A personal post on surviving breast cancer

As someone on the upper end age-wise of those active on social media and who faced breast cancer two years ago, it’s interesting to me how people with serious diseases handle their illnesses in widely divergent ways online. Some literally give play-by-play of their illnesses on Facebook or through a blog, putting forth very personal details, specifics of their good days and bad, and highlighting the help of friends and family. Others – like me – choose to keep their plights private, sharing the details through personal messages to family and friends, but otherwise not posting anything online. It was more than a year before I shared anything about my diagnosis and treatment online.

Take it from me – the internet and social media are scary places for those battling serious illnesses. Social media has changed the way we comprehend and respond to the news - some feel pressured to share the details online. Information that in the past would seldom be discussed publicly is front and center on many people’s social footprint. At the first hint of something serious, we “Google” and read everything we can find – from serious medical sites to Yelp ratings of doctors, hospitals and more. We read about the pros and cons of treatments, medicines and tests – pouring over posts from people that we’ll never meet and who as far as we know have no serious credibility - but we read their words anyway in hopes they will share insights that  matter.

I am two years out after being diagnosed with Stage 1A breast cancer in late summer 2013. As Larry said after we finished treatments later that fall, “After the initial devastating news of the diagnosis, everything else was good news,” i.e., it’s wonderful to hear: “that’s the results we were hoping to see” after we went through the surgeries, sophisticated genetic tests and radiation.

I was fortunate to have an amazing team of doctors in Gainesville - from Arlene Weinshelbaum who just had a feeling there was something destructive there even after an initial biopsy was inconclusive and who kept pushing to get a final determination; from Tina Lam, whose delicate touch as a surgeon left very little evidence of the necessary incisions; from radiation oncologist Cherylle Hayes who suggested accelerated partial breast irradiation – which meant delivering radiation internally directly to the spot of the cancer twice a day for five days instead of the typical six weeks of radiation; and to Laura Dickerson, the medical oncologist who has followed me since the initial treatments ended.

I urge our friends and family to make certain your loved ones monitor their breast health, donate to research when you can, and understand that everyone processes their diagnoses differently. So as October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month winds down, say a little prayer for those you know who have been affected by breast cancer and be thankful that improved diagnosis and treatment means that more and more women are surviving and thriving.

Thanks to the Head Ball Coach: our best memories with Steve and Jerri Spurrier

In 1990, Steve and Jerri Spurrier arrived in Gainesville and for those of us who were fortunate to spend time around them we will never forget those 12 glorious years.

College sports programs were different then. Practices were open; Larry could sit down with an assistant coach and talk about life, game strategy and players. Our families got to know the players, the assistant coaches and their wives (Jim Collins’ wife, Geri, was one of the best. May she rest in peace); it was more a family and less a business.

We became friends with the head coaches and their wives and were regularly invited to their homes – whether it was a dinner at Steve and Jerri Spurrier’s in August prior to the start of the season, or Thanksgiving dinner at Lon and Barbara Krueger’s with the entire basketball coaching staff and team (we still have paper dolls that Dana made of the entire 1994 Gator basketball team that included Dan Cross, Andrew DeClercq and others. Jenni – four years old at the time – would regularly hug Andrew’s knees – that was the highest she could reach).

Heck, Steve and Lon even knew my name. (No coach since would be able to connect me to Larry – let alone know my name).  That era was over when the Kruegers left in 1996, and Jerri and Steve followed in 2002.

So, in honor of Steve and Jerri – here are our top four Spurrier memories.

1.  In 1990 when Steve and Jerri arrived, I was a freelance writer and also did some public relations consulting; one of the publications I regularly wrote for was “Gainesville Today.” I was assigned to write an article introducing Jerri to the Gainesville community.  When I contacted Norm Carlson (who I had worked for in the early 1980s) to help schedule, he put me directly in touch with Jerri. Instead of some sterile interview held at the athletic offices, she invited me to join her in her kitchen in the house on Parker Road.  We talked about sports, life and having husbands who lived and breathed sports. The article practically wrote itself.

2.  In 1996, we all flocked to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl with the Gators slated to play top-ranked Florida State who had beaten Florida in Tallahassee in the last regular season game. Larry broadcast his talk show from the hotel all week and the atmosphere in the Big Easy was insane. In the Hilton Hotel bar prior to the start of the UF/FSU game, hundreds of Gator fans gathered to watch the Rose Bowl television broadcast of Ohio State/Arizona State. A Buckeye upset win over ASU would mean that Florida would have a chance to win the national championship with a win over FSU. The rest, as they say, is history. Ohio State came from behind, winning the game on the last play. The Hilton bar erupted in celebration.

After Florida won the game against Florida State – and Danny Wuerffel gained revenge against the Seminoles for the beating he got in Tallahassee, Larry waited outside the interview room for Steve to enter. When Spurrier arrived, he stopped and said to Larry in that wonderful Steve voice, “Well, Larry. We got one.”

3.  In the mid-2000s, Larry decided to take a break from sport talk shows and focus on his television work for the Gators. Steve had already left Gainesville and spent his two years with the Redskins, and had been hired at South Carolina. Larry’s last show (his second to last “last show”) featured a number of special calls – but none more so than the one he received from Steve. Larry and Steve spent several minutes reminiscing about the time they spent together – it was the highlight of that final show.

4. And finally, in 2006, we were invited to Hilton Head for Steve and Jerri’s 40^th wedding anniversary celebration. It was a great weekend – Jenni and Dana were able to go with us – and there were so many special people there. Norm and Sylvia Carlson, Jim and Geri Collins, dozens of former players and a handful of media guys. The weekend was vintage Spurrier – no fuss, nothing fancy, just plain fun. For Steve and Jerri, nothing was more important than family and friends – just relaxing and having fun.

College football won’t be the same without the Head Ball Coach roaming the sidelines, but from the Vettel family, we sincerely hope Steve and Jerri will enjoy these coming months and embrace the added time they’ll have with family and friends. College football, however, will be a lot less fun.