Why do I support LIVESTRONG? For my family

Today, I have a family member going through chemotherapy and another who is having surgery for cancer as we speak. Within one year of my own diagnosis and embarking on treatment, 2 family members were diagnosed and began their treatment. One survived cancer once before, and another didn't see this coming after years of diligent screenings.

This disease, or as Lance Armstrong pointed out in March at the LIVESTRONG Leader Summit, this collection of thousands of diseases with their own personalities, traits and Achilles' Heels, does not discriminate. It does not distinguish between fair and unfair. It doesn't appreciate irony or Murphy's Law. It has no concept nor care of how it can push an individual, or a family, beyond their breaking points. It's oblivious as to what a burden it is on us. It simply doesn't care.

But LIVESTRONG does.

While I cannot come out publicly, at this time, with specifics, I can tell you that in the past few days, as little was being asked of LIVESTRONG, the organization reacted and responded. Two days after letting a contact at LIVESTRONG know, a box was shipped to my family member with support material. A fellow LIVESTRONG Leader participated in a mud run with my family member on his back. I've gotten advice on this person's type of cancer already, how to help after today's surgery (as this surgery is very different from my own), and tips as to how to help this person deal with their upcoming radiation treatments, which I didn't have to endure. They are willing to reach out to other caregivers.

And, all the while, without intruding on my family member's situation, as they went within one week from out-of-the-blue diagnosis to surgery. I know, without question, they will be ready when this person is ready to speak with them, and I also know they are available to those immediately around this cancer fighter when they need help and support.

More so, LIVESTRONG is providing an outlet for the frustration that we feel - that cancer does not - at having our immediate network barraged by this infernal disease within a calendar year - my children and I will take our aggression out on the road at the LIVESTRONG Challenge in a month.

I hope my fellow family members fighting cancer can join me someday at the Challenge to see the masses of supporters they have and don't even realize right now.

Your donations do that. They really do. Your donations provide LIVESTRONG the ability to fund programs that can directly, locally, touch cancer fighters and their families, like mine. Supporting the organization allows them to provide a unique opportunity for cancer fighters to gather together and fight the only ways we are able to - on the road, with our own bodies, letting out our anger, frustration, and triumph, in a celebration. A donation today will continue to enable us to be a safety net not only for the cancer fighters themselves, but their support networks.

Please consider a donation today. Do it in honor of my family. In honor of yours. And in honor of the families around you that you'll never know are fighting, too.

You really are a little bastard, aren't you?

I can't divulge identities or relationships on this one. At least not yet.

But I just learned of another diagnosis of cancer. And it's close to home. Too close for comfort.

I've already got one family member fighting cancer, a repeat diagnosis. I have another friend who just finished treatment and was diagnosed again.

Last night's news, however, has me pissed.

When I have "clearance" to talk about it more, I will. But just know that this disease is messed up. They way it picks off its potential victims is ruthless, brutal and just unfair.

If you're as pissed as I am, help me wage this war. Consider a donation today.

HTTP://LAF.CONVIO.NET/GOTO/RICAROCKSAUSTIN2012

12 Days to Go Until We ROCK the RIDGE!

Last year, we ran this race in spite of Hurricane Irene. In spite of the promoter, aka Me, having just had major surgery. In spite of a last minute date change. And we pulled it off.

This year, we need to kick ass. We need major turnout. We need volunteers. We need you.

If you are in the Tri-State/New England area and want to come out for a day of fun in the sun at West Rock Ridge State Park, come out on Sunday, September 23 for a day of Mountain Bike Racing for a cause.

We'll have our Tribute Wall, where you can put up a bib in honor or in memory of someone that you know who fought cancer, we'll have prizes and other fun stuff. And, oh yes, the SERIES FINALE for the NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES of Cross-Country Mountain Biking!

For more details and to register, please go to: https://www.bikereg.com/Net/16328


Can't make it to the race but want to contribute? Please, make a donation here: http://laf.convio.net/goto/RicaRocksAustin2012

What I learned from First Descents and... What's Next?

