A New Normal Way of Life: A Cancer Survivor’s Story

By Sadie Haff

Born and raised in Washington State, I wasn’t very knowledgeable about my Delaware heritage. My parents, John William Haff and Olive Vanscoy Haff, told me what they knew of it, but I always wanted to know more. It wasn’t until the 1990’s and the internet and a couple of family reunions in Oklahoma (the Haff reunion in 2001 and the Haff/Marker reunion in 2003) that I started to learn about my Delaware heritage and met many of my relatives, most descended from Israel and Mary Haff. Two relatives in particular, Gloria Marker Fortney and Helen Woodall Vire, taught me much about Delaware history and, in particular, our family history.

In October of 2005 I was able to travel to Oklahoma and visit with my Aunt Mary and Uncle Matt Haff in Ketchum and many other relatives. I also got to spend several days in Vinita with Gloria and Helen, getting better acquainted and researching family genealogy at the library in Bartlesville. One evening we had an opportunity to attend a potluck dinner at the Delaware Community Center. We had a wonderful meal and had a great time visiting with the tribal members there that night. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

One woman I met was Paula Pechonick, who measured my feet for a pair of Delaware moccasins. I would later order a Delaware Tulip purse from her. I cherish both of these items still. A few years later Paula would become the Chief of the Delaware Tribe.

My life drastically changed in 2012, when I found myself at Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco, WA, recovering from surgery. When lab tests showed that I had cancer and would need chemotherapy, I started to think about what I would do when chemo caused my hair to fall out. I decided that I would wear kerchiefs. My doctor had told me that women often chose a theme for their kerchiefs or made some kind of statement with them. I decided that I would like them made from Native American prints to honor my Delaware Indian heritage. My great-grandmother Mary Haff and my grandfather William Haff were part of the removal of the Delaware tribe from the reservation in Kansas to land in Oklahoma following the Civil War.

When I had a difficult time getting mentally prepared for the journey ahead, my brother Stan would tell me that I was a tougher Delaware than that. A cousin in Oklahoma told me that our ancestors weren’t moved from the East Coast to Ohio and then to Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma for me to “wimp out” now. She reminded me of the difficult journey that my great-grandmother and five-year-old grandfather had made from the reservation in Kansas to northeastern Oklahoma.

Friends and relatives had supplied me with material for kerchiefs and bandanas. I had also purchased Native American print material from a shop in Toppenish, WA that stocked material for the Yakama Indians for ribbon shirts and women’s blouses. One of my friends stayed up late at night to sew kerchiefs for me, while during the day she was packing up her household for a move to Texas. I wore these kerchiefs through the spring and summer of 2012, and they somehow made it easier to deal with the hair situation. They also reminded me of the love and wonderful care I had received from my family, South Hills Church family, and friends. In August the temperature turned to over 100 degrees in the Tri-Cities, and I made the decision to stop wearing them. Because I loved the beautiful material they were made from, I told a friend that I was keeping them and using the material for some craft project in the future. Patti Rogers, a friend from my school days, told me that instead of using the material for crafts, she would make a quilt out of it. With the addition of border material and backing, a beautiful quilt took shape.

The quilt is finished and my hair is back. The quilt will always remind me of the many wonderful health care providers, friends, family, and many other people who helped and supported me and gave me encouragement during my recovery. The quilt also serves as a reminder of my Delaware heritage, and I am proud to be a member of the Delaware tribe.

Tri-Cities Cancer Center
7350 W. Deschutes Avenue
Kennewick, WA
509-783-9894
www.tccancer.org

Sadie Haff proudly holding her quilt which has a tag listing her DTI registration number, the date she finished chemo, and the date the quilt was made.

Sadie Haff and Cindy Miller, a Tri-Cities Cancer Center staff member, showing the entire quilt.