Dallas Stars Game

Over the past month, I've had the opportunity to connect with two inspiring young women that are currently surviving breast cancer. The first is Julie - she is 29 and had triple negative IBC (like me!). She has been through all the treatments (even got a pCR!) and is on the other side right now with No Evidence of Disease.

Around the same time I met Julie, I also had the opportunity to spend time with Shari. She was diagnosed the same time I was with Stage 4 breast cancer in her liver and bones. She also recently had a baby (her daughter is 9 months old and is adorable!). A social worker at UT Southwestern connected us because of our advanced cancers and both of us being young moms.

Julie works for the Dallas Stars and has had an opportunity to connect with the General Manager's wife, Bekki, as Bekki also has breast cancer. She was diagnosed 12 years ago but unfortunately it has come back in the last few years in her liver and bone (same diagnosis as Shari). 

Bekki organized a breast cancer event in one of the Star's suites last week and Julie was able to score me a couple tickets to the game! It was ah-mazing!!! I took my new friend Shari thinking she would probably get the most out of the event. A big thank you to my friend Lindsey for watching Shari's baby for the evening! Lindsey and I got home close to midnight and she had to be up at 4:45am to teach 20 2nd graders the next day- crazy!  My dad has a coworker that lives in a condo across the street from the arena and let us valet park in his building for free- how la-te-da is that? Thank you Dave!

I've never been to a box at the Stars, but I've decided that's really the only way to see an ice hockey game. :-) I was mostly excited about the food/desserts/view/cushy seats but it turned out the people we got to meet and talk with were definitely the best part.

Platinum level box suite!

We were able to hang out with the Dallas Stars Coach's, GM's, and President/CEO's wives pretty much the whole night. They were all incredible women! A few of them even were offering to watch Shari's baby when she has chemo! How nice is that??

We also got to meet Dee Simmons (and her daughter) of the UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Clinic! She had breast cancer 20+ years ago and her family donated the money to UT Southwestern for my clinic. She was just as fabulous as you might expect!

Dee & her daughter D'Andra

There was an uncharacteristically young crowd for breast cancer folks and a group of them meet regularly for unofficial emotional support. I'm excited about meeting up with other young women with breast cancer.

Overall the night was stinkin' fantastic. Shari and I felt like we got the royal treatment. It was a huge encouragement to both of us. Thank you Bekki for organizing the event and making us feel so special. <3

Bekki and Shari