Isn't it IRONICAL?

One of the bizarre chores I had to do when breast cancer hijacked my life was to get out my calendar (yeah, I'm old fashioned; it's a little black-covered paper book) and cancel out all the activities that I had so blithely and trustingly inked in the little squares there.
My To Do list had to be undone.
I called friends to cancel lunches, business associates to drop meetings and scratched out kid-related activities.
Then I wrote an X over was two words: New York.
Trip cancelled.
It was a Big Deal a few months back when Colleen and I won a Gracie Award. (Warning: here comes horn tooting.) This is an excellent national award given by the American Women in Radio and Television. Recognizes outstanding broadcast work that is by, for and/or about women. Lots of Very Important Women (and quite a few Big Cheese men) have won this award over the years. (BTW, as an aside, I am very grateful to be part of a business where people love giving each other nice awards.) This Gracie represents the first such award that FM107.1 has ever received.
I know something about this award, because I have previously won two Gracies-- and one honorable mention. I won those Gracies for television reporting work that I did when I was a reporter at WCCO-TV. Twice before, I went to New York to get my Gracie. Both times the ceremony was Quite the Quite, held at the Waldorf Astoria, my dear, pretty heady stuff for a hick like me!
The first year, 1995, I sat next to Meredith Viera (another winner that night but no household name at that point) and Lesley Stahl of Sixty Minutes was the mistress of ceremonies who gave me my award. The second time I won, Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly (Cagney and Lacy!) were co-MC's. Sharon Gless gave me the statue.
Funny aside: I was about three months pregnant with the 4-footer at the time. It was early enough in the pregnancy that I was not mentioning that I was in the family way, but late enough that I was, uh, swellin' up pretty good. Meanwhile, I was suffering from the worst morning sickness I'd ever experienced in my many pregnancies. I had been bilious and seasick for weeks and was pretty much living on pretzel rods and salt bagels--the only things I could reliably keep down. Truly miserable--and bloated to boot. You know, that pre-maternity-clothes stage when you want to wear a sign that says, "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant!"
As we made introductions at the dinner, other TV types kept asking me if I was the producer. They looked quite startled when I said that, in fact, I, the cow, was the on air reporter.
Here are some pictures of that ceremony in 1997:




Kevyn Burger and Sharon Gless, Waldorf Astoria, NY NY - April 1997


It was going to be a delight to accept my first Gracie for radio work. I had planned to fly to JFK last Friday, June 15. My older kids, the 6 Footer and the 5 Footer, were set to join me. For weeks we had talked about all the Manhattan sights we would see together. My husband planned to arrive a bit later and be there for the award ceremony on June 19. Some of the bosses from the radio station would also attend and there were Whoopin' It Up plans made with them as well.
Well.
We've been pretty stoic about the fact that we'll just have to win another one of them dang Gracies so we can fulfill the I-Heart-N-Y plan next year. It's a little tempting to feel sorry for myself on this--I'm resisting mightily. Kids and husband have not bemoaned the lost trip for an instant. Just wasn't in the cards now that the game has changed.
Actually, with all the Heavy Stuff I need to think about, not going to New York hasn't made the cut into Items that are Worthy of my Attention.
Other than:
How's this for IRONICAL?
FM107's BossLady actually selected the program segment that was entered for the Gracie. She chose a segment that Colleen and I began doing on a monthly basis. On the 22nd of each month, we do a monthly breast self-exam. On the air. If you listen regularly, you know that I encourage listeners to join in and use this as a time to put in the reminder of the importance of self exams and mammograms.
This on air exam (which started, frankly, as a bit of a bit/stunt/gimmick) prompted one of our listeners, Delores, to do her self-exam--and led her to find a lump in her breast. She was tested, found to have cancer, and had a mastectomy as a result. Delores came on the radio with us to express her gratitude--because our program ultimately led her to treatment for her cancer--while it could still be successfully treated.
Need more irony?
I saw Delores on Mother's Day; I walked with her for a time at the Race for the Cure. Wearing a hot pink feather boa, Delores was our LoJ Team mascot and she was all smiles. Doing great, she said. I admired her hair--growing back nicely after chemotherapy--and again admired her upbeat spirit. We embraced and I wished her a happy Mother's Day.
The very next day, I had my routine mammogram.
One week later, I had a breast cancer diagnosis of my own.
The last day I was on the air, I got a phone message from Delores. She was weeping as she told me how sorry she was about my diagnosis. She knows the road I'll be walking. She wished me well. And through her tears, she thanked me again.
Maybe that's why it doesn't matter so very much that I won't be able to accept my Gracie in person. The bosses will accept my award and bring it back for me. But seriously--as nice as it is to get a fancy statue, it feels so much better to have Delores's grace and gratitude.
This month, I won't be behind the microphone on June 22nd. No matter. I can ask you through this blog to take the time to check yourself. Do those self-exams. If you're overdue, choose this day to make the call to schedule your mammograms. Nag your mothers, sisters, daughters, girlfriends to be vigilant. Demand adequate health care for yourself and for all women.
I'm not going to kid you or sugar-coat it--this breast cancer is very rough stuff. The toughest.
I so wish there would have been another way for me to learn the lessons that breast cancer will inevitably teach me.
But I can't wish it away. I can only lift my voice to remind you to take care of your body, value your health and seek the joy in life. As I am realizing, we are all just one doctor's phone call away from Never The Same.
Did you do your self exam? Urge someone else to? I would love it if you would take a minute to let me know.