It's hard to believe it's been a full week since I've returned. That's got something to do with the fact that I learned en route to home in Dallas that my son had been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia a couple of days earlier, but my folks didn't want to worry me while I was in Colorado and didn't tell me. Or the fact that I just finished up my Z-Pak after contracting bronchitis as a result of mild altitude sickness and spent Saturday night through Tuesday sleeping in bed with my bottle of cough syrup spiked with codeine.

Either way, it's hard to believe that it's been a full week and a day since I crested the top of The Castle and were with these amazing people.

But it's given me time to reflect, through these blogs, and in those moments at work when I'm waiting for a call or an email.

First, I can't wait to do my next First Descents adventure. I only wish they had their 2013 schedule set up so I could pick my next adventure.

Second, I have unfinished business at The Castle. I need to rappel down that damned cliff. No ifs ands or buts. I have to rappel that cliff. So I'm already trying to figure out how I can afford to go and when I can get back to Estes Park and book with Colorado Mountain School.

Lastly, as much work as I have ahead of me, I still got it. Yes, I'm getting winded so much faster than before. Yes, I was surprised at the amount of leg strength I have to rebuild vs. upper body strength. But I do still have it in me.

Which leads me to what's next: two major events - one I'm running and one in which I'm participating.

• The 3rd Annual ROCK the RIDGE is coming up fast on September 23. We desperately need volunteers, so if you're interested, let me know. Additionally, there are still spots open, but pre-register fast - since this is our first year as a Season Finale event, we don't know how soon it's going to be before those floodgates open! This is such a fun Mountain Bike Race & Fun Ride!
• The LIVESTRONG Challenge: Austin. This is a mac-daddy event, and one with which I have unfinished business. Yes, I went last year despite having started chemo. And, yes, I got on the bike. But I didn't even make it 10 miles.
  
  In all honestly, it's bloody embarrassing to me. I have to rock this out this year.
  
  I'm not saying I'm going to do the full 90-miles. But I'd like to at least make it to 25? Or more?
  
  But, I need my cheerleaders. I really need to kick my training in gear.
  
  I need to know you have my backs. And, frankly, the easiest way for me to know that is if you could find it in you to make a gift to my LIVESTRONG Challenge Account. That provides a solid, money-where-your-mouth-is promise from you to me that you have my back, and from me to you that I will fight hard - harder than for myself - for you. You are my sponsors. My employers, if you will, and I won't let you down.
  
  Think of it this way - for only $10 or more, you could sponsor an athlete. How cool!

I'm ready to start training. I'm ready to face my fears of the bike, now, and finish 2012 on 2-wheels once more.

Imagine what I'll be able to do, if, with your help, I meet my 2012 goals, in the year 2013?!

Tomorrow is "Graduation Day." And the day I need you to have my back.

I'll fill you in on what's happened here on First Descents between Day 1 and today, but I have a request.

As you have read in my recount of Day 1, I'm facing fears that have been lifelong out here. Tomorrow is our "Graduation Day," which means attacking rocks beyond our imagination. And here's the catch - while everyone else on the trip has successfully been able to climb every route set up by our guides, I've only been able to do 2 1/2 at best. And, to do that, I had to obsessively climb and reclimb them, and 2 of them were set up just for me.

That's not going to happen tomorrow and I'm terrified. And I refuse to cry again. (I cried during yoga today.)

I need you to give me a boost. This isn't a ploy, this is the real deal. I need that push from familiar people - people who know me by my real name - to keep me going tomorrow. This is what we're climbing, and rappelling, down.

Castle Rock, Boulder Canyon, CO

As anyone who knows me knows, I have a fear of heights. I am a bit of a control freak. And I'm not naturally built for climbing. To date, I have only climbed things as high as the tree you see in the front. This is free-climbing, and rappelling down almost 3 times that. The others in the group have climbed far more advanced rocks than me.

