Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 9

South Jersey Courier-Post Monday, December 19, 1994 Kose Venditti McIver Metro Editor 486-2408 Woman's worst cancer fears realized LB3 V- Intuition: Doctors dismissed Lynne Evans' fears about breast cancer. Now she faces a bone marrow transplant. 1,. ffc)j J) jflf- jt 5 1 1 She advises women to follow their "gut instinct" and insist on treatment. She wishes she had years ago.

"I was beating myself up for that," she said. But medical experts repeatedly told her nothing was wrong even when she discovered the rippled skin on her breast last spring. At the time, her youngest son, Andrew, was finishing kindergarten, and Evans was anticipating her return to the career world. She planned to work as a substitute teacher while completing her degree. "I was all set to go back," said Evans.

"I still plan to." Please see BREAST CANCER, Page 2B Evans wants to help other women avoid her predicament. She wants the American Cancer Society to change its age guidelines for mammograms, and she'd like to help raise money for more research. More importantly, she wants doctors to listen to their female patients. "I hate to see other women go through the same thing. Something is wrong somewhere.

It's very scary." she'd had for 26 years. A mammogram, ultrasound and needle biopsy showed nothing. Nevertheless, the mass turned out to be cancerous. And the cancer had spread to her bones. Since then, Evans, 36, has met other young women with similar stories.

"Every woman said she was not taken seriously. I was not taken seriously. And I don't know how long I was walking around with that." By Avi Steinhardt, Courier-Post Hoping: Lynne Evans peers out the sliding glass door of her Atcot; home. Her cancer has spread to her bones. By LINDA BUSCHE Courier-Post Staff WATERFORD At 13, Lynne Evans had more than the usual adolescent concerns about her body.

She was diagnosed as fibrocystic, which meant her breasts consisted of fibrous tissues and cysts. She always worried the cysts could be cancerous, but, she said, doctors dismissed her fears. They said: "You're too young. You don't have a family history of breast cancer. Why are you worried?" She couldn't explain her fears, but she had every new lump tested.

In May, she convinced doctors to remove a fibrous mass Cherry Hill helps residents fix homes Program: More than 100 households have participated. Traesit Sound DO YOU BELIEVE NEWT GINGRICH'S 'CONTRACT WITH AMERICA' WILL IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THIS COUNTRY? hore line faces trouble! wi f) Costs: Amtrak's withdrawal puts financial strain on remaining service. "No. I think he's trying to stall (President) Clinton and make it seem like he's not doing anything. He's (Gingrich) just trying to make a run at the White House." Kelsey Knight, Lindenwold "From a topical standpoint it sounds good.

But if the answer is yes or no, the answer is yes. What I want to know is when is the actual time for enactment. Is it next year or 2000?" Bob J. Habina Jr, Cherry I ill Atlantic City daily, 10 on Saturdays and eight on Sundays. NJ Transit began commuter service between Atlantic City and Lindenwold in September 1989.

Like Amtrak, it has struggled with low ridership on the route and multimillion dollar operating deficits. y' sj i 4 In May 1993, NJ Transit extended the service from Lindenwold to Philadelphia. It boosted ridership by 16.4 percent in the fiscal year that ended June 30. NJ Transit further expanded its service this year, opening a new station in Cherry Hill in June. Its operates six round trip trains between Atlantic City and Philadelphia every day, with stops in Cherry Hill, Lindenwold, Atco, Hammonton, Egg Harbor City and Absecon.

Amtrak officials said they will cut more than a fifth of the passenger service's routes nation Readers who responded to Sunday's Courier-Post Sound off echoed what voters said at the polls in November. Survey respondents overwhelmingly said they believed the Republican Party's "Contract with America" would improve quality of life in the United States. Of the 381 respondents, 245 were optimistic about the plan and 136 didn't believe the plan would make life better. In November, Republicans captured both houses of Congress for the first time since the 1950s. Georgia Republican Newt Gingrich, who will become Speaker of the House next year, offered a plan that fellow Republicans believe will rival Franklin D.

