What an amazing month this has been. After a year and a half filled with tragedy, loss and illness, October 2013 has been a busy month of celebrations and new beginnings as we start a new, fresh life, cancer-free. I have transitioned from having cancer to being a breast cancer survivor and I couldn't feel more blessed.
Dinner with the Cardinals Arizona Foothills Magazine Pictures Link
After a few days of welcome home celebrations, we spent a weekend home in our own bed happy to be home permanently. It felt great, even though the week ahead would bring two more trips to Phoenix. On Monday, Sept. 30th, I worked a half day and then we drove to Scottsdale to attend a Breast Cancer Survivor's dinner with some of the Cardinals football players. The event was held at Sapporo's restaurant where five of the Cardinals players prepared a Teppanyaki meal for about twenty breast cancer survivors and their guests. For the first time in almost a year, I felt truly full of joy. The sparkle twinkled in my eye once again and true happiness filled my heart. It was so nice to be relaxed and completely enjoy the experience. What made the night even more special is that it involved the Cardinal football players. We have been 20-year Cardinal season ticket holders so I knew having dinner with the players meant the world to Greg. It felt nice giving something meaningful and special back to him after all he had done for me through this whole ordeal.
We had no idea what to expect at the dinner. We anticipated it would be a banquet hall full of people but were only guessing. When we drove into the parking lot, we sat in the car for a bit trying to assess what this was going to be about. There were not crowds of people pouring in, and in fact, the place really wasn't that large. Last year it seemed like there were at least 50 survivors on the field. Where were 100 plus people going to fit in this restaurant? We finally entered the restaurant and were surprised to see two Cardinals players, Lindley and Brown, working with a chef practicing cooking on a large steel plate. Ten chairs surrounded the cooking surface and people were standing watching the activity. The host greeted us and told us they were practicing so we could watch while we waited for the event to start. The crowd was small, and I looked around wondering where everyone was. I was anxious to meet Lisa, from Cigna, who had allowed me to be a part of this. Though I had no idea what she looked like, I recognized her immediately when she walked in. She just looked like that "make it happen" kind of girl. I approached her with a hug and introduced myself telling her just what this meant to Greg and I. I was so excited to meet her in person and so appreciative of what she had done for us by making us a part of all of this.
It wasn't long before we were escorted to our tables by waiters dressed in white shirts with a red Cardinal and a pink breast cancer ribbon. There were ten seats lining a large rectangular grill in each areas and table confetti with the words 'Strength', 'Hope', and 'Courage' decorated each place-settings. There were four areas so forty people total. That was only 20 survivors and I realized just how fortunate we were to be there. Each survivor received a bag with a Cardinals hat, our game tickets, a parking pass, a pink towel, and a few other items. The players all signed our hats and were super nice taking time to visit and take pictures with anyone who asked.
We settled into our seats and were lucky enough to have Lindley, the backup quarterback, be assigned as our player chef. He spoke to each of us greeting us and handing us a pink rose as we introduced ourselves. Greg, of course, broke the ice by showing everyone his painted celebration toe nails. To our right was an older woman who was a survivor several years out and her husband, to our left, a young woman of 29 who was a one-year survivor. It was the first time I had been in a group of cancer survivors since the Relay for Life in May, but this time it felt great to be there. I was encouraged by the hair growth of the one year survivor as every millimeter of growth for me seems huge. I truly was a survivor now, just like everyone else there, and it truly was a time to celebrate!