I feel like a newly licensed driver being thrown into a race on the Autobahn with seasoned pros.

Please, show your support and consider making a donation to my LIVESTRONG Challenge account. Any amount helps. HTTP://LAF.CONVIO.NET/GOTO/RICAROCKSAUSTIN2012

Taking the bull**** by the horns...

Before anyone else asks, makes a snarky comment my way, etc, I'd like to first say before jumping to conclusions, please read Lance Armstrong's statement - not the summaries and editorials being published. Then, I'd suggest that you read the LIVESTRONG Blog Entry, including official statements.

I'll give you a few minutes to read that on your own. Here's some nice elevator music to bide the time.

Now that the interlude is over, and the prerequisite reading is complete, I'll continue.

• The man is the most tested athlete in the history of drug testing. He's passed the tests.
• Several of those on the USADA's public list of witnesses against Lance have lied, have doped, have a vested interest in testifying against Lance and have been threatened with similar actions. Not exactly an unbiased pool of witnesses.
• The arbitration Lance faced was not a court hearing, or anything even close to it. Look at how the USADA handles these arbitrations. There is no defense, as many suspect he would be entitled to present as he would in a criminal case.
• There is debate over whether or not the USADA even has the jurisdiction to execute the ban - how does the UCI factor into this?
• Note Lance's statement, "USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles." Attempt. That doesn't mean it's going to happen. If the USADA "says so," does the UCI have to "do so?" I don't know. Neither do you, at this point.
• All he's saying is that he's done fighting with the USADA. It's like fighting a brick wall. There's no point. It would be a waste of time and resources, etc. That's not an admission of guilt, it's an admission that it's an unjust situation, and that the fight is being set aside. That doesn't mean there isn't something else that can be done.
• He's a father of 5 young children. He's fighting a war against cancer. The man's schedule is insane (I know - I've been privy to some of the events and a view into some of his schedule - it's crazy.) To add on a huge no-win battle against a private entity acting like judge & jury with a predetermined verdict is stupid. So, he's focusing his energy elsewhere... for now.

This is not a man who rolls over easily. This is not a man who "gives up." I doubt this is the last we'll hear about this or from him.

But for now, this is his strategy.

Can you blame him?

So, I will do for Lance what he did for me and my children last year as I faced cancer - stand by him.

The LIVESTRONG Assembly

3/28/2011:

I woke up to another lovely morning in Cedar Park, with just enough time to pack up and watch an episode of "Shahs of Sunset" on my Blackberry (dear BravoTV, why even bother having Full Episodes on your website when you only offer the current full episodes on mobile... um, hello? People still use laptops and such and would rather watch a full episode on a larger screen than my cat's forehead.) before my friend, Dave, came back from his early start at work to rid his home of me take me to the Renaissance Austin Hotel. In all fairness, he has a newborn, and was going back to work, and hosting in-laws that don't speak English, so much of the previous days I would stay out of the house to stay out of the way, let his wife sleep, and then try and come back in before everyone went to sleep.

Either way, I made it to the BEAUTIFUL Renaissance Austin Hotel with plenty of time to check-in, unpack in my ridiculously large room, layout all my wigs, take a nap, schmooze with several LIVESTRONG Leaders as they came into the lobby before meeting my college friend, Emily, for lunch. One of the nice things about going to Austin with plenty of time around the planned events is that I had been able to meet up with a number of folks I rarely get the chance to see.

How good does that look. I mean, SERIOUSLY!

Em and her NOM lunch!

Now, THAT'S a spread!

Em and I went to Manuel's for lunch - NOM! - and I was given a lesson on the evils on infant circumcision. (Of course, as a Jew, I'm not averse to the practice for religious purposes, but I get and appreciate the issue for which Em is lobbying.) We got to catch up on the pros and cons of different cities' theatre scenes.