Roosevelt's New Deal. The plan calls for massive changes in: Taxes: Republicans want to make it harder to raise taxes and have called for several tax credits. Among them are a $500-per-child credit and credits to encourage adoptions. They also want to make it easier to qualify for Individual Retirement Accounts. Abortion: Republicans want to restrict government-financed abortions.

Welfare laws: The GOP wants laws that require recipients to work as well as legislation that would crack down on fathers who abandon their children. Environment: Under some proposals, the government would have to consider property rights before imposing pollution controls. Crime legislation: Republicans suggest more funds for prisons and punishment. Banking: The GOP would consider repealing a Depression-era law that separates the banking and securities industries. Under the plan, the four agencies that regulate banks and savings and loans could be merged.

Health care: Forget about universal coverage Republicans would try to expand coverage to more people by banning insurance companies from denying benefits to people with pre-existing conditions. School prayer: Gingrich has called for a House vote on a constitutional amendment to allow prayer in public schools. Courier-Post Staff and Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY NJ Transit could be forced to increase fares or reduce its service between Atlantic City and Philadelphia in the wake of Amtrak's decision to discontinue the route, officials said. Amtrak announced Wednesday that as part of a nationwide cost-cutting program, it would eliminate service on the route April 1. NJ Transit owns the 67-mile line.

The state transit agency spent $530,000 in the last fiscal year on maintaining the track. Amtrak paid $1.9 million in the same time period for track and station maintenance. Published reports said Morris County Assemblyman Alex De-Croce, chairman of the Assembly Transportation and Communications Committee, wrote a letter to Amtrak President Thomas M. Downs last week, saying NJ Transit's service could be disrupted by the loss of funding from Amtrak. DeCroce asked Amtrak to reconsider its decision.

He said the federal rail corporation's continuation of the line was critical to NJ Transit's ability to maintain the rail and provide cost-effective service to the region. NJ Transit representatives did not immediately return a telephone call from The Associated Press Sunday requesting comment. "We'll have to look at this very closely to see if NJ Transit could pick up the slack," said state Sen. John Adler. He said one option worth exploring is for Amtrak to continue to subsidize the maintenance costs.

"But we'll need Congressman James Saxton or Sen. Frank Lautenberg to help us a little bit on that," said Adler. Saxton and Lautenberg were not available for comment. Amtrak started serving Atlantic City in May 1989. The company thought the lure of the city's 12 casinos would result in high ridership, but that never happened.

It now operates six express trains between Philadelphia and "(The) tax cut is really good. Tax cuts are good as long as you can pay for them. And 111 pay taxes as long as I have a job. But what would really improve the quality of life is to improve the quality of the education and make it easier for people to go to college. I think that's missing." Bill Lichtner, Cherry Hill "No.

I think he's trying to roll back the clock to the 1930s or something. They are looking for anything they can find to put Clinton down. They are trying to separate people again, making divisions between the rich and poor. And soon there will be more have-nots than haves." Courtney Cannon, Willingfooro wide and let go 5,500 workers. Officials said they would begin reducing the frequency of some routes on Feb.

1. In announcing the cuts, Downs By WILLIAM H. SOKOLIC Courier-Post Staff CHERRY HILL It's a rarity when a municipality gives something back to its residents. And for free. But it happened to Claire and her husband.

The township installed new plumbing in the bathroom of their Barclay Farm home and added more smoke detectors. Mary got an attic fan and a repaired door bell for her Erlton home of 40 years. These residents owe this good fortune to Handy Helper, a township program that provides minor household repairs to low-income senior citizens and the disabled, many of them longtime residents of Cherry Hill on a fixed income. -More than 100 households have taken advantage of the program since it began in 1993. Another 100 applicants await service.

Those qualified are entitled to up to $500 in free services a year, said Anthony Saccoman-no, who oversees the program. "It's fabulous," said Claire, who like Mary didn't want her real name used. "I couldn't believe what they did for our bathroom. We were losing water because of a leak. So this was a godsend." Mary said without the program, she would have had to delay repairs because of lack of funds.