Once Lindley's mentor chef arrived, Lindley began cooking / performing for us, which made the evening fabulous. Instead of sitting at tables with the players trying to make conversation while we ate, the players were performing while doing the cooking. From flipping pieces of egg into our mouths to lighting our plates on fire, the entertainment value was exceptional. Lindley was genuine, friendly and engaged and the meal he made was entertaining as well as fantastic. The other players, Brown, Sendlein, Acho, Talley all seemed genuinely honored to be there honoring us as survivors. Sendlein is one of my favorite players because he sits on the bench right in front of our second row seats. I have always enjoyed watching him, I guess partly because of his redish hair and partly because I see just how hard he plays every game. It was exciting to meet him in person, and actually be able to hug him in such a small setting. I was amazed at just how big the players actually are. They are all tall enough to be professional basketball players. All five had to duck under the exhaust hood over the grill to avoid hitting their heads as they cooked. I never realized football players were so tall. The whole night was truly perfect and Greg and I drove home realizing just how blessed we were to have been involved in such an amazing opportunity. What a great person Lisa was to help up be part of this. Above by the header is a link to the pictures featured in Arizona Foothills Magazine from that night.
Halftime Practice with the Cardinals Cheerleaders
I returned to work two more days before leaving at noon on Thursday to head back to Tempe for more Cardinals activities. The halftime performance practice was scheduled that evening, this time with the cheerleaders at the Cardinals practice facility. When we arrived in the parking lot, there were tons of people. Because we would be performing with high school cheerleader, there were dozens of girls, and some boys, from area high school cheer squads waiting in groups for the entrance to open. It wasn't hard to find the survivors--most had short hair and were beginning to form their own group, but for the first time we realized there were many more than the 20 who had been invited to the dinner Monday. As Greg and I stood in line with them, we began to realize only a select few had been chosen to attend Monday night's dinner. In addition, we learned that all of the survivors had "applied" to be part of the show. From the hundreds of applications, fifty were chosen--45 from the American Cancer Society and five from Cigna. We were more grateful than ever that Lisa had made us one of the Cigna five. Though Lisa had organized the Cigna group for several years now, this would be the first year she would be a participant. Last year she learned she carried the BRCA gene and chose to have a double mastectomy since breast cancer ran strong in her family. What a difficult year she had been through. Before long I stumbled upon Angela, the lady who would be appearing on the News Channel 3 morning show with me on Sunday morning. She was a Cigna nurse, a six year survivor, and had a great personality.
Soon we were shuffled onto the field carrying a huge breast cancer ribbon made from balloon/parachute material. A friendly Cardinals cheerleader staff member instructed us on how we would enter the field side-by-side carrying the ribbon and on her signal, quickly spread apart revealing it in its entirety. This would all be set to Katy Perry's song You're Gonna Hear Me Roar, an incredible, empowering song that fit my celebration mood perfectly. Then, when the song ended, we would quickly gather it back up returning to the middle and march off the field. Every practice we ran through I felt more and more liberated and became more and more excited to finally end this thing on the field where it all started.
One of the inspiring parts of the evening was having the high school cheer teams there. When we were finished practicing, the leader introduced their large group to our large group. She explained that they had decided to have us perform at the same halftime show because what could be a better message to send than to have high school girls realize how important breast cancer awareness and self exams are. We were give a few minutes to mingle and meet the girls. It has been a long time since I have visited with high school girls and it actually made me miss teaching. Each of the girls seemed caring and compassionate which made a perfect end to a great evening.
Meeting Nicole Bidwell
On a funnier note, Greg had an even better time than I did. The whole time I was out on the field practicing, each time I would glance at the sidelines, I saw Greg talking to a beautiful lady who had the largest dog I had ever seen. It was a huge saint bernard named Barney which we saw when we first went through the entrance. It seemed a little strange that someone would have a dog in the facility, but I didn't think anything of it. As I practiced, I kept laughing as I looked over and watched Greg so animated and consumed in his conversations. He was so focused on talking with the small group that had gathered, which ended up including Sendlein, that I was sure he had no clue I was even on the field. He was in heaven! As we finished and I walked toward him, he quickly introduced me to the lady with the dog, "Nicole, this is my wife, Susan." She immediately reached out and gave me a huge hug telling me she loved my story as I heard Greg say, "Susan, this is Nicole Bidwell." Oh my gosh! Greg had just spent the entire evening talking with Nicole Bidwell and her dog Barney. She is the Cardinals owner's wife. And when she met me, she knew my whole story and was so friendly and kind. Later, Greg told me they had figured out that he and she had met before, over a decade ago. It was the only day it ever snowed in Tempe during a Cardinals football game when we used to play at ASU. Greg, who was in shorts, went to the fan shop to buy a coat as the sudden change in weather had left him freezing. This lady literally lunged over at Greg and took the coat right out of his hands in a panic and saying she had to have the coats for the cheerleaders. She assured him she would return and find him another coat, which she eventually did. As she and Greg were talking while I was on the field that night, they both remembered the incident and realized they had met before. Once again it made for an incredibly special night for Greg.
