Kay Gast has been volunteering at River Valley Church in Shawano for several years.
Gast was born in Manawa and graduated from Little Wolf High School in Manawa. She moved to Shawano to work at the former Chef’s Inn, followed by Nehring’s Greenhouse, Eagle Knit, Penney’s, Schultz’s Family Store and Prange Way. Then she was at WalMart for 19½ years before she had to retire for health reasons.
Gast and her husband of 42 years, Duaine, who is semi-retired, have two children and two grandchildren. They live in Shawano with their two border collies, Wyoming and JoJo.
“My dogs keep me going,” Kay Gast said.
She used to be the secretary and treasurer for the AMVETS Auxiliary. Gast was also Pack 10 den leader for the Cub Scouts.
Q What do you do for River Valley Church?
A “For a good 20 years, I taught children’s church. I was in the choir and on the kitchen committee. Now I serve on the funeral committee. Every year for 20 years, I help direct the kids Christmas program. This year I’m helping with costumes. We have a Monday group where I am a co-facilitator. We do Bible study/support group called Living Free. It’s a national ministry. Some nights, it’s five people, sometimes it’s 10 and has been up to 16. We meet at 6 p.m. Monday night. It’s a confidential group. Not only do we study the Bible, we support each other. People come with heavy stuff. We talk and pray and hug and talk some more.”
Q You have been dealing with cancer for a long time. How are you doing?
A “I was diagnosed in 2007 with uterine cancer. I had a complete hysterectomy. They said everything was clear after I had radiation for 28 days. Five years later they did a CAT scan and found spots on my lung and a nodule on my thyroid. The nodule was not cancer and they couldn’t tell if the spots were, so they had to wait until they grew. They did another biopsy and said it was cancer but didn’t know what kind. We went to the Mayo Clinic and they told me it was uterine cancer that had metastasized to my lungs. I had six treatments of chemo and six treatments of radiation. My last treatment was February 2013. Now it’s basic maintenance getting checked every four months, and I take four pills to keep the cancer in check.”
Q How does your faith help?
A “I just love my church. I love Pastor Dan (Taylor). I would have had a nervous breakdown if it wasn’t for my faith and my husband. I wouldn’t have made it through without my Living Free group. God will not give you anything more than you and He can handle together. Without God I wouldn’t be here. I believe He has kept me here. The doctors didn’t believe I’d be here more than two years, but God had different plans.”
Q Why do you volunteer?
A “It keeps me busy. I love kids. It keeps me going. I hold those kids and it makes me feel wonderful.”
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