After lunch it was back to the hotel for some lounging, meeting and greeting with my Senior LIVESTRONG Leader, Patrick and a number of others that had been coming in throughout the day. Dinner was at Bandera's, and, yeah, I went for the rib eye. Shoot me. After that, I took a pass on bar revelry and hit the sack. I needed some shut eye.

3/29/2011:

The morning buffet at the Assembly was a sight to be seen. Two lines of tables covered in eggs, fruit, tortillas, salsas, beans, pastries... you name it, it was there. Except for the coffee. That was served individually. In teeny cups. (Dude... yeah, I know, they were standard catering cups, but this is not your typical crew.) No complaints, though - all in fun. Off we were to the Oak Glass Room (Glass Oak Room?) which was a lovely room relatively removed from the rest of the hotel, so we got to take a nice little stroll. There, we were privy to some great information about the Leader program. There are 3 main areas where we function, and many of us pick one and focus on that. The sessions were great with helping us see how to branch out a bit more, what programs were taking place and how we could help locally, nationally and legislatively.

Lunch was a delightful meal, and we were treated by a State of the Foundation update by Doug Ulman.

We were then treated with a surprise visit from none other but "The Boss," Lance Armstrong.

Finally! I got a photo of him smiling! Photo Credit: Rica Mendes

After lunch, our meetings continued, where we were introduced to Elden Nelson, aka "Fat Cyclist," and we had the opportunity to learn more and more about how we can bring LIVESTRONG back to our communities. A few sessions more and then we were dismissed so we could get ready for the "Texas Casual Dinner."

Now, a few words of caution. When inviting people from outside of Texas to a "Texas Casual" dinner, you need to explain what this means. As previous posts describe, I spent nearly a full day searching for a pair of cowboy boots, and ended up driving in circles for almost 45 minutes to find a cowboy hat. I also figured I'd look to "GCB" for an idea of what "Texas Casual" might look like. The result was this:

Of course, I learned, after realizing I was the only idiot outside of the University of Texas marching band to be wearing a cowboy hat and boots to the dinner. (A few folks wore their boots, but weren't stupid enough to match them with the hat.) I, however, felt I was committed to the look, so I stuck with it. This cowgirl knows to leave her hat on. And, after a few dozen margaritas (cleverly served in mason jars), I didn't really care that I looked like a reject from "The Real Housewives of Texas."

Hanging out at the hotel bar for a while, making plans to go out the next night and some fun stories and photos with ghostly orbs and Pat Chetfield and some of the LIVESTRONG staffers ended the night before I hit the hay.

3/30/2011:

After breakfast was the Collaborative Mission Meeting, where we got to meet some of our partners including the Patient Advocacy Foundation, which provides case managers who give financial, emotional and other practical support and advice to cancer fighters, the Navigate Cancer Foundation, which assigns a nurse navigator to a cancer fighter to help them through the medical process, clarify the diagnosis and terms, and help the cancer fighter sort out their treatment plans, etc, Camp Kesem, which provides children of cancer fighters a free camp getaway all over the country, run and funded by college students and their own fundraising efforts, and our international partners. To kick things off, Camp Kesem led us in a round of "I'm a Little Teapot" Kesem style.

Especially meaningful for me was when the panelist for the Navigate Cancer Foundation announced her name. I immediately teared up. Sharon, whose voice was unmistakable to me, was not only representing this amazing partner organization, but she was my nurse navigator. I had the privilege of standing before the Assembly to declare without wavering that Sharon and her staff were largely responsible for why I was standing before them, confident in my decisions, etc. After that heartfelt reunion and Q&A session with the program leaders, we continued on with a role-playing exercise so that we all had an understanding of the complexities of just a basic diagnosis and the impact on an individual, as well as the many networks involved.

As quickly as one could say "LIVESTRONG," we were off to get our pictures taken by the amazing Liz Kreutz in a group photo that could have been a disaster had it not been for a little invention known as "deodorant."

Can you find me? 5th row, 4th from the left, framed in armpit land.

Austin Day 2: A Photo Essay