TV Interview Fox Channel 10 Fox Channel 10 Interview Video Clip
Just as I was standing talking with Nicole, Whitney, Lisa's assistant, found me and led me away. She said she had Fox News Channel 10 there and would like me and Angela to do an interview with them. I was surprised but excited. They interviewed Angela first, and then me. It was the first time I have ever been interviewed for TV. I told the story of how the halftime show from last year may have saved my life as 16 hours after that show, I found my lump and decided to act on it. The link to the interview that appeared later that night on the news is above by the header.
We left the field and headed for our hotel. We were both super excited about the evening and were riding a high, especially after being interviewed on TV. Greg assured me I sounded great and we were both excited to see it on the news. We checked in and headed for our room waiting for the 9:00 news segment to appear. After seeing it, I was relieved. I didn't sound like an idiot, and I sent a good message that hopefully will make a difference in someone's life. Shortly after it aired, there was a knock on the door. It was room service, but we hadn't ordered anything. They brought in a tray filled with cheeses, fruit, and bread with a message from the front desk manager congratulating me on finishing treatment and my TV appearance. It was just another amazing high for the night.
Friday we headed to Cottonwood to see my dad with Preston, and our friends Mike and Suzie who had joined us for the weekend. It had been 11 days since my last treatment and I was determined to start hiking, though my energy and endurance was provenly low. Saturday morning all six of us, including my dad, headed to Sedona to hike Bell Rock. Despite a gradual uphill grade, I was successful hiking with a few stops to rest and catch my breath. I am definitely lacking endurance, but I figure the only way to build it back up is to keep pushing myself. And, what better place to hike then the beautiful mountains of Sedona. We ended up hiking over three miles and, while I was tired, I was glad I was able to do it. We headed back down to Phoenix Saturday afternoon so we would be in town for the early Sunday morning interview.
TV Interview News Channel 3 News Channel 3 Video Clip
On Sunday morning we arrived at News Channel 3 an hour and a half ahead of schedule. We were taken into the newsroom to wait for our segment. I loved the environment thinking about my journalism minor and how I loved being the advisor for the school newspaper for so many years. A few minutes before the interview, we were taken into the live studio. Two things surprised me--it was much smaller than I expected and there were no camera men. All of the cameras were automated. Angela and I were given microphones and taken to some chairs on the set. Within a few minutes, the host came over and sat beside us and before I knew it, we were live. At first it was hard to get my words going, but once I got past the first few sentences, I got into the message I was trying to get across and forgot I was on TV. I explained how being diagnosed with breast cancer is like an astroid falling out of the sky--it can hit anyone so be aware and check. As we ended, I gave the host a set of pink beads, and before I knew it, it was over and I felt great about how things went.