Living in part on the income from Certificates of Deposit, Mary suffered when interest rates on her investment fell. "So this was wonderful and helpful," she said of Handy Helper. Said Saccomanno, "We make it easy and simple to do." The impetus for the program came when the township was not included in a state-funded county program to install locks and other safety devices in senior citizens' homes. The mayor's office received numerous calls complaining about the short shrift, said Mayor Susan Bass Levin. "So we started our own program.

And ours is broader in scope," she said. Federal Community Block Grants fund the Handy Helper program. The township received $20,000 in grant money the first year, and $40,000 for the current year. Next year, the municipality will seek even more funds, Levin said. started out slowly to make sure it worked.

We didn't know if people would use it or the scope of their repairs. But it's proved to be very popular," she said. Often, the homeowner will find additional repairs when the contractor shows up. Contractors can fix virtually anything including the kitchen sink so long as they don't exceed $500. 1 r'H I said that in the past Amtrak tried "to be every place all the time." He said the company can't afford to operate that way anymore.

ji "The railroads need to go where the customers want to go, and where they don't want to go, service doesn't need to exist," he -said. Amtrak lost $76.2 million in fiscal 1994, the fifth straight year it has been in the red. Ridership fell about 300,000 from the year before. The cuts nationwide are expected to save Amtrak $173 million in the current fiscal year and more than $360 million in 1996 and annually thereafter. "I think it'll be good for people who are more well-off the upper-middle class and the upper class.

But the lower-income and lower-middle class are going to get screwed. But I like the tax break." Bill Spearman, Camden "No, it won't help the quality of life here. I'm against it. I'm definitely against the defense spending, we don't need any more weapons or anything. If it goes into effect, you will see even more people out here stealing, trying to get the stuff they can't afford." Elisa Avelo, Eat Camden ACROSS SOUTH JERSEY 4 CLASSIFIED 7 OBITUARIES 5 Merchantville Community Center a home away from home its glass-enclosed porch and glossy hardwood floors, an architectural jewel and the heart of the community.

Untold numbers of couples have been married in the building at 212 Somerset Ave. Clans have gathered to grieve and share a meal after funerals. Reunions, christenings, birthday parties, and club meetings ranging from Little League to the Garden Club, Women's Club, and Fishing Club meet here regularly. This month, it is awash in Christmas parties. Some are hosted by area business people who want something other than restaurant ambience for their employees.

Residents can rent the center for five hours for $450 and bring their own party food and beverages, hire their own caterer or do a little of both. Non-residents pay an extra $50. Next month, when Mayor-elect Patrick Brennan is sworn in as the first Democratic mayor in the borough's history, residents are invited to the community center for an inaugural open house. "It's a major asset to the community and we hope under the new administration to make it even more accessible," said Brennan. The history of the building, according to borough historian Edith Silberstein, is compelling.

Originally, it was part of a By EILEEN STILWELL Courier-Post Staff MERCHANTVILLE Call it the "other" borough hall. The Merchantville Community Center is a homey refuge from government grind. It has welcomed residents, friends and colleagues for 40 years. Built in 1872 by silverware merchant Harrison Robbing for his thoroughbred horses, the massive brick and stucco, English Tudor-style building has been neglected, discarded and born again. Today, residents and officials call its gracious ballroom banked with fireplaces, sprawling estate on Maple Avenue.

But the family fell on hard times and the main house eventually was turned into a boarding house and later an orphanage. In 1921, it was destroyed. The same would have happened to the community center had it not been for members of the Merchantville Country Club, who agreed to moved the stablecarriage house down the block to Somerset Avenue and convert it into a club house. For decades, golfers tried unsuccessfully to get a liquor license, but except for two package goods stores, the borough remainB dry today. Please see REFUGE, Page 2B fill -A-A-j 1 1- 1 -1 -n-111-iiiH.