Okay, I get it.  One million people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year.   One thousand people in the US die each year from it.  But compare that to the 1.25 million people who have heart attacks, and the 425,000 people who die from them.   Or to the 5.5 million Americans who have cirrhosis of the liver, 40% of whom have it because of alcohol abuse.    Or to the 219,000 new cases of lung cancer, and the 159,000 deaths each year, many of which were brought on by smoking.  So where’s the new tax on artery-hardening fast food or liver-demolishing liquor or lung-quashing cigarettes? 

There are more than 50,000 tanning salons in the United States, the majority of which are not chains, but independently owned.   They’re small business owners who may on the one hand benefit from the new health care reform legislation, but are shouldering an unfair burden of the cost through the nature of their business.    Most will have no choice but to pass along that increase to their customers, which could hurt their businesses.     Why isn’t there a tax on memberships to outdoor swimming pools or golf courses or other places that may expose you to the sun?    

Interestingly enough, the health care bill originally included a 5% “vanity tax” on cosmetic surgeries and procedures.  Some were calling it the “bo-tax” and it was expected to raise 5 billion dollars in the next 10 years.  Apparently, the lobby for cosmetic surgeons is more organized and powerful than the lobby for tanning salons, because the “bo-tax” was taken out of the health care plan before the vote.     

I still have hundreds of pages to read, so I may be back to discuss other issues regarding the new health care plan.  On this particular issue though, forget the UV rays;  tanning salon owners and their customers are getting burned by Congress!

Well ends aren’t meeting in Toledo and many other cities.  In some places, ends aren’t even catching a glimpse of each other.  We can complain.  We can demand local leaders find solutions.  The problem is, there is no magic fix; something’s gotta give.  So what is it?  Trash pickup?  Ticket tax? Police and Fire layoffs?  Keeping the pools closed for the summer?  You can’t say “no” to everything.  There are some tough choices that must be made.  I live outside the city of Toledo and I’ve always paid for my trash to be picked up; maybe that’s why that solution doesn’t seem so ridiculous to me.  I’ve always paid income tax to the city of Toledo…and I don’t mind doing it.  I work here and I like knowing I can call police to help me if someone threatens me or decides to panhandle in our parking lot or camp outside on our lawn.   To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t really mind paying a ticket tax to see the Mud Hens or go to a concert, and believe me, I attend MANY of those events with my family and friends, so that would definitely hit me in the wallet.  I understand why the Mud Hens, Symphony, and Ballet don’t want the tax, I’m just saying I wouldn’t mind paying it.  At least it’s a solution that doesn’t put the burden solely on Toledoans.  Maybe inmates could clean up and mow the lawns at the parks?  Maybe people who owe money to the city and can’t pay could work off some of their debt?   Heck, maybe we could hold a telethon and ask people to make contributions to the worthy cause of keeping our city afloat? I don’t have the answers, but I for one am not complaining about the solutions.   It’s a tough time.   A time for sacrifice.

Gretchen with her husband Phil

Three weeks ago, I asked you to pray for my friend Gretchen Skeldon, a 4-time cancer survivor who was hospitalized with some serious health problems.   I received so many emails and comments about Gretchen that I wanted to let you know our prayers have been answered, although not the way we hoped they would be.

Gretchen died peacefully at Hospice Wednesday morning.  The fact that this was Ash Wednesday was not lost on the people who knew Gretchen as a devout and faithful Catholic.   Gretchen’s belief in God, and her unwavering faith that He has a plan for all of us helped her get through some very trying times and I hope it helped take some of the fear away in these final days.  But the selfless way Gretchen lived her life every day has always inspired me and so many others.  

She sang the national anthem at the 2009 Rockets for the Cure game

Because she was so young when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and because she battled it with such grace, I asked her many times to talk to other young women who were newly diagnosed.  She always made the time to offer her support and share her experiences with them.  She also volunteered countless hours to raise money and awareness for breast cancer through NW Ohio Komen.    She never shied away from an opportunity to help and truly believed a cure would be found in her lifetime. 

Something I find so amazing about my friend Gretchen is her ability to reach and teach people even in her last vulnerable days.  

This is the picture Gretchen wanted the doctors and nurses to see

As her health started to deteriorate, Gretchen shared with me that she was concerned her nurses and doctors would not know “the real me.  They only see a bald, sick-looking invalid lying in this bed.  They don’t know that two months ago I was a normal person!”     I promised her they would know the real Gretchen and in her last few days when groups of doctors and nurses would come into her room at UTMC and she couldn’t talk for herself, I would point to a beautiful picture of Gretchen on the wall and say “Before you start your exam, let me properly introduce you to my friend, Gretchen.  She is a vivacious, incredible person–beautiful inside and out.  She is a mom, and a wife and a friend and she wanted to make sure you knew she was a normal person before she ended up in that hospital bed.”   

They would all take a good long look at Gretchen’s beautiful face and and nearly every one of them thanked me for reminding them of that important lesson.  I kept thinking to myself “Gretchen can’t even talk and she’s still teaching people and inspiring people to be better.” 

Her last selfless act: to donate her body to the scientists at UTMC.   It was her hope that by studying her body, doctors will discover something that will help the next woman with breast cancer survive.   

Breast cancer brought Gretchen to me in 2003, the year the NW Ohio/Komen Race for the Cure was run “In Celebration of Gretchen Skeldon.”    Today, breast cancer took my dear friend away.   But Gretchen leaves behind a legacy of giving and love that most of us can only aspire to. Our world will forever be a better place because she was here.   Goodbye, dear Gretchen.

I was the Master of Ceremonies, posing here with some of the models including my colleague, Melissa Voetsch!

Five hundred people gathered Friday to celebrate one important cause: victory over cancer.    The Victory Center is an amazing resource for our community and we are lucky to have it.  Friday was one of the Victory Center’s major fundraisers: the 3rd annual Luncheon and Fashion Show.    Local women’s boutiques joined forces for this one:  Sophie’s Sister, Lady C, the Sophia Lustig Shop, Lily Whitestone, Ragazza and Elegant Rags brought us a preview of Spring.  But what made this fashion show special was the models:  many were cancer survivors with amazing and inspirational stories to share.   These ladies were beautiful inside AND out!

If you are diagnosed with cancer, or if someone you love is diagnosed, the Victory Center should be one of the first phone calls you make.   It is a fabulous resource for information, support groups, and adjunctive services like massage, reflexology, and exercise classes.   While the doctors work to fix your body, the Victory Center works to fix your spirit.   No need is too big or too small for staff at the Victory Center.    Check them out online at www.thevictorycenter.org or 419-531-7600.     If you like what you see available, come to our next fundraiser or send a donation.    Toledo is blessed to have such a resource available but it is funded entirely by donations and corporate sponsorships.   Every dollar helps!

The Blade/Andy Morrison

Thrilling.  Heart-stopping.  Stomach-churning.  You might think I’m talking about the newest ride at Cedar Point, but no–those are the words I use to describe the way I spent my afternoon on Saturday, watching the University of Toledo women’s basketball team take on the ladies from Bowling Green State University.  Both teams are terrific: each picked to win its division in the MAC.  Both coaches are outstanding:  Tricia Cullop and Curt Miller were MAC co-coaches of the year last year. 

But major credit also goes to the fans!  The atmosphere in Savage Arena was simply electric!  Fans from both teams filled the stands, setting a MAC on-campus attendance record of 5,825.    Nearly 6,000 people watching a women’s basketball game!  The support from the students was fantastic, including a huge contingent of UT football players there to cheer the women on.   And when the Rockets won the game–66 to 63–those fans stormed the court, hugging the players and celebrating the victory with excitement.    The UT-BG rivalry is a great one, and it had been six years since the Rockets had beaten BG. 

The Blade/Andy Morrison

How exciting to be at the game!  I felt so proud to be there with my 9 year old daughter, showing her that women’s sports do matter;  and that fans–at least around here–appreciate a girl who’s got game!

Join us Saturday, February 13th at Savage Arena for Rockets for the Cure!  The UT ladies take on Western Michigan at 2 PM in a special game to benefit NW Ohio Komen for the Cure!  For tickets, call 419-530-GOLD.

Gretchen and her daughter Lily

For the past 6 years, I’ve been lucky to have an angel in my life.  Dictionary.com defines angel as ”a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness.”   That describes my friend Gretchen to a tee. 

