A Banner Day

Today was momentous for more than one reason.

First: Andy, my 21 year old son, was offered an internship in San Francisco for the summer. I'm elated that he has such a fantastic opportunity to start his business career as he has one more semester to complete before he gets his degree from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado. Go Andy! (But I'll miss you, except for the dirty cothes and towels you leave strewn all over my bathroom.)

Second: Will, my 19 year old son, got a job with Denver's largest catering company for the summer. Cooking is his passion and I'm sure he'll have a blast. It sure beats mowing lawns.

Third and perhaps Most Important: Today my fundraising for the Susan G Komen 3Day Walk for the Cure reached over $5,000!!!! Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the tremendously postive impact my breast cancer diagnosis could have had. Here I am 3 months later, feeling and looking great, training for the 60 mile walk and I can honestly say I've emerged from the dark tunnel of the past few months. Each day just gets better and I'm so grateful for everyone's support, belief in me, and continued prayers.

What a great way to begin the summer!

It Takes Dedication

I'm now 16 weeks out from the Susan G. Komen 3Day Walk for the Cure. Not so great weather in Denver but I put on my rain slicker and gloves and did a 3 mile walk even though I wanted to do nothing but cocoon in my living room in front of the fire.

Sadie accompanied me but George (senior citizen, 10 years old, but 60+ in dog years) decided to forgo the occasion. Who knew I would have had such discipline, me the original Couch Potato?

Off to snoozeland . . .

The Best Mother's Day Ever

Yesterday was the most memorable Mother's Day I've had in years. Somehow this experience of having cancer has crystallized the joyous moments of my life and taught me to savor every experience and just live in the moment. It was so fantastic to be with my boys, but there was a bittersweet edge to the day as my own mother celebrated her 90th birthday yesterday. I spoke to my Mom briefly but as she's descending down the slippery slope of Alzheimer's I'm not really sure she actually knew it was me.

My mother instilled such a strong role model in me as she courageously raised three children after being widowed suddenly at age 44. It is her courage and tenacity that gives me the emotional and spiritual strength to face my personal challenges. She always taught me that life is unpredictable, and you need to have faith in God's plan when you're faced with obstacles that life throws your way. When my spirits are low, I think of how she faced tragedy with courage, grace and optimism, and that inspires me to carry on with a positive attitude.

Yesterday I focused on how much I have to celebrate this Mother's Day, as I'm blessed with good health after going through hell and back over the past few months! I spent the day with Andy and Will and the dogs in Boulder, starting with a 3 mile hike on one of my favorite trails. It was a glorious Spring day so we just took in the beauty of nature and reflected on all that's happened since the beginning of the year. Here are some photos from our hike, starting with Andy leading off at the trail head with George.

Pausing for a rest to take in the view.

Sadie and George enjoying the water .

Proud mom and her boys.

Self-portrait of "one crazy guy" Andy man

We ended the day with lunch at Lucile's, a favorite spot in Boulder. All in all a perfect day and I can't think of anything I would rather have done.

Climbing a New Mountain

Many of you know that I had total knee replacement on my right knee in December 2007. Lost in all the drama of my breast cancer this Spring is the GREAT NEWS that my knee is so strong now that I've been invited to participate in Colorado Joint Replacement's Annual 14'er hike! Every summer, a group of people at my orthopedic surgeon's office, including staff and selected patients, get together for a full day's hike to climb one of Colorado's mountain peaks with an altutude of 14,000 feet or more.

To explain the significance of this, prior to my knee reconstruction I could barely walk more than a city block without limping, and had to wear a brace when I walked my dogs. I had a severe case of bone-on-bone arthritis, with absolutely no cartilage remaining as a result of a skiing accident many years ago.

This has been on my "bucket list" for some time now, so I figured, what better time to train for this than now, and combine it with my 60 mile walk regimen?

So . . . in addition to signing up for the Susan G. Komen 60 mile walk, I'm taking on this additional challenge. Call me crazy, call me Rambo, but there's no stopping me now! Above is a photo taken from the summit of Mt. Sherman, which is the specific 14,000 foot mountain we're going to climb.

Pink Divas Rock!

I'm so excited to unveil our team's official "Pink Divas" logo! My team members Sandy, Nan, Kathy and I will proudly wear this logo on our training apparel as we prepare for the Susan G. Komen 3Day For the Cure. I'll be posting it soon on my Personal Page on the Susan Komen website (click on box at right to access that page and follow my progress).

Seriously, we're really not a bunch of divas. We're just normal women who have taken on the (some may call it crazy) challenge of walking 60 miles in support of a cure for breast cancer. We will wear this logo in honor of all the people who have so generously contributed to our fundraising efforts, and of course in honor of all the men and women who have been personally touched by breast cancer.

I count myself among the fortunate group of SURVIVORS! At the risk of repeating myself, consider these sobering facts:

* Roughly 190,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009

* The average US female has a 12% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer

* In other words, 1 in 8 women in the US will develop breast cancer

* A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 90 seconds in the US

* Breast cancer is the leading cause of female cancer deaths worldwide

But the GREAT news is that the Susan G. Komen Foundation has raised more than $1.5 billion for breast cancer research and that number is growing every day! As of today, I've raised $3,825 for breast cancer research. Thanks for everyone's financial contribbutions, moral support, and good wishes as we march on towards August 27, when the Pink Divas will walk 60 miles in support of this wonderful cause.

You've Gotta Check This Out

My friend and co-worker Heather Andrews sent this YouTube video link to me. It's a light-hearted tribute to curing breast cancer by some dedicated folks who work in a hospital in Portland, Oregon. It goes to show that the subject of breast cancer doesnt have to be some big dark cloud. I'm going to put this song on my Ipod Touch since it's so upbeat and I usually do my daily 4 mile training walk to fun music.

Also, a new update on my fundraising: I have now officially raised $3,475 towards my goal of $5,000 for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure. I'm pumped up!

Thank you to EVERYONE who has donated to my cause so far. Go Pink Divas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw