Sorority rallies behind sister following cancer diagnosis

When Heather Kornick looks back on college, it will be impossible for her to forget two things: the love and support she got from her sorority sisters and her diagnosis of adrenal cancer.

In May 2008, Kornick, now a senior and a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, was diagnosed with adrenal cancer and underwent surgery to have a 14-centimeter tumor removed from her adrenal gland after two years of mysterious symptoms and misdiagnoses.

When sorority sisters such as sophomore Melissa Rose first learned Kornick had cancer, Rose said she and her sisters were “in shock,” even though the diagnosis was a long time coming.

During her sophomore year, Kornick said she was misdiagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a disease characterized by excessive bloating, weight gain and loss of menstruation.

Her doctors prescribed hormone replacement, which she said left her with stomach cramps after eating. The cramps were so severe that she often needed to schedule her life around them.

But Kornick said she was convinced something was wrong during her junior year when she began working out every day and eating right, but didn’t lose any weight.
After one doctor told Kornick she was just another college student concerned about her weight, she went for a second opinion.

The new doctor diagnosed her with Cushing’s Syndrome – a hormonal disorder with symptoms similar to polycystic ovary syndrome – and decided to do a CAT scan of her adrenal gland.

Then, on May 12, 2008, Kornick said she was on her way to her summer internship when her doctor called and told her to come in for an appointment immediately.
Kornick and her parents learned she had adrenal cancer at that appointment.

Though her parents were upset and emotional after learning the diagnosis,
Kornick said it didn’t faze her.

“It didn’t really dawn on me that it was cancer,” Kornick said. “It just seemed like this little bump in the road.”

Kornick said she was immediately scheduled for surgery to remove the tumor from her adrenal gland because doctors noticed a blood clot on the tumor.

After receiving the diagnosis, Kornick waited a few days before contacting members of her sorority via e-mail and Facebook.

“I wanted people to know that I didn’t want to keep this a secret,” Kornick said.

Doctors successfully removed the tumor from her adrenal gland and Kornick spent a week recovering in the hospital.

In addition to several TV show marathons during her hospital stay, Kornick said the attention her sorority sisters gave her helped her get through recovery.

“Throughout my recovery, I got tons of calls and gifts from girls in my sorority,”
Kornick said. “Alumni I’d never met sent me stuff.”

Kornick said she decided to return to campus and to her sorority house for the fall 2008 semester, even though her cancer was and is still not in remission.

“If I do too much at one time, I get really tired,” Kornick said. “If I don’t eat three meals a day, I crash. There are days I wake up and I can’t hold any food down because of medications or if I’m feeling anxious or nervous.”

She said she’s also noticed a difference in how some people act around her.

“Some people have become distant, and it’s understandable,” Kornick said. “It’s a tricky subject for people. You don’t think cancer and associate it with a 21-year-old.”

Since adrenal cancer affects about one out of every 1 million Americans per year, Kornick said statistics about the disease can be scary.

“In reality, I’m terrified,” Kornick said. “There are moments I forget I have friends around to support me. But it’s one part of me and there’s definitely more to me than a stupid disease.”

Kornick said she doesn’t want girls to only associate her with cancer.

“As I tell all the girls in my house, I’m back here to be in the house,” Kornick said. “I’m back here to participate.”

But Rose, Kornick’s sorority sister, said it’s hard to see Kornick get so tired during major sorority events.

“The hardest times for me were during recruitment because we all have to be so active, and she didn’t have the stamina to get through entire days,” Rose said.
“When I was a new member she really stood out as someone who really wanted to get to know me. The fact that she couldn’t be that person during recruitment made me sad.”

But the women of ADPi have rallied around Kornick. Rose said the chapter is starting a Relay for Life team in Kornick’s honor.

“It’s brought us closer together as a sisterhood because we were forced to think about the fact that we could lose one of us,” Rose said.

And Kornick said she appreciates all of the support she’s received from her sorority sisters.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the support of my friends,” Kornick said. “If my doctor ever disagrees with me, a bunch of girls will come after him. You don’t want to mess with the sorority and sisterhood.”