Gretchen’s tall and slender…obviously beautiful on the outside…but it only takes a minute to see she’s just as beautiful on the inside.  She’s smart and personable, traits that have taken her to a top position at Libbey Glass.  She’s a talented designer, a doting mother, devoted wife and unwavering friend.   Oh, and you should hear her sing.  She has the voice of–you guessed it–an angel. 

Gretchen's always up for fun!

When I met Gretchen she was a two-time breast cancer survivor.  I asked her once if she ever asked God “Why me?”  With a twinkle in her eye she said “I never ask ‘why me,’ I always say ‘I wonder why God gave me a cancer I can beat?’”   Her positive attitude has been an inspiration to  everyone who knows her.   

Now Gretchen needs our prayers.  Now a four-time cancer survivor, she’s in the hospital fighting off a terrible lung infection.  Her friends and family are taking shifts with her at the hospital and Friday was my turn.   It’s hard to see someone you love struggling to breathe.  But Gretchen continues to inspire people every day with her positive attitude, and amazing recovery. 

She’s a miracle…and we’re praying for her strength and recovery.  Praying for an angel.

In 2009, I chose to write my blog like a newspaper column on a variety of topics.  I want to THANK YOU for reading my musings, and for responding to my entries with your insightful comments.    Many of you asked if I would share more of my personal stories and family happenings through the blog, so in 2010, that’s what I will do!  The blog entries will be shorter, but more frequent, and will hopefully become a springboard for discussion and sharing ideas! 

And please:  if you have ideas for topics, please email me anytime at cpeterson@wtol.com.

Stay tuned…

Ilene was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 42.  A mammogram found a tumor the size of a golf ball in her right breast.  It was so deep, she had never even felt it.  It was Ilene’s first mammogram–something she only scheduled after two years of  prompting from her doctor.     After aggressive treatment, Ilene is alive and well–a 12 year breast cancer survivor. 

As a breast cancer awareness, prevention and screening advocate for nearly 20 years, I could give you dozens more stories just like those, which is why a recent report by the US Preventive Services Task Force is so upsetting.    This panel suggests changing the screening guidelines for breast cancer that have been so effective in saving women’s lives.  The standard guidelines from the American Cancer Society call for yearly mammograms starting at age 40.  The panel believes screening mammograms should start at age 50, and then only be done every other year.  The reason they give?   While some 15 percent of women in their 40s detect breast cancer through mammography, other women experience false positives, anxiety, and unnecessary biopsies as a result of the test.

WHAT?!?!  

You want to take away the most effective screening tool for 15 percent of all women in their 40′s so other women don’t have anxiety?!?   Ilene can’t believe it:  “I know I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t had that mammogram.  Anxiety doesn’t kill you.  Breast cancer can if it’s not caught early enough.”

The panel further suggests that breast self-exam is unnecessary and women shouldn’t be taught to do it…but statistics show 80% of cancerous breast lumps are found by women themselves.  Women like Debbie:  “I wasn’t always faithful about doing my breast self-exams.  I shudder to think what might have happened to me…to my children…if I hadn’t found that lump.”

Some medical experts contend the panel’s report is strictly based on cost-effectiveness:  “With its new recommendations, the [task force] is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives; just not enough of them,”  said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the  American Cancer Society. 

According to The Society of Breast Imaging, ”Since 1990, the breast cancer death rate in the US that had been unchanged in the preceding 50 years, has decreased by 30%, primarily due to screening mammography.”  The group also disagrees with the panel’s recommendation to screen only women who are at high risk:    ”Only 10-25% of breast cancers occur in high risk women.  Not screening the others would miss 75-90% of breast cancers.” 

Women like Jane, who kept putting off her mammogram, even when she had a lump so large and so sore she couldn’t raise her arm.  When her co-workers finally dragged her to the doctor, it was too late.   When she was dying, she said to me, “Chrys, promise me you will tell my story to other women.  Tell them not to be stupid like me so they don’t end up dead like me.” 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in the United States. This year, nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.  The medical community and the American Cancer Society agree we should stick with the current guidelines: monthly breast self-exam, and yearly mammograms starting at age 40.    Because of those screenings, more women are catching breast cancer early, and more women are surviving the disease.   

Just ask Debbie or Ilene.  I wish the members of the task force had listened to their stories and met their families before they decided their lives weren’t worth the cost nor anxiety of a yearly mammogram or breast self-exam.

