My Passion for Pink!

Most everyone who meets me through my volunteer work with Rikki's Refuge knows I am a huge animal lover and rescue advocate. Compassion for those weaker and more helpless than ourselves is the most supreme of human virtues in my opinion. But one thing some people who know me may *not* know is that not only is my mother a breast cancer survivor but that I, too, am a survivor of 12 years.

My story began innocently enough with me finding a lump in my right breast that just didn't seem "right".  Like many women, I ignored it for a little while. I knew it would be a hassle with insurance and doctors anyway. It wasn't until my husband (at the time my fiance') INSISTED I see a doctor about it that I learned this was a lot more serious than just a little discomfort.

With fellow queens at the Relay For Life Franklin County Walk 

My regular physician referred me to an oncologist but by that time the "lump" I had was progressing in size. I started off with an initial diagnosis of DCIS and wound up with a stage 2a sized tumor being excised from my body in May of 2001. This is where the insurance industry failed me...between the delays in testing and authorizing the surgery, I lost a lot of time waiting. I had BEGUN my quest to find out what was wrong back in January that year. Being only 29 at the time, my PPO would not pay for a needed diagnostic mammogram OR ultrasound. Even though my physician could clearly feel what I was talking about too, I wound up being put through a horribly painful biopsy and subsequent surgery that took place much later than it should have been. All because the carrier didn't want to pay for an $800 test which I wound up paying out of pocket for to confirm if my suspicions were correct. Only after I took charge of my health did I receive the referral I needed to have surgery.

This made me mad.

I began to wonder, how many other mothers of young children were facing the same fears? Challenges with the insurance process? Need for medical care they couldn't afford either? Mind you I was a divorced mother of a 2nd grader who desperately needed her mommy to raise her. I couldn't afford to be selfish and ignore the symptoms any longer when I realized it wasn't about me anymore.

Over the years since, I have worked with various events to help raise awareness and most importantly, funds as well, to change this reality. The law has changed in Virginia to allow for more coverage and hopefully steps will continue to be made to address the "Medicaid Donut Hole" which is the group of women (and men) too rich for Medicaid but too poor to afford the cost of copays (or even entire services) against what it takes to survive. Most are the "working poor" and I was once one of them. An $800 test is simply unrealistic when you make $30,000 a year with kids. Even a $250 copay is pretty much the same.

What to do? Well for one thing, I recently went to visit with legislators at the State Capitol to discuss with a group of like-minded supporters the need for more funding for these women, ESPECIALLY for diagnostic tests. When I had my test done we learned what I could feel represented only about 1/3 of what was really going on deep in my body. Too many times when a woman physically feels a tumor, it's progressed and too late to stop without multiple rounds of chemo, if at all. I was incredibly lucky.

No woman's life should be reduced just to a matter of being lucky.

So in addition to my passion for animal rescue, I work with Susan G. Komen volunteering at races and events as well as support the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation in their awesome work. This is my platform that led me to compete and win in the Pink Queens For Life pageant. I conclude a year of service as their Survivor Ambassador this week and the journey has taken me to meet so many other women with similar stories. Survivors in their 20's and 30's, considered "too young" to be at risk. My daughter Alanna, who I am beyond proud of, is this year's Miss Relay For Life and has volunteered at numerous events alongside me to help champion the cause for a cure. With a grandmother, great aunt and mother having had this condition, she may one day be at risk herself and we plan to test for the BRCA gene. At 18 she faces the possibility of the same fears I had to meet head on because we don't have the answers yet.

It's not a legacy I'm willing to leave her.
And that's why I'm Passionately Pink about a world without cancer.

Pink Queens For Life Survivor Ambassador 2012
It's been a wonderful honor to be your representative!