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As a young girl, I spent ten years as a girl scout, preparing myself for the trials of life and learning how to survive in the outdoors. I was a camp counselor in a high sierra camp. I slept outside for a month and spent two weeks on a back packing trip. I grew up and became a Police Officer. I felt that I was prepared to handle just about anything. Then, in 1997, just two days after Christmas, while I was waiting for the delivery of a brand new BMW motorcycle, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. That…I wasn’t prepared for. Two years later, I had surgery on the other side. I’m still fighting it. The diagnosis was a shock to me because I did not feel sick and I had no family history of breast cancer. Cancer changed my perception of what was important in life and what was not. It was also a wakeup call, a reminder to be an active participant in life rather than a bystander. I did not attend support group meetings, because it’s not my thing. Last years ride with Changing Gears was. A group of young breast cancer survivors out on a motorcycle adventure became life long friends, and touched others with breast cancer. We met many survivors along the way. For the past 9 years, I’ve worked as a technician in Berkeley National Laboratory’s Physics Division. The Laboratory’s research in breast cancer has given me hope for the future. Last year, Monica Friedlander wrote an article about Changing Gear’s upcoming ride for the Berkeley Lab View. In the following paragraph, Monica describes a survivor’s attitude. “Their spirit is what Witharm calls “an Amazon warriors’ attitude”. Greek mythology is full of tales of beautiful female warriors thundering across battlefields, battling Olympian gods, fighting hard and dying in war. Breast cancer survivors embody that spirit, embracing life with almost superhuman courage, endurance and determination. Some of them will win, some will lose the battle, but all will give it the fight of their lives.” Help us support these women warriors in their battle with breast cancer. Thank you, Rhonda Witharm Click Here to Donate Now!
"Chapter Chat" "Freewheeling: Two Bikers Hit the Road to Recovery"
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