NANCY VERSTRAETE BODY

Nancy Verstraete Body was the sixth child born to Antoinette and Sylvester Kaszubinski in July of 1931. She married Vincent Verstraete and raised four children: Janette, Edward, Jane and Nancy. When Vince died in 1968 Nancy focused on supporting and raising her children, working for Syracuse China and Niagara Mohawk, which she retired from after 27 years. Nancy remarried William Body.

Nancy was known by her family and friends for her cooking and baking. If she wasn’t hosting the party she was preparing the food. A holiday wouldn’t be complete without her babka, perogies and many of her “special dishes”. If she knew you had a cold or flu she would appear with a pot of chicken soup within hours. Nancy loved to be involved with her grandchildren and always shared their latest accomplishments. She especially enjoyed attending the weddings of two of her granddaughters.

In January of 2003, at age 72, Nancy was wintering in Florida with her husband. She went for her annual mammogram and then a biopsy. She was diagnosed with lobular carcinoma. She decided to return home to Syracuse for her surgery. Nancy underwent a radical double mastectomy, and four days later, Easter Sunday, went home to loved ones. That year it was the kids who prepared the holiday meal.

Nancy’s positive attitude was an encouragement to her friends and family. Her treatment encountered many bumps in the road. Her first “cocktail” caused her to lose all her hair and to be hospitalized for several days due to an infection. This didn’t discourage her. She was able to return to Florida where she was to start her radiation treatments. Unfortunately, she was not completely healed from the surgery and the radiation was delayed. She spent four weeks with daily visits to a Hyperbaric oxygen chamber to heal her wound. She was then able to complete her radiation treatments and returned to Syracuse in the spring.

Nancy got back to her routine and to her favorite pastime of cooking. She enjoyed attending events where she could share her story with others fighting breast cancer. Plans were made for a May trip to Las Vegas with her daughter and family to see her grandson graduate from UNLV, and to play the “slots”. The month of May also brought a new great-grandson into the family, which made Nancy very proud. Then, in August, she received more great news. She completed all her follow-up testing with good reports from her oncologist and doctors.

In mid-September an unexplained fever caused Nancy to be hospitalized. Surrounded by her family, Nancy died on September 20, 2004.

Nancy was a giver to all her friends and family with her endless energy. Her strength and courage were an inspiration to all who knew her. Her wish was for a cure to be found so that others would not experience what she did.