BY MARK JAFFEE
MIDDLEBURY – By occupation, Southbury native Suzanne (Kohler) Fortier is a genuine, caring, hands-on visiting nurse.
Thomaston native Joe Fortier found that out on St. Patrick’s Day 2006 when he was battling a nasty cold, and Suzanne brought him cold medicine before the couple met up with friends for the holiday parade in New Haven.
Joe discovered another character trait of Suzanne’s when she relayed a story to him about her field hockey exploits as a captain of the Keene (N.H.) State team years after her standout career at Pomperaug High for legendary coach Linda Dirga.
“Suzanne broke her pinky right before the Little East Conference tournament, but that didn’t stop her in the least,” said Joe. “She had her cast molded, so that it could grasp the field hockey stick and she could play in at least one more game. Right at the moment, I found out how tough and competitive she was. I knew that I had to marry this girl.”
Joe, a Woodland High physical education teacher and longtime girls basketball coach at Pomperaug, got what he wanted.
After the two went out on an afternoon run, the proposal occurred rather unexpectedly, Suzanne noted.
“We had planned to run about 5 to 6 miles. Before running, Joe was trying to talk me into running less,” she recalled. “He proposed about a mile into the run, so, of course, I couldn’t run much more after that. So we ran back to the car. We went only 2 miles that day. He got his way, of course.”
The Fortiers wed on July 14, 2007, and now reside in Middlebury with their daughters Jordyn, 10, and Zoey, 7.
Of note: Suzanne Fortier is part of a team called Seymour Pink, Inc. as part of the 2018 44th Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 27 to help support and raise money for the fight against breast cancer. More info click here
As the Fortiers approach Valentine’s Day next Thursday, Suzanne’s 39th birthday on March 1 and St. Patrick’s Day next month, Suzanne is also gearing up for another milestone, to compete in the Boston Marathon in April. In 2007 and 2015, she completed the event in the same exact time, three hours and 21 minutes.
This marathon, though, her 11th overall, would be a monumental feat considering what she and Joe have endured over the past 16 months.
Suzanne’s grit and fortitude came into play after being diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer and undergoing a double mastectomy on Nov. 22, 2017.
While the chemotherapy and radiation treatments were completed last summer, Suzanne still needs to undergo two separate reconstructive procedures, which will be performed by Dr. Sunny Waitze of Southbury. No timetable has been set yet as Suzanne regains her strength and her home life returns to some normalcy.
Just recently, she sang the national anthem before the Pomperaug girls’ game against Bunnell, a Play for Kay fundraiser for breast cancer research. Suzanne made it through the anthem fine, showing her poise and tender tone.
[This post contains video, click to play]
“I can carry a tune, and I really wanted to sing last year after recovering from the surgery, but I just wasn’t up to it mentally back then,” she explained. “This time, I felt I was up to the challenge, but needed to rehearse in front of Joe and my daughters, otherwise I’d be too nervous to do it impromptu in front of a crowd. Realistically, after all I have been through, singing in front of a crowd wasn’t that rough. I found out that if I can handle dealing with cancer, I can handle anything.”
The diagnosis
An avid runner, Suzanne felt an irritation and a lump after a workout in October 2017.
Though a mammogram was inconclusive, soon a biopsy revealed the cancer.
“We were in the doctor’s office for about four hours, and thank goodness Joe was right there with me,” said Suzanne. “I kept staring at the ceiling and didn’t hear one word the doctor actually said.”
Less than a month later, surgery was performed by Dr. Beth A. Sieling at Saint Mary’s Hospital.
“I’m not sure specifically how long the surgery was,” Joe said. “I know we had to be there for around 1 in the afternoon and I didn’t leave the hospital until close to midnight. I believe I was able to see her around 8. I just remember being really nervous in the waiting room. With basketball starting the next week, I tried to work on basketball plans, but it was hard to stay focused enough to get anything done. I was too nervous to eat. I didn’t eat all day until I had McDonald’s drive-thru (food) at midnight on my way home. Dr. Sieling came out into the waiting room a couple of times to talk to me. She was amazing and was very good at making you feel that everything is going to be OK.”
After waiting seven hours, Joe finally saw Suzanne in recovery.
“I saw her around 8 at night, and she was still a little groggy,” said Joe. “I just told her that I am proud of her and that I love her. She is the strongest and bravest person I know. I had no doubt that she would beat it.”
Suzanne, in turn, credited Joe with being her stabilizing force in this traumatic realization: “When I finally got home from the hospital, Joe sent me flowers and wrote a note that said, ‘We’ll get through this.’”
That reassurance made a difference in her recovery, she said. So did Suzanne’s positive outlook. Even more invaluable was her regular fitness regiment.
“Being an athlete all of my life has made me mentally strong; Even though there are some bad days, they’re not always going to be bad,” explained Suzanne. “Those bad times actually make you stronger. You have to keep moving forward and think positive thoughts.”
How they met
A blind date determined the Fortiers’ future.
At the time, Suzanne’s cousin, Erin Koskloski Rector, lived with Fortier’s female friend, Nicole Pirello. They all met at a mutual friend’s house in Middletown to play cards.
“We hit it off pretty quickly,” said Joe, “but I didn’t call her right away for a date.”
“We had a connection, for sure,” noted Suzanne. “I appreciated how loyal he is to his hometown friends. I definitely trusted my cousin who set us up. Joe and I both loved sports and UConn, too. We had been through the dating scene and were both in our mid-20s. We were both ready to move on.”
As it turned out, together.
When Joe made the call a week later for their first date, it happened to be on Suzanne’s 26th birthday.
“That first date, we went out to Maggie McFly’s and the Duke-North Carolina game was on television,” Joe said. “After dinner, we drove over to Southbury to see Suzanne’s parents. She was staying with them temporarily, and we watched the rest of the game.”
Fast forward to 2012, when the game of basketball came into play once again when Suzanne gave birth to Zoey on the day after Valentine’s Day.
“We lost to Lauralton Hall (52-47) in the final regular-season game before the SWC Tournament, and the next day Zoey was born; I really couldn’t sleep that much those few few nights,” mused Joe.
Looking ahead
What will the Fortiers do this year for Valentine’s Day?
“We’ll probably go to the Black Rock Cafe in Thomaston, a place near where I grew up,” said Joe, now 40. “Anniversaries and milestones have always been important to us. However, sometimes it takes something like this to remind you not to take those moments for granted. Last year, every major holiday was effected by this. Surgery was the day before Thanksgiving. Her first chemo treatment was Dec. 21, four days before Christmas. She had a treatment a few days before Jordyn’s birthday on Jan. 9 and had treatments on Zoey’s birthday and her birthday. So Suzanne is definitely trying to take time and appreciate these moments more this year.”
Suzanne wholeheartedly agreed.
“I really look at life differently,” said Suzanne. “If something is stressing me out, I find a way to cut it out or tone it down. It’s simply not worth getting stressed out.”
Reach Mark Jaffee at mjaffee@rep-am.com or follow him on Twitter @TheRealJaffman