On October 10, 2018, the 10th Annual Drink Pink for a cause will take place at Bernard’s in Ridgefield. This event supports Ann’s Place while putting a spotlight on local breast cancer patients and survivors.
The photo you see here is one of Kristen Jensen’s “Courageous Faces”. This and many other photos of cancer survivors and those in the midst of treatment will blanket the walls of Bernard’s on October 10 telling a story of life, struggle, friendship, and hope.
Here, we couple the many Courageous Faces with their unique stories. We thank each and every one of these ladies for sharing their difficult journey with us.
Randi Van Pelt
Hometown: Wilton
Occupation: Managing Partner for Norwalk Real Estate Associates
Tell me about when you first learned you had breast cancer
I was reading an article in Woman’s Day Magazine about self-breast exams. A month earlier I had felt a lump, but did not think anything about it because I had just finished breastfeeding my daughter Nicole. I did the exam after reading the article and the lump was still there. My ex-husband urged me to call the Dr. the next day. After seeing my gynecologist I was sent to the radiologist for further testing. He assured me that he thought it was nothing, but that was not actually the case. I had the lump removed and 13 lymph nodes. My surgeon Craig Floch thought it was not cancer too! A few days later when I got the call from Dr. Floch I was not expecting to hear the words, “you have cancer”. I was in the middle of feeding my 3-year-old son Will and 11-month-old daughter Nicole. I was diagnosed with her 2 positive breast cancer. I underwent chemo, radiation and then I was lucky to be in a study where Herceptin was given to patients with her 2 positive breast cancer and now it is part of the protocol for patients with area her 2 positive. I also had my ovaