==Colorado Pink Plate==

Plate Count
4464 Sets
Reserved !!

Updated 8/28/05

What's New:

Follow the
progress of
bill HR 1247
here....

A Sincere
Thank you to:

Denver -
9News-KUSA,
KOSI 101 Radio, Channel 7 KMGH

Colorado Springs-
the Gazette, and Channel KKTV 11
and KRDO 13.

Grand Junction-
Mix 104.3

You have enabled
us to get the word out. We truly appreciate your support!

Thanks also to
those of you who
are telling your
friends and
graciously sharing
your stories with
us.

Gail's Story
Here's to you Bonnie
Diagnosed with Cancer
Crop for a Cure
My Cancer was Caught Early
Blessed by Breast Cancer
More Pink than Green

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more stories >>>>

Gail's Story

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38, 12 years ago. It was discovered through the mammogram process; I could not feel it when performing self-examination.

Since then, I have had a lumpectomy, a bilateral mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, 2 rounds of chemotherapy, 3 rounds of radiation and an autologous stem cell transplant. I have been through the mill, having two recurrences. Thank God for insurance and excellent hospitals and doctors.

Twelve years later, though, I am still here benefiting from the support of my family and friends. I am also grateful for the efforts made by many to keep this issue in front of the public so that the cure can be found. Back to top.

I have reserved my pink plate, won't you?
Gail Hytner

Here's to you Bonnie

I am ordering the plates for my roommate, Bonnie. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 9/11/02. There is no breast cancer in her family. She had a lumpectomy and lymph nodes removed. The doctors told her the cancer was hormone related and had not spread.

She had 36 radiation treatments and is on tomixifen now for 5 yrs. She is cancer free now. She was a firm believer that if you have surgery for cancer that it would spread. It took a lot of convincing to get her to go through with the surgery and radiation, but she is happy that she had it done. Back to top.

Heres to you Bonnie!!! Thank you
Janiece Perry

Diagnosed with Cancer

I was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. And like one of the previous stories, I too had a cyst that I found myself in 1997 and had it checked out the next day. I was told then and at each successive annual mammogram that it was just a cyst and no need to worry.

I went in for my routine annual mammogram in June of 2002. All of a sudden where the cyst had always been, I was told it looked suspicious. They said I needed to have a biopsy. At this point, I was still relatively calm because, as they said, only 20% of these biopsies turn out to be cancer.

Then once I had the diagnosis of breast cancer, I was told I had had it for 6-8 years. One of the nurses told me when I inquired about the cyst that "maybe it was masking the cancer". These are not exactly reassuring words when I thought of myself as being well informed and doing all that I could to look out for my health. Obviously I had had the breast cancer the whole time I had had the cyst.

I am grateful it was caught when it was and that I had a wonderful surgeon and oncologist. I have talked with both of them about the cyst and the eventual diagnosis. I'm not sure to this day that there would have been a different outcome had I had a biopsy of the cyst early on. If there had been no cancer found in the cyst, it may have played out the same way it did. All I can say at this point is that in my heart, I feel that my body was saying "hey, something's wrong here" since I had never had cysts before.

The truth of the matter is we need better diagnostics for even earlier detection and research for prevention. I had a lumpectomy, 4 chemo treatments and 35 radiation treatments. The chemo I received was part of a trial to help determine the better path of treatment for someone in a similar situation. So far, all of the participants in the trial have done so well, that they had to expand the participants because they were unable to determine which of the three treatments was the best. This is good news. Back to top.

Lila Bradley, Franktown, CO

Crop for a Cure

I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 at the age of 40. My mother was a breast cancer survivor for 11 years at that time. My whole world was upside down. I was a newly divorced mother of a 3 year old. I had a lumpectomy followed by chemo and radiation. I lost my hair and struggled with anemia and low blood counts.

I am a scrapbooker by trade, and in 1999 I decided to try and make a difference with the experiences I'd had. I started an event, "Crop For A Cure", which is a weekend scrapbooking retreat. We raise funds for two different organizations, one is The Susan G. Komen Foundation/Race for the Cure here in Denver, the other is an organization that was very pivotal in my treatment and recovery. The Diana Price-Fish Foundation, which is sort of like "Make-a-Wish" only for adult cancer patients in treatment.

I was able to choose, every month, just about anything that I wanted to do for the evening. That is what I looked forward to every month. It was wonderful, and I always wondered how I could ever repay them for all they did for me.

This will be our 6th year for CFAC, and we've grown from 13 people that first year to over 150 this year. We just booked the Hyatt Regency in The Denver Tech Center for our 2005 event with room for 400!! This has been a dream come true.

I eventually ended up having a double mastectomy in April 2002, with tram flap reconstruction. I would proudly display a pink plate on my vehicle, having won the battle. Back to top.

For anyone who would like information on Crop For A Cure, go to:
www.denvercropforacure.com

My Cancer was Caught Early....

I was a single Mom raising three daughters. Fifteen years ago I was
diagnosed with breast cancer. I wanted to give up. My Grandmother had died of breast cancer when I was twelve. I did everything my whole life so I wouldn't get breast cancer. I didn't use birth control pills, I exercised, ate right. I did monthly or more self breast exams, I found my lump December 1988.

A biopsy showed it was malignant. The surgeon told me I needed to have a mastectomy right away. I said I needed time to make the right decision for me. He said I might be dead within a year. I did take the time to find out what options and procedures were available and what would give me the best chance. I chose to a have a mastectomy of the right breast and a lumpectomy
on the left breast.

My cancer was caught very early and I'm very lucky. Thank God for the progress since my Grandmother's time. And here's to a future where there is no more cancer. Back to top.

Survivor
Pricilla Botkin

Blessed by Breast Cancer

Hi, I am Mary Kai Tuggle... I first discovered I had breast cancer in May of 1991. I had a lumpectomy and said, well, I had breast cancer and that's over.

In May of 1993 I discovered I had breast cancer in the other breast. I had a lumpectomy and radiation and thought well, one in each breast and that's over. Well, needless to say, in Oct. of 2002, I discovered I had a new breast cancer in the 1st breast and it had gone to the lymph nodes and I had chemo, radiation and now I am recovering.

I am dedicated to fight this disease. I have worked on the committees of CS Komen race for the cure for 10 years and spend most of my time throughout the year raising money. I would be honored to be able to have a license plate and would drive my car with pride! Thank you so much for doing this and will keep you in my prayers.

PS I do not live my life in fear of having breast cancer again. I have been blessed by having 3 primary breast cancers! Back to top.

More Pink than Green

My stepmother has breast cancer. I would love to see pink plates to find a cure for it. My stepmother has fought it once before, but I don't know if she's going to keep fighting it again or what, but pink plates for it would really get people trying to find a cure. I think if people start making them, I think we'd see more pink plates than the green ones.

Nicole Stephenson of Florissant Colorado.
Back to top.

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