenn is an attorney who emigrated to Mexico in April 2006. She has been instrumental in the development of Fanny’s project to bring breast cancer survivors to Casa Wish for rest and recuperation. After years of travel in Mexico and a love affair with the culture, Kimette strongly believes in the recuperative energy of the Riviera Maya and the benefits in taking time for rest and reevaluation of life goals. She is a fifth generation Texan who practiced law for fifteen years with various private firms. She received her J.D. from Southern Methodist University, School of Law and is a trained mediator. Before attending law school, she sold radio advertising locally and nationally. Her experience enables her to advise the foundation on marketing, sales concepts and legal issues and importantly how to help visitors make the most of Tulum.

Hester Hill Schnipper

Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW, BCD, OSW-C is the Chief of Oncology Social Work at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an adjunct professor at Simmons College School of Social Work and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's first Hatcher Professor of Survivorship. Her daily clinical work includes the care of women living with all stages of breast and GYN cancer; she facilitates five support groups and develops other support and educational resources for her institution's oncology community. She serves as the Patient Advocate for the Dana Farber Harvard Cancer Center's Breast Cancer SPORE grant. A nationally known speaker, Ms. Schnipper has written numerous articles for professional journals about issues for both breast cancer survivors and professional caregivers. She has authored two books: Woman to Woman: A Handbook for Women Newly Diagnosed with Breast Cancer and After Breast Cancer: A Commonsense Guide to Life After Treatment. She is a past President of the Association of Oncology Social Work and, in 1991, received their Oncology Social Worker of the Year award. In addition to numerous other awards for her clinical work and writing, in 2005, she was named Boston's Exceptional Woman in Healthcare by radio station 106.7, MAGIC.

In 1993 and, again in 2005 , Ms. Schnipper was diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. These diagnoses transformed her life's work into her life. She has two young adult daughters and lives, gratefully, with her husband in Concord, Massachusetts. Hester has been a source of inspiration for Fanny as well as a confidante and friend.

Neddy Mack

Neddy Mack is an oncology certified RN with a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. The Program Director of Breast Health Services for Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Allentown, PA, Neddy oversees the screening, diagnostic, interventional, second opinion, and genetic risk programs. She is also responsible for breast health and breast cancer education and community outreach. A long time nurse and patient advocate, Neddy has devoted the last thirteen years of her professional practice to oncology and breast disease management. She is a clinical instructor in the LPN program at Penn State University. Neddy received the Lehigh Valley Hospital Friends of Nursing Kinneman Leadership Award in 1997 and accepted the Friends of Nursing Board of Trustees Caring Award on behalf of Breast Health Services in 2006. to identify key outlets for the I Wish I Knew Series as well as identify key grant providers and partners.

Susan Maddigan

Susan Maddigan is a professor in the Nursing program at Cape Cod Community College and works at Falmouth Hospital on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of MA, she has a Masters Degree in Nursing from from Boston University. She is committed to individualizing patient care in order to use the patient's own strengths to promote health. Her experience with patients has helped her develop an appreciation for complementary holistic treatments to increase healing through conventional medicine. She will work with the foundation to advise on nursing practice, survivor care in Mexico and opportunities for optimal wellness after treatment.

Rosemary Irene Sullivan

Rosemary Irene Sullivan is a licensed clinical social worker at Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami Beach, FL. She received her undergraduate degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University (B.S., 1980), and completed the Master of Social Work program at Florida International University in 1991. Irene currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Society of Oncology Social Workers. She is certified in oncology social work through the Association of Oncology Social Workers and serves on the Advocacy Committee of that organization. Also trained in hypnosis, Irene runs mediation groups and works with patients on cancer and cancer treatment issues.

A native of Miami Beach, Irene lives in Miami with her husband, Will Chambers, a marketing consultant. Outside of the field of oncology, Irene is the mental health specialist on a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (D.M.A.T., FL-5), a medical response team activated by the Federal government in the event of a disaster. She has had graduate and undergraduate teaching experience as an adjunct professor in the Health Services Administration department at Florida International University and worked as a research assistant at their Center on Aging.

Fanny’s Story

Fanny’s Doctor discovered a tumor on her breast during a routine examination in July 2003. Fanny was subsequently diagnosed with Breast Cancer on August 8. She completed two surgeries to remove the tumor and lymph nodes; four intervals of chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells in her system; and radiation therapy to kill any remaining localized cancer. While the treatments lasted for eight months, her life changed forever. In confronting the diagnosis, completing the treatments and appreciating both them and the experiences they engendered, she learned that she was stronger than she had ever known, that life was short and that today and tomorrow are gifts; that we should take each day as an opportunity to learn and grow and make our dreams come true. Throughout her treatments, she maintained a journal to help herself better understand the disease and its effects on her mind and body. Her three books are intended to help people answer the question Fanny kept repeating to herself and others: “I wish I knew…”. The first is for recently diagnosed patients, the second is for family and friends and the third is for survivors.

Fanny worked throughout her treatments, as many patients must. She managed financially through her own tenacity but also with support from family and friends. They taught her to take care of herself and take time for healing with small indulgences: naps in the middle of the day, manicures when she felt well enough to go out, special foods that encouraged her to eat. She often wondered what women who were not able to work and who did not have this strong support network would do to survive the treatments. Through the cash grant program of That Barry Girl Foundation, she will help women take care of themselves during treatment so that they can manage it, encourage healing through stress reduction and thrive after surviving.

After her treatments, Fanny’s friend brought her to Mexico for rest and recovery and some fun. While there, she rested enough to let her body and mind heal and she experienced joy and laughter that had been missing for some time from her life. She frequently told herself and friends that she would bring other survivors there to expose them to that same healing. She is currently developing Casa Wish, her rustic home in Mexico for just this purpose.