The walk is over - the quest for 100 has just begun

View a slideshow from the Denver Walk for the Cure

There are six slides. Nancy is #5. Her usual brillant smile, yet look closely and you will see the tears of joy as she hugs fellow survivors in the closing moments on the podium.

As the representative of Survivors in Denver, Nancy delivered a moving speech on Saturday night (well sundown was late on those days!). The speech and many other scenes were captured on our flips! We promise to post ASAP - probably Tuesday September 7. Here is a link to the Denver Post slideshow from an article about the walk posted August 31.

Now that the 3Day walk is over -- its time for the challenge to be made. In her speech, Nancy challenged everyone to do what she is doing - -
Ask 100 women if they are up to date on their mammogram. Beg those who are not current on their mammogram to schedule and go to a mammogram appointment. If insurance is the reason NOT TO -- that is not good enough, and if you have any cancer anywhere in your family - let them know you are in a high risk category according to insurance companies. And the insurance companies will pay for mammograms for any age person in a high risk category.

Here is a video to share video.about.com/breastcancer/Getting-a-Mammogram.htm





-- posted by Fellow Pink Diva Walker Kathy as Nancy is Diva Experiencing San Francisco and returns about Sept 10.

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I am Optimism

Tomorrow morning I will be a flagbearer at the Susan G. Komen 3Day for the Cure 60 mile walk during the opening ceremonies. Alongside 7 other breast cancer survivors, I will be bearing a flag with the word OPTIMISM on it. I'm honored to have been selected for this particular banner.

My teammates on the Pink Divas will be taking video and photos of the opening ceremonies, after which we will be walking for 22 miles to our first night's camping in pink tents! My heart is full of optimism tonight, for myself and for all the other people out there who have been touched by breast cancer.

On Saturay I'll be giving a speech and sharing my my personal story with all of the other participants, volunteers, and staff - hope to get that recorded on video too!

Look for updates over the weekend, as they promise to have computers set up for blogging, etc. at the event.

Two Days and Counting

It's hard to believe that a little over 48 hours from now I'll be putting on my Nikes and my "Pink Diva" gear to start the 60 Mile walk. I'm a little apprehensive, not so much about the walk but about getting up in front of 1,000 people to give a speech about my personal experience with breast cancer. I've written my speech and have rehearsed it numerous times and I've yet to get through it without crying.

But I guess if I do cry (which I probably will), no one will be surprised. I'm always amazed to see how stoic people can be when speaking to a large group in public. All I can do is be myself, tell my story, and whatever happens, happens. Of course, it will all be recorded for posterity on my trusty Flip video!

My teammates arrive tomorrow from Chicago and Aspen, and we'll do our last check of packing items, etc. So tonight I'll enjoy my mattress because later on this week I'll be sleeping in a tent! If only it were a Westin Heavenly Bed . . .

One Week to Go . . . Camping Dry Run!

I'm now 10 days out from the 60 mile walk and am continuing to step up my training. Last weekend I did a 4 mile uphill bike ride on Beartooth Pass, which is in Montana just outside of Yellowstone (suffice to say it was a BEAR, no pun intended).

I've been asked to give a speech at the 3 Day walk on Saturday evening about my experience with breast cancer and the journey I've been on. Of course I accepted the invitation so now I have to come up with my speech! I'll be blogging more over the next week as we get closer to the event, and also during the walk in the evenings as there is internet access for participants. The opening ceremonies are on Thursday evening, August 26 and the walk starts bright and early on Friday morning.

More later but I wanted to post this brief update! Here's a photo of me on top of Beartooth Pass getting ready to do the climb, 4 miles uphill at 10,000 feet. If I made that, the 60 mile walk will be a piece of cake (NOT). Also including some pics of the wildlife at Yellowstone and photos of camping - a FIRST for me. Maybe they won't be able to call me the Starwood Queen anymore!

Elk resting in the shade along the roadside at Yellowstone




Buffalo grazing in the meadow at Yellowstone




Dennis setting up camp for the Diva - a far cry from the Westin!



Setting up camp for the night in "Bear Country"



Gathering firewood - no Duraflame logs allowed!




Waking up from a not-so rested night's sleep but still all in one piece

4 Month Post-Surgery Checkup

I had my first quarterly checkup with the oncologist last week and all of my blood tests, including the one that measures the "tumor markers," came back with glowing results! The doctors will follow my progress for 6 years, taking blood tests on a quarterly basis to ensure that there are no cancer markers in my body.

Of course, this will be accompanied by annual mammograms per the usual guidelines. (By the way, another friend of mine scheduled her WAAAY overdue mammogram this week - so I'm now up to 40 women who have done so!!!

I'm feeling great physically, emotionally, and mentally and am now 3 weeks out from the Susan G. Komen 3Day Walk for the Cure. The Pink Divas will be documenting our progress on the walk with photos and videos so stay tuned - it's all happening the last week of August, starting with the opening ceremony on the evening of Thursday, August 26th. The walk begins at the crack o' dawn on Friday, August 27 and concludes with closing ceremonies on Sunday, August 29th.

Now I just need to keep on walking . . . and stock up on blister bandages from what I've been told!