Getting ready for surgery and family friend Beezy is her admitting nurse! That was a good surprise. Surgery is now scheduled to start after 1 PM and should last about 3 hours. Valerie and her sister used to babysit Beezy (Briana) when they were younger, their parents are still good friends.....what a small world! Funny part is the doctor and several nurses started calling her Beezy as well....sorry!

New surgery date for the new squishy BOOBS

Well, I did not have surgery on Tuesday...and after a lot of calling the Doc.he finally returned my call today. I left a not so nice message and played the "cancer" card. I left a message saying,"Hi, this is Valerie Beck...again, and I am getting a little concerned because I have not heard from you. I don't know if the doctor is having a hard time getting OR time, or if you are having problems with getting the implants, or you got the result from my mugga scan (heart test) ant there is something wrong with my heart, or my cancer came back. Call me" They called me back within 30 seconds of leaving that message. Amazing. Nothing is wrong with me; the doc is just having a heard time getting OR time. My surgery date is Wed, Oct 3. Lets hope that sticks!!!

The "Gear & Tent Crew" that I (Dion) joined for the walk. 2,000+ walkers at 30 pounds per bag (yeah right, more like 50-60!) is 6,000 pounds moved by a fearless crew of 15 into and out of those cargo vans FOUR times (oh and tents too!)! I wanted to help and this seemed like the thing to do, I have to admit, we worked HARD! But it was very rewarding. My most memorable moment? Around 8:45 PM on Saturday, a walker arrived to pick up her bag and tent (earlier we had "Tent Angels" that carried bags and set up tents for walkers). Unfortunately all visitors (including Tent Angels) had to leave at 8:30 PM. I grabbed this ladies bag and tent and began to head over to her assigned spot, when she told me she had walked in every LA Avon walk since 1998, and every year she has had to build her own tent.....NOT THIS YEAR, I told her. To make a long story short, I made her tent and finished to find her standing there crying. Five minutes of work, and she was so thankful she cried! Blisters go away, muscles stop cramping, snoring ends, but that memory will last me a lifetime. Thank you walker from Row A, we crew for people like you! Even after that, I made a decision to experience the other part of the weekend. Valerie and I have both signed up to walk the 2008 Los Angeles AVON Breast Cancer Walk, I know many of the Team "Bumps Ahead" members will be back and more are welcome to join! What are you going to do?

Team "Bumps Ahead" finishes 39.3 miles at the Los Angeles Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. In total the event raised $4.3 Million dollars for cancer research, awareness and testing. Team "Bumps Ahead" raised over $32,000 with help from many of you! We will be walking again in Los Angeles in 2008, come join us!

26.2 miles done!

The banner is up! Nick and Dion setting up camp for the ladies....seven tents ready for some tired walkers!

Half way there at 13.1 miles

Getting ready to go on our Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, teams all here!

Just to let you all know...My PET scan was fine!!! YA!!

I saw Dr. Barstis the other day and he said everything looked great!!! I have an appointment for a PET scan on Thursday the 23rd, hopefully they will see nothing. It takes about a week to get the results back...so I will let you know as soon as I do.

Good Morning!!! This is just a quick up-date. I will see Dr. Barstis on the 16 to talk about???... Maybe he will give me a referral for a PET scan. It is just a check-up visit. I have scheduled my breast surgery for September 19th at UCLA. Dr. Watson will take out my expander's and replace them with "SQUISHY" implants. I am very excited about this. I am tired of hugging people and them saying "OUCH". Yes that is really how hard they are!!! :) That's about it for the cancer up-date.

Tumor markers came back at 16.7, which is great news today! Anything under 35 is great according to my doctor, so today is a GREAT day!

Here is an update…

I went to see Dr. Senofsky last week and almost had a panic attack!!! He was examining my chest and stopped talking and gave me that "hummmm" look, kind of like…"I think I feel something, but I don't want my patient to freak out" kind of look. I have been going to these doctors so often, that I know "that" look. I knew something was wrong and I called him on it. He said he felt a very small lump. On further examination…he decided that he knew what it was. It was a dissolvable stitch that isn't dissolving. I of course go into panic mode and begin asking for an ultra sound or needle aspiration. He assures me that it is a stitch. So, everything is just fine except…I am still in panic mode.
So, I called Dr. Barstis, my oncologist, last week and told him that I was sure that my cancer had returned…even though I have no evidence. I asked if he would take my blood and read my tumor markers. He assured me that I was fine, but since he is so nice, he gave me the blood test anyway. I am supposed to be getting the results tomorrow, I'll keep you posted.
I went to see Dr. Watson two weeks ago…He is my plastic surgeon. I wanted to make an appointment to get my "Expanders" removed and silicone implants put in. My expanders are extremely HARD (because of scar tissue)…no pain, but just very very hard. Dr. Watson still wants to do the DIEP procedure that would require me to be under for about 8 hours. It would also be a long recovery period, that I just don't want to deal with right now. I told him that I wanted the silicone implants and then, if my body develops scar tissue again, I will think about doing the DIEP. I would like to try the "easier" procedure first and hope for a good outcome! I plan on having surgery the week of Aug. 17th, I don't know what day, but I'll keep you informed.

Seems like everyone is into this walking thing, or better yet BEATING CANCER!