Finally, Coming Full Circle with the Halftime Show NFL Commercial Video Clip
From the station, we went straight to the stadium where Greg put on his pink wig from the Pretty in Pink party in February along with his pink star glasses. We walked around the outside of the stadium to the great lawn where some friends, Rachel and Danny, were kind enough to let us join their tailgate party as we met up with friends. My dad and Preston, Mike and Suzie, Paul and Diane, and Bruce and Margaret had all come to attend in my honor. I handed out pink beads and ribbons to everyone and had a great time tailgating. We left early to enter the stadium for a pre-game field tour, another wonderful opportunity arranged by Miss Lisa. Greg and I were more excited than ever to be on the field that close to the players as they were warming up. It wasn't long before cameramen and photographers noticed Greg's outlandish outfit. Soon an NFL cameraman came over and filmed us assuring us we would be on TV, which we took with a grain of salt. After that, one of the Cardinals team photographers came over and took pictures of everything from my survivor shirt to Greg's toenails. The excitement of being on the field made for a perfect start to the game.
As it got closer to kickoff, Greg headed to our normal seats and my dad came to the survivors' section to sit with me. As soon as the second quarter started, we were escorted down behind the Red Zone where we took our places, removed the ribbon from its bag, and stood waiting for our halftime debut. It was difficult to stand the entire second quarter, but interesting to listen to all of the stories of the girls around me. Of all those who shared their stories, I had received the most chemo treatments, a total of 16 over 24 weeks, and the most chemo medications, one for 12 weeks and three for 12 weeks. It was another reminder of just how serious my diagnosis had been, but also how grateful I was to have received such excellent care. Finally, it was time for the culminating event--the full circle event that would end this thing where it started one year ago on that very Cardinals field. As we walked out onto the field, I was overwhelmed with emotion from the journey we had been on over the last year and the journey all my fellow survivors had faced. The music started and out on the field we went. As we spread the ribbon out to "....and you're gonna hear me roar..." tears streamed down my face. How could this be? How had this year happened? How could I now be standing here--an actual survivor--12 months after having so much respect for the women who stood here last year? I was happy and sad, excited and overwhelmed, and inspired all at the same time. I had done it! We had done it! We had survived! We were cancer-free and at that moment, my life was handed back to me. It was finally over. As I walked off the field, I realized I was finally free from this and it was time to start over. I headed back to our regular seats where my dad and all of our friends had migrated to. I was once again surrounded by the support system that had gotten me through this.
Shortly after the second half started, Jennifer Campbell, a friend of ours, tagged us in a video she had uploaded to Facebook. The NFL camera man had come through--Greg and I were in the NFL beginning of second half commercial! Wow! Once again an amazing surprise. NFL Commercial Video Clip
As I sat through the rest of the game and had time to reflect, I became oblivious to the game and people around me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I was truly overwhelmed with emotions reflecting back on the year we had just made it through. I felt completely blessed, super fortunate, and very lucky. It was a great way to end this journey.
Newspaper Articles Sunday's Smaller Article Wednesday's Larger Article
We returned home after the game and were surprised to find a small article in our local newspaper talking about the practice from Thursday night. Lisa and Whitney had sent a press release to the Courier with my picture and the information about the halftime show. A reporter had called me a few days before and asked about my story. The Wednesday following the Cardinals game, a more detailed article appeared telling more details of my story and featuring three different pictures over two pages--one of Greg and me by the pink tree before the February party (I still had hair), one of the backs of the five Cigna girls showing SURVIVOR on our t-shirts, and one taken up higher showing us holding the large pink ribbon during the halftime show. The Wednesday article was much larger than I expected and was part of a special Breast Cancer Awareness section, which I was really glad to see.
At the end of the week, we headed to Albuquerque to spend a few days at the Balloon Fiesta, something I usually spend nine days at crewing for balloonist Steve Adams. I had to limit my time after being away from work for radiation, but mostly because I just don't have enough endurance to do as much. We had a great time while we were there, even though I had to go slower and do less than I normally do. My dad, Preston, and Yuri joined us and pitched in doing some of what I usually do so it all worked out. Plus, my dad finally flew in a balloon, yay dad and thanks Steve!
So after returning home again this past Sunday, we face one more final event before fully finishing this cancer story. We will be hosting a Kissing Cancer Goodbye / Birthday celebration this coming Saturday (my birthday is Sunday) so that in some small way, Greg and I can give back to all those who have done so much for us. And, at the party we will cut down that pink tree that has stood as a symbol of hope and strength, and into the bonfire it will go.
So if you're in the area, I hope you join us as we celebrate--all are welcome. Following Saturday, I will close this blog with one last post as we close this chapter of our life! That will be our final act of moving forward and having this journey Come Full Circle.
The Pink Tree has faded, The cancer has too.
Now is the time, To celebrate with you.
Come to the party, The bonfire will be high.
We're finishing this race, And kissing Cancer Goodbye.
It's a great celebration, And a birthday for me.
A brand new beginning, Starting life cancer-free.
We hope you will come, As this party's for you!
To thank our supporters, For being so true!
We'll have dinner and fun, And the Pink Tree will come down.
Our final celebration, Is sure to rock this small town!
Help us Kiss Cancer Goodbye Saturday, October 19th, 4:30PM!
Friday we headed to Cottonwood to see my dad with Preston, and our friends Mike and Suzie who had joined us for the weekend. It had been 11 days since my last treatment and I was determined to start hiking, though my energy and endurance was provenly low. Saturday morning all six of us, including my dad, headed to Sedona to hike Bell Rock. Despite a gradual uphill grade, I was successful hiking with a few stops to rest and catch my breath. I am definitely lacking endurance, but I figure the only way to build it back up is to keep pushing myself. And, what better place to hike then the beautiful mountains of Sedona. We ended up hiking over three miles and, while I was tired, I was glad I was able to do it. We headed back down to Phoenix Saturday afternoon so we would be in town for the early Sunday morning interview.
TV Interview News Channel 3 News Channel 3 Video Clip
On Sunday morning we arrived at News Channel 3 an hour and a half ahead of schedule. We were taken into the newsroom to wait for our segment. I loved the environment thinking about my journalism minor and how I loved being the advisor for the school newspaper for so many years. A few minutes before the interview, we were taken into the live studio. Two things surprised me--it was much smaller than I expected and there were no camera men. All of the cameras were automated. Angela and I were given microphones and taken to some chairs on the set. Within a few minutes, the host came over and sat beside us and before I knew it, we were live. At first it was hard to get my words going, but once I got past the first few sentences, I got into the message I was trying to get across and forgot I was on TV. I explained how being diagnosed with breast cancer is like an astroid falling out of the sky--it can hit anyone so be aware and check. As we ended, I gave the host a set of pink beads, and before I knew it, it was over and I felt great about how things went.
Finally, Coming Full Circle with the Halftime Show NFL Commercial Video Clip
From the station, we went straight to the stadium where Greg put on his pink wig from the Pretty in Pink party in February along with his pink star glasses. We walked around the outside of the stadium to the great lawn where some friends, Rachel and Danny, were kind enough to let us join their tailgate party as we met up with friends. My dad and Preston, Mike and Suzie, Paul and Diane, and Bruce and Margaret had all come to attend in my honor. I handed out pink beads and ribbons to everyone and had a great time tailgating. We left early to enter the stadium for a pre-game field tour, another wonderful opportunity arranged by Miss Lisa. Greg and I were more excited than ever to be on the field that close to the players as they were warming up. It wasn't long before cameramen and photographers noticed Greg's outlandish outfit. Soon an NFL cameraman came over and filmed us assuring us we would be on TV, which we took with a grain of salt. After that, one of the Cardinals team photographers came over and took pictures of everything from my survivor shirt to Greg's toenails. The excitement of being on the field made for a perfect start to the game.
As it got closer to kickoff, Greg headed to our normal seats and my dad came to the survivors' section to sit with me. As soon as the second quarter started, we were escorted down behind the Red Zone where we took our places, removed the ribbon from its bag, and stood waiting for our halftime debut. It was difficult to stand the entire second quarter, but interesting to listen to all of the stories of the girls around me. Of all those who shared their stories, I had received the most chemo treatments, a total of 16 over 24 weeks, and the most chemo medications, one for 12 weeks and three for 12 weeks. It was another reminder of just how serious my diagnosis had been, but also how grateful I was to have received such excellent care. Finally, it was time for the culminating event--the full circle event that would end this thing where it started one year ago on that very Cardinals field. As we walked out onto the field, I was overwhelmed with emotion from the journey we had been on over the last year and the journey all my fellow survivors had faced. The music started and out on the field we went. As we spread the ribbon out to "....and you're gonna hear me roar..." tears streamed down my face. How could this be? How had this year happened? How could I now be standing here--an actual survivor--12 months after having so much respect for the women who stood here last year? I was happy and sad, excited and overwhelmed, and inspired all at the same time. I had done it! We had done it! We had survived! We were cancer-free and at that moment, my life was handed back to me. It was finally over. As I walked off the field, I realized I was finally free from this and it was time to start over. I headed back to our regular seats where my dad and all of our friends had migrated to. I was once again surrounded by the support system that had gotten me through this.
Shortly after the second half started, Jennifer Campbell, a friend of ours, tagged us in a video she had uploaded to Facebook. The NFL camera man had come through--Greg and I were in the NFL beginning of second half commercial! Wow! Once again an amazing surprise. NFL Commercial Video Clip
As I sat through the rest of the game and had time to reflect, I became oblivious to the game and people around me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I was truly overwhelmed with emotions reflecting back on the year we had just made it through. I felt completely blessed, super fortunate, and very lucky. It was a great way to end this journey.
Newspaper Articles Sunday's Smaller Article Wednesday's Larger Article
We returned home after the game and were surprised to find a small article in our local newspaper talking about the practice from Thursday night. Lisa and Whitney had sent a press release to the Courier with my picture and the information about the halftime show. A reporter had called me a few days before and asked about my story. The Wednesday following the Cardinals game, a more detailed article appeared telling more details of my story and featuring three different pictures over two pages--one of Greg and me by the pink tree before the February party (I still had hair), one of the backs of the five Cigna girls showing SURVIVOR on our t-shirts, and one taken up higher showing us holding the large pink ribbon during the halftime show. The Wednesday article was much larger than I expected and was part of a special Breast Cancer Awareness section, which I was really glad to see.
At the end of the week, we headed to Albuquerque to spend a few days at the Balloon Fiesta, something I usually spend nine days at crewing for balloonist Steve Adams. I had to limit my time after being away from work for radiation, but mostly because I just don't have enough endurance to do as much. We had a great time while we were there, even though I had to go slower and do less than I normally do. My dad, Preston, and Yuri joined us and pitched in doing some of what I usually do so it all worked out. Plus, my dad finally flew in a balloon, yay dad and thanks Steve!
So after returning home again this past Sunday, we face one more final event before fully finishing this cancer story. We will be hosting a Kissing Cancer Goodbye / Birthday celebration this coming Saturday (my birthday is Sunday) so that in some small way, Greg and I can give back to all those who have done so much for us. And, at the party we will cut down that pink tree that has stood as a symbol of hope and strength, and into the bonfire it will go.
So if you're in the area, I hope you join us as we celebrate--all are welcome. Following Saturday, I will close this blog with one last post as we close this chapter of our life! That will be our final act of moving forward and having this journey Come Full Circle.
The Pink Tree has faded, The cancer has too.
Now is the time, To celebrate with you.
Come to the party, The bonfire will be high.
We're finishing this race, And kissing Cancer Goodbye.
It's a great celebration, And a birthday for me.
A brand new beginning, Starting life cancer-free.
We hope you will come, As this party's for you!
To thank our supporters, For being so true!
We'll have dinner and fun, And the Pink Tree will come down.
Our final celebration, Is sure to rock this small town!
Help us Kiss Cancer Goodbye Saturday, October 19th, 4:30PM!
