Colette Nichols Baltimore, Maryland United States Amazon Heart Thunder United States 2008 - New RiderAustralia 2009 - Experienced Rider Click Here to Donate Now!

I love the tag line "What if breast cancer is just the start of an incredible journey?" It truly is a journey, one that is difficult at times and pure joy at others.  I am so exhilarated to be participating in the Amazon Heart Thunder ride this year.  I had heard about it a year ago, and thought to myself, there is no way I would be able to do that, I mean I am IN chemo.  One year later, after 15 months of weekly chemo treatments here I am! 

Let me backtrack just a bit.  June of 2004 was the beginning of this journey.  It was then that I found a lump in my breast.  I put it off for a month, not telling anyone. Breast cancer was never even a thought in my mind, I was 38 and had never been touched by breast cancer in my family or friends.  June moved into July and mammograms and sonograms and into August and then September.  It was in September when I first met with the breast surgeon to have her look at all the results.  After a biopsy it was confirmed to be the "little c", (and I say little because cancer is just not that important to get a big c).  Surgery, recovery, chemotherapy, radiation and whew it was June of 2005.  One full year.  The whirlwind stopped and I began to settle into normalcy.  My hair was growing in and I was having fun dying it and getting it cut funky.  Time moved on and I wasn't very focused on breast cancer.  Even in July of 2006 when I was having trouble breathing I wasn't even thinking it was breast cancer.  It didn't take long to confirm that the cancer cells had metastasized to the lung.  And it was back to chemotherapy.  Weekly treatments and scans every 6 weeks.  By April of 2007 the scans were basically clear and I was beginning to hear "stable remission".  Once cancer has moved outside of the breast it is no longer considered curable, so stable remission is about the best it can get.  Since the chemo was working I kept it up until December 07. 

Feeling better and coming out of the chemo fog I attended the young survival coalition conference in February of this year.  Again I spotted the girls from Amazon Heart.  This time I took the time to talk with them and ask a few questions.  I took the info, figuring I would just file it away.  Bam!  Something hit me, DO IT! Stop putting it off.  Go for your dreams!  Maximize life!

So I got on it immediately, contacting my local Harley dealership, The Harley-Davidson Store of Baltimore.  I met two wonderful women who are working very hard to make this dream a reality for me.  I truly have wanted to ride a motorcycle since I was a kid playing on little dirt bikes with my friends.

What an opportunity.  Not only can I help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer, but I get to move forward in this journey of life (on a motorcycle)!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.  Now I ask that you do two things 1).  Make a donation to Amazon Heart Thunder on my behalf to help them continue to fund peer support projects and breast cancer awareness. 2). Take the next step in your life journey and let the exhilaration of that fill you as this opportunity has for me!

Thanks
colette

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