I wondered whatever happened to my first grade teacher, Mrs. Trebilcock?  For many of us, our first grade teachers are special.  They set the tone for the next dozen or more years of our learning.  Mrs. Trebilcock was special.  She was just the right mix of strict and fun, challenging us to do our best but always available with a hug if we needed one.   When the prized music box I brought for show and tell fell off the desk and shattered on the floor, it was Mrs. Trebilcock who helped pick up the pieces of glass, and my heart. 

My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Canny was special too.  I was in an accelerated learning program that year and Mrs. Canny made learning fun, teaching us to use our critical thinking skills by playing bridge and taking us on field trips to art museums and historical sites. 

Junior High offered me an incredible science teacher, Mr. Bogger (pronounced bo-jer), whose enthusiasm for chemistry literally bubbled over like our test-tube experiments gone wrong.   Even kids who didn’t get good grades in any other subject tried their hardest to impress Mr. Bogger.  Mr. Gregory was the history teacher who made the mission of the “Enola Gay” come to life for me, and Ms. Holzer was the Home Economics teacher who was determined to teach me how to thread the bobbin on the sewing machine.   My projects weren’t blue-ribbon material, but her encouragement helped me feel great about my accomplishments, and gave me the courage to try new things. 

In high school, my English teachers Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Mathews instilled in me a love for reading and writing that I treasure still.  Mrs. Susan helped me navigate the world of algebra, trigonometry and functions.  “Killer” Hiller assigned me history projects that sent me into the streets of Old Town Alexandria and Washington DC mapping the city and looking for examples of federalist architecture.  I learned how to write an exceptional research paper in his class.   Mr. Aiken, my choral director, pushed me to develop my vocal talent, and encouraged me to perform in numerous shows and state competitions, sometimes driving me there himself if I needed a ride. 

Those teachers, and so many others I didn’t name here, helped me not only to learn facts and figures, but to apply that knowledge to help solve real-world problems.  They helped me develop my confidence, courage, and self-esteem.  They used their talents to develop me into a better person.   I’m so thankful they were part of my village.

Some of us have recurring nightmares about our jobs.  When you work in TV news the nightmare may be that you’re out on a live shot and you can’t speak or you don’t have any information.  I’ve also had the recurring dream that it’s minutes before news time and I’m in still in the car driving to the station, trying to make it there in time.  One time I dreamed I was coming back to the station from picking up food on the east side, and on my way back driving over the Martin Luther King Bridge it collapsed and I was floating around in my car in the Maumee, calling the station on my cell phone for help, and telling them I could do a live shot from the water.  Weird, huh?

But by far the most frequent dream I have is the one where I’m sitting on the set waiting for the newscast to begin and I realize I’m not dressed, or don’t have any makeup on.  Last week, that one was a nightmare come true.

For those of you who have wondered if we have professional hair and makeup people at the station who get us ready each night: we don’t.   We all do our own.  Because TV makeup is applied more heavily than regular makeup, there are some days when I come in to work with no makeup and apply it there.  If I don’t have anywhere to be earlier in the day, I just give my skin a break and wait ’til I get to the station to do it.  

Admittedly, Chrys without makeup is not a pretty sight.  My coworkers are kind about it because they love me but like many women, I feel I look much better with makeup on.   So at 4:40 last Thursday when I went back to the makeup room to put on my “face” imagine my horror to discover I had left my makeup bag at home!!!   “Oh no…my nightmare’s coming true,” I panicked.   I had 15 minutes until the 5 PM news and my house was 25 minutes away.   “You’re beautiful without makeup,” Jerry Anderson consoled.  “No one will even notice,” my co-worker Jim said. 

Right. 

So I did what any self-respecting anchor would do:  I found Melissa Voetsch, our 5:30 PM anchor and told her I needed her to fill in for me at 5.  She was gracious and stepped in with 5 minutes to go.   (This is just one of the many reasons I love my coworkers.)  I called my husband to bring my makeup, and had it on in time to do the 6 PM news.  

But what if Mel and Jerry hadn’t been at work that day?  What if my husband hadn’t been home to bring my makeup bag to me?  What if I had no choice but to go on the air with no makeup for all of Northwest Ohio to see?   What a nightmare!