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I have a Harley Davidson 2002 Fatboy, previously I owned a 1991 Harley Lowrider. I have been riding a Harley for 8 years, and I take the motorcycle safety course often to refreshen my rising skills. I am a positive role model for women with breast cancer, I have never once looked back and said WHY ME, or felt sorry for myself. I continue to live life to the fullest despite the tough deck of cards that life dealt me on 1/30/04 of this year. I am an upbeat person and that comes out in my attitude for life. My own personal experience touched many other peoples life's around me this past year. I do a lot of public speaking, teaching and volunteer work along with carrying my full time job. My biggest asset is my attitude for life. I was 46 years old when my yearly mammogram diagnosed that I had microcalcifications, high-grade DCIS clusters in my milk ducts. My mother and aunt had this type of cancer just 5-7 years earlier. I chose to have a double mastectomy and not deal with the problem any more. My cancer was positive to estrogen and progesterone. I have not gone through Menopause and exactly on good Friday of this year I had to get my tubes tied because there really was no safe type of birth control available to me. I have been a single mother of one son for the past 17 years, he is now 19 and a wonderful child. I am a Buyer for the Honeywell Corporation which is a very stressful job. As my son grew older I decided I need a hobby so I bought my first Harley, a 1991 Lowrider. I've been around HOG's for the past 16 years through friends, but it was time to get my own. Took my first motorcycle safety class and down the rode I was. In 2002 I feel in love with my bright red Fatboy, it's a beauty -- lots of chrome. Love that bike, it brings me lots of joy and freedom to ride, it's my stress relief. I am somewhat of a free spirit I guess you could say. I have several girlfriends and guys that I ride with and I have never met a Harley stranger. I also love people, horses, camping, traveling, new adventures, and life in general. My experience with breast cancer was actually a positive one, everyone from work and all my friends were so wonderful. They were and have been so supportive, but you also have to keep a positive experience. Oh and I can't leave out my doctors and nurses, they did a lot to keep my spirits high, but they saw that I wasn't going to let this disease get me down. I beat it and I'm doing fine. I have reached out and help other women that have been faced with the same scary terrible news and they appreciated it. One never knows what it is like until you walk in that person’s shoes, and the unfortunate thing about it is the statistical numbers for the disease are growing. I would love to participate in the ride one because it would be great to bond with all you HOG & breast cancer survivor ladies and two to be out their as a positive role model for other breast cancer women that are not dealing with the disease as I am. Maybe they can take a look at their life and start being grateful that they are not as bad off as they could be and to start living life once again.
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