Diagnosis & Treatment:
I was diagnosed March 1976, with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). In addition to being diagnosed with ALL in 1976, I was born with a heart murmur and my parents waited until I was strong enough to undergo open heart surgery to repair. I actually started chemo and radiation right after recovering from the heart surgery.

I was treated at the original Children’s Hospital @ Stanford (which is no longer standing today).
I received cranial and spinal radiation and chemotherapy. I underwent lumber punctures, bone marrow tests regularly, biopsies, blood tests, and a couple of blood transfusions in addition to my treatment.

I never really hated going to the hospital because of the comfortable setting of trees, a playground, and squirrels running around collecting nuts. I used to sit with my mom on a bench and watch the squirrels. The thing I hated was being sick, and not being able to be a normal kid.
Looking back now, I wish there was more of an influence of educational testing. I never had a hard time with my schoolwork, but I never got that great of grades either. The focus was primarily surviving one day to the next.

Who I am:
I was born in Los Gatos to Patricia and R.C. Weaver, and raised in South San Jose. I have two older siblings: a sister, Shannon lives in San Jose, and my brother, Greg lives in Chico. I have two half sisters, LeAnn and Sandy that live in Houston, Texas area. I have an uncle that lives with my grandmother in Petaluma (my mom’s side of the family). My mother lost her battle with breast cancer in 1997.

I attended elementary school, intermediate, and high school within the same area that I lived. I lived in the San Jose area for 30 years. I accomplished a goal of being a homeowner before the age of thirty, owning my own condominium from 2001-2004. I moved to the East Bay (Walnut Creek) in October of 2004 after selling my condo due to the economic hardship of the job market.

I grew up in a great neighborhood, growing up next door to my best friend. She is more like a sister to me, we are really close, and is a major part of my life. I told her one day that I appreciated that she was there when I was younger and sick, she didn’t abandon being friends with me because I was sick. She told me her parents told her to treat no different because I had cancer.

I have been with my current employer, The Polymer Technology Group, Inc. for one year now, as a Document Specialist II. I manage all document control duties (revising company documentation) perform internal auditing, and I am an administrator for the electronic documentation software we use.

I enjoy crafts (crocheting afghans), amatuer photography, walking, traveling, camping, wine tasting, shopping, decorating my home, watching movies, listening to music, working on my family tree, entertaining at home, playing with my 14 year old cat, “Oreo”, and meeting new people.

I recently moved into my own apartment in Pleasant Hill, and love living on my own again.

My TNT Experience:
I have been an honoree for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America since the Winter Season of 1998/1999.

I started out as an honoree for the run team, moved to the walk team, and also the Iron team. I have fundraised and finished two full 26.2 mile marathons with a walking time of 7:57 in Portland, Oregon in 1999, and 7:27 in Maui, Hawaii in 2002. I also have completed a half marathon in 2002 in New Orleans.

I am currently fundraising and training for the PF Chang’s Phoenix, Arizona Marathon in January 2006!

Team in Training is a very important part of my life, as a survivor I feel it is important for the general public to know that people are surviving longer and there is a light at the end of the tunnel from a cancer diagnosis. Hope, strength, love, and a passion for life kept me going for 29 years from the date I was diagnosed. Team in Training is a family to me; the people are incredibly awesome and so passionate for this cause.

I want to thank you in advance for being part of such a important part of my life, and I will be out on the training course throughout your journey to the finish line.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 17th, 2005 at 9:54 pm and is filed under 2005, 2006 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.