Tell Mel

Last November (2008) a coworker told me she had breast cancer. I was relieved to find out that it was stage 0, but it was still scary. I asked her if I could document her ordeal for the newspaper. She agreed as long as I didn't show any sensitive parts. She decided she'd do a first-person written account of her story, too.

Now Mel is one of the toughest women I know. She does the Tell Mel column for The News-Press, and she's not afraid to call out scoundrels in her weekly column. It's one of my favorite reads in the paper every week. It's a consumer advocate column where she sticks up for the little guy. It makes my bleeding liberal heart go pitter-pat. Anyway.....

We began with her initial appointments leading up to her first surgery, and I followed her all the way through radiation. Her story is very moving. I'm pretty proud of the way everything turned out. I did a photo gallery and two videos where she tells her story as the photos and video play. Hope you like it!!

Here's the first day's video.....

And the second.........

As a result of her diagnosis, a lot of others went to get mammograms. This is the only way her cancer could have been found. It was too small to feel. A few of her friends were also diagnosed in the following months, including News-Press Bonita Springs editor Betty Wells.

So GO GET A MAMMOGRAM! please!

Several months ago, my friend Amanda's mother Kathy was also given the news that her breast cancer had returned. She was treated for cancer years ago and had been feeling bad for a while. We're relieved that she if feeling better and gaining her strength and that the medication seems to be working. Amanda and I are doing the Race for the Cure in Kathy's honor to raise money for breast cancer. Join us! or donate to our cause!

Here's our team page......

http://southwestflorida.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/BNS_SouthwestFloridaAffiliate?team_id=123015&pg=team&fr_id=1645