Camari

"Camari F., Engine 5, B Platoon." That was my new assignment after graduating from Bellevue's Firefighting Academy nearly 6 years after my diagnosis of breast cancer. I learned that a cancer diagnosis isn't an end, but is rather a beginning. My life before cancer was anything but boring, after cancer, however, it has been a near constant roller coaster ride of challenges, triumphs, and opportunities.

I've found the courage to do things I never thought possible. I've climbed Mt. Rainier twice (once hand-in-hand with my husband), Mt. Baker and Mt Hood once, ridden from Oregon to Canada in three days and from Seattle to Portland in two. Bungee jumping off a bridge the day before my second surgery took my mind off my troubles, and later I celebrated life by sky diving over the Florida Keys. I've run a 5K race with then Vice-President Al Gore, and attended a BBQ dinner at his home in DC.

Public speaking has always been my biggest fear. I have beaten this fear into submission by my desire to educate people about the disease and share my story.

Cancer has become not so much a friend as a mildly annoying relative that never goes away. Each year I am reminded of my cancer on my birthday-the day I had surgery to remove the tumor. My husband and I often reflect on where it has taken our lives. To quote the Grateful Dead, "What a long strange trip it's been."