In memory of Heather

Heather Ray

As I write this, I am thinking of Heather Ray. I learned last night that Heather passed away. You might remember me mentioning Heather in previous posts. She was the beautiful, strong “miracle woman” who I saw in the chemo suite. She only had one leg (she lost one to bone cancer as a child) and aggressive breast cancer, but that didn’t stop her.

If you live in Cincinnati, you might have seen her on billboards this fall, pictured with two teammates for her Susan G. Komen fundraiser, Spinning for a Cure. Yes, even with one leg, Heather spinned her way to top physical condition, raising thousands of dollars for breast cancer research while she was at it.

It seems like just yesterday I was gabbing with her in the chemo suite, looking at pictures of her beautiful daughters dressed up in Halloween costumes. But the last time I saw her, she was in a wheelchair and in terrible pain.

When I first met her, I asked if she would be in my book, but never heard back from her. In my eyes, she was a miracle survivor and always will be. She will be greatly missed.

At the same time, I am busily preparing for the release of my book this spring. I meet with Beth, my editor, on Monday and will soon send it off to the publisher to lay out. Amy, an Enquirer photographer came today to take my photo. And Peggy O’Farrell the reporter called to ask me more questions about my cancer journey. It was difficult to tell my story once again, but I felt good to be able to share the actions I’m taking to build a healthy future.

This all seems trite looking at Heather’s situation. But it seems more important than ever to spread the word through this book and blog. People need to know that there are many survivors out there who are beating the odds every day. I know I certanly need to hear these stories to balance out the bad news like I’ve received this past couple of days.

I called one of the incredible people in my book, Yvonne Cooper, today to express my frustration over seeing another beautiful young woman dying from this disease. She reminded me that I’m on a mission. Thanks for supporting me in carrying this mission out.