If you will be in LA on September 15-16, 2007, I am sure Valerie and the rest of the team would love to have more walkers! If you don't want to walk, you can always sign up to help like I did, gonna spend the two days "crewing", which I think means doing whatever needs to be done so those walking can focus on solely that and why they are there.

Check it out!

YOU Remembered!!!

I didn't want to remind you of that awful day, but how could I actually think you would not remember. I have been crying for the last half hour!!! I have married the most wonderful, thoughtful, caring, and loving man in the whole world. I love you Dion and I thank you for going through this journey with me. You have been there for me since the beginning and you have seen me at my lowest...helped me plan my funeral , watched me go bald, talked about our future...and now that seems like it is in the past. It seems so long ago that it all happened. It almost seems like it never happened. I do know that I would not have gotten through this without you!!! This is the best birthday present you could ever give me...I will remember what you wrote forever. I love you and that is all that matters in this lifetime. Love, VAL

One year ago today....

Dion here, thought I would share with you my thoughts on the past year.....plus I am away today for a business meeting....it was either spend the evening with co-workers or tell my wife how this past year has changed me.....

One year ago today I got a phone call from a hysterical Valerie, she was sobbing loudly on the other end and I was still at work. She had scheduled an appointment to "check out" a small lump on her right breast that I had felt myself just a few days before. I don't recall ever getting a call from her where she started off crying, so I do remember it vividly. She tried to tell me that the doctors had just told her she had cancer. I could hear her say it, but I really don't think it sank in....I remember saying "it will be alright, you'll be OK", and when I could tell she was not really listening (can you blame her? No!) I asked her to put the doctor on the phone. I remember thinking "she needs to calm down, why is she so hysterical?" Dr Senofsky was kind enough to take the phone and explained to me that Valerie had breast cancer. I think I responded with an "OK" and all I remember asking him was "do you think she can drive, or do I need to pick her up?". I felt this need to hold her, to tell her it was "going to be alright" and that we would get through this. I remember being very angry with myself for not being there, I should have been there. I wish I had been there for that appointment to help her through those first minutes. I guess that is one thing I would have changed if I could do it all over again....actually if I could do it all over again....well I think you know, I would never wish this journey on anyone and wish it would NEVER happen again!

Well, it has happened, so what have I learned?

• I learned Valerie is such a strong woman, she brings a smile to many faces and people want to be around her. I was worried in the beginning, and so were her doctors. They had many conversations with me and with both Valerie and I about her attitude and how you have got to look for the positives and move forward with life. Easy for me to say, I was not diagnosed with cancer.
• I know everyone is different, but I learned Valerie needed time to vent, grieve, hate, cry and then look to the positives.
• I learned my wife can strut her stuff on a catwalk (and look HOT!) and bring a crowded room to tears.
• I learned I knew nothing about cancer (still learning) or how many lives it affects every day.
• I learned people deal with it in different ways, some walk, some talk, some give, some take, some cry, some hug, some pray but EVERYONE deals with it in the way they think is best for them.
• I learned that some people cook WAY better than my wife (I guess I always knew that!) but I really learned I would rather have her make our dinner any day!
• I learned the meaning of "...in sickness and in health" and I intend to keep that promise!
• I learned that even though I may get embarrassed by my wife's loud outbursts, or foot in mouth comments, or wearing her feelings on her sleeve (and proclaiming them to anyone within earshot that may or may not know her), that in the end I love her for those moments.
• I learned to make sacrifices and not always be the one who wins (I didn't say I was perfect at this, I said I am learning!), which would explain the dog in the house.
• I learned (or got reinforcement) that I definitely married the right woman!
• I learned life does go on....

So it has been a year, that is my greatest joy, I got to spend another year with Valerie, that beautiful woman I met in May 1991 and married in July 1994. I've learned to enjoy (even the ones when we fight) EVERY single day we spend together and am looking forward to many more years!

I am proud of you Valerie and I love you dearly!

I can walk!! I have raised 2,295 so far. WOW!

Dion and I at Disneyland on a day trip with the kids. Like my Tiara?!?

Autographing her handprint she signed it: "Valerie Beck, almost 1 year :-) Enjoy!! Life!! Thank you to my husband and family and friends!!"

Valerie getting to put her handprint on the wall of survivors

The purple shirts were given to cancer survivors, Valerie is walking straight down from the left side of the "balloon rainbow" in the picture.

Judy, Judy, Me and my son, Mindy, and Jen with her daughter and all the women are breast cancer survivors! I have met and formed wonderful friendships with these women over the past year. I am lucky to have met them!!

Dion and I at the Relay for Life (didn't our six year old son do great with the camera phone!)

Relay For Life is a 24 hour event held in our local community. It was the first time I had ever attended and WOW is all I can say!!!!! There was a survivor lap that I walk with my friends and I cried the whole time. Everyone was clapping for us and it was very emotional for me. It was almost a year ago that I was diagnosed and I was so happy to be there. Dion even cried with me. As much as I didn't want to be in the cancer "club", I am proud to say that I have formed wonderful friendships with people I would have never had met otherwise. I am just so happy that I have supportive friends and family...I wouldn't have made it through this year without you!!!

Kristen and I after our first Sunday morning walk (12 miles) to prepare for the Avon Walk in September!