Roz on the Road

On The Road To The Avon Walk For Breast Cancer

No, it's not October - it isn't even May.  We're not surrounded by everything "pink" - it's February and we're surrounded by snow!  Yet for some reason I have recently been asked by numerous organizations to speak as a breast cancer survivor at their events.  I am always flattered by these requests.  What many of you may not know - the speaking engagements turn out to be as inspirational for me as for the thousands of women (and men) in the audience! I love the energy, the interaction, the respect for our mutual journeys.

That being said, I have taken on a new challenge.  I've signed up for the Avon 2-day Walk For Breast Cancer in Chicago, June 1st and 2nd.  It's more than just a personal challenge; it's a way for me to connect with thousands of survivors, friends and family of survivors, and those passionate about helping to find a cure.

I thought long and hard about making this committment, as it is not an easy task!  I will be training for the next 3 months, walking several miles 4 to 5 days a week.  My biggest concern was not the physical aspect, but the time factor.  Then again, my philosophy has always been, I'm at my best when I'm busiest!  In order to keep myself motivated, I enlisted a partner - my 17 year old daughter!

Sara will be training with me as we motivate each other!  She'll help me document, I'll help her fundraise. Together we're unstoppable! 

I invite you to follow our journey as I will be blogging up until and throughout the walk.  You'll be able to find me on line, on Facebook and on Twitter.  I welcome your comments and any helpful hints from those of you who have tackled this before.  But most of all, I appreciate the support you've shown me, since my diagnosis in June 2006.

To learn more, visit my Personal Page http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/Chicago?px=3458378&pg=personal&fr_id=2210

Wish me luck - I'm in it to end it!

On The Road to Our Nation's Capital

This is such a critial time in our nation's history - the unthinkable possibility that our country could go into a government default has a lot of people more than concerned.  Call it coincidence, but this just happens to be the the week I am in Washington D.C. on my family vacation!  Now, I understand this is a news town to begin with - every restuarant, bar, etc. has CNN, C-Span, MSNBC on their HD-TVs - where in Chicago, we're used to sports...but this week I'd venture to guess more eyes than usual were glued to those news screens.

I took this opportunity to include a civics lesson in our trip.  I had arranged early on to tour the White House, Library of Congress and the Capitol, (which anyone can do through your senator or representative's office).  I was also able to add "Breakfast With The Constituents," to our agenda - a public forum held by our Senators Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk, where we, the people can ask questions.  I prompted my 15 year old daughter to prepare a question, and was most proud when she came up with one, right away.  The day of the forum, she stood up with confidence, identified herself and asked the senators "Do you think 'No Child Left Behind' is working, and if the debt ceiling issue is not resolved, how will that affect my education?"

Both senators agreed that No Child Left Behind needs a major overhaul.  The thing that surprised me, was 30 minutes out of the 45 allowed were spent answering questions about education!  Not one question came up about the debt ceiling.  

I was also proud of my daughter as we toured the Capitol.  We were able to sit in for a brief time at both the House and the Senate.  She listened intently as Senator Charles Shumer (D - NY) argued his case regarding the debt crisis.  She even asked me a couple of questions to make sure she understood correctly.  An educational experience of a lifetime!

Don't get me wrong - we had plenty of time to be tourists!  We visited the Newseum (one of my favorites) and several of the Smithsonian Museums from the National Air and Space Museum to the Museum of National History.  They were all amazing.

As my vacation comes to an end, I'll return to work with a renewed sense of patriotism - even though the debt crisis is still unresolved.  I have a better understanding of our government, seeing it up close and personal, and seeing it through the eyes of a teenager.  It gives me a glimmer of hope that as our forefathers got it right 235 years ago - our current leaders will too.