It didn’t seem like much, but it meant so much more.
As Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt left the University of Kansas Cancer Center following her last radiation treatment in her bout against cancer, she was asked to do something seemingly so pedestrian.
She had to ring a bell in the waiting room three times to mark the end of an ordeal that started just before Memorial Day weekend.
It’s a ritual that’s been around for years for cancer patients celebrating the end of their treatments and declaring a win over cancer.
At first, Schmidt said she wasn’t so sure.
“I think, ‘I’m not going to ring that bell. That just seems kind of crazy to me. I don’t need that affirmation that I’m done,'” Schmidt said as she reflected on that day.
But as a rule follower, Schmidt rang the bell. Then the emotion flowed.
“I was not prepared for what happened,” Schmidt said. “People started clapping in the waiting room, and those that could stand up gave me a standing ovation.”
Schmidt admitted to melting down emotionally with the warm reception she received as she completed her last radiation treatment and could claim victory over cancer.
“That was a real emotional, ‘OK, I’m done,'” she said. “Now I am cancer free.”
“Something about ringing that bell, ding, ding, I’m done, I’m out of here. It’s a good day. Let’s go celebrate,” Schmidt said.
It was a seminal moment in Schmidt’s five-month battle with breast cancer that she publicly announced in mid-June.
She learned of her diagnosis about 4 p.m. the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.
She went public with her illness June 14.
By July 5, she had undergone a lumpectomy.
And by Labor Day, she was receiving radiation treatments.
Throughout her illness, Schmidt was involved in making her treatment decisions.
She kept two notebooks — one detailing appointments, medications and conversations with doctors and a second one recording well wishes she received from so many people.
Schmidt said she was humbled by the support she received, whether it was flowers, meals, text messages or cards.
“I didn’t know that I knew that many people,” she said.
She’s received letters of support from Kansans who have received help from the Insurance Department.
“That’s incredible,” Schmidt said, “to think that someone would take the time to do that for me.”
And while there are still doctor’s appointments and checkups ahead, Schmidt is sliding back into her routine leading the agency that regulates the Kansas insurance industry.
“Quite frankly, it’s been a long summer and I’m ready for this next season to start and move on,” Schmidt said.
As stunning as the diagnosis was — she learned of her biopsy results at the office from the health care portal MyChart — she wasted little time putting together a plan of action.
“When you hear the word cancer, it can make you think about a lot of things where you shouldn’t go, make your mind go to a lot of places you shouldn’t go,” she said.
“Sure, I went to some dark places, but I didn’t stay there very long,” she said.
“I had a pity party. Then it’s over. Now get going and get it taken care of. The sooner you get the treatment, the sooner you’re over it, at least in my case.”
“Once you start making a plan and you execute that plan, to me there was no looking back,” Schmidt said.
Within hours of learning her test results, Schmidt reached out to health professionals she knew who assured her that she could beat the cancer — it hadn’t spread — although she conceded their words probably “fell on deaf ears at the time.”
“The fear of the unknown is the worst part,” she said.
“Once you feel like there’s a lot of people caring and helping you find your way, then it’s like, ‘I’m going to execute this and that’s the way it’s going to be.'”
Looking back, Schmidt said she was fortunate.
“I am very blessed,” she said “I caught mine early. It was treatable. I had insurance. I had a support group.”
Schmidt said among the many tough decisions she had to make was whether to go public with her cancer diagnosis and cut off the kind of gossip that circulates in political circles.
“Not everyone feels the need to share their journey publicly,” Schmidt said. “I struggled with that a little bit in the beginning. Do people really need to know this?”
She acknowledged that her family may not have liked the idea at the time, but she believes the decision was for the best.
“Going public isn’t for everyone,” she said.
“I understand those that don’t want to go public. I get that. But I think when you live your life in public like public servants do, I’d much rather control the message.
“I wanted people to have the facts.”
She is now one of three public officials — along with Board of Regents Chair Jon Rolph and Kansas State President Richard Linton — to disclose their fights with cancer within the last several months.
Schmidt said her experience underscores the importance of getting routine mammograms and tackling the cancer before it spreads.
“I don’t regret that one bit,” Schmidt said of disclosing her illness publicly.
“I believe that it did raise a level of awareness,” said Schmidt, who has had a breast cancer research license plate on her car for years.
Schmidt said her disclosure brought routine mammograms back into focus, pointing out that the pandemic led to many women canceling regular cancer screenings.
“I was so thankful to be part of reminding people that routine mammograms need to happen,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt said she’s written to Linton and Rolph as they battle their illnesses.
“I hope they feel the love of the people of the state of Kansas like I have,” she said.
“It is a remarkable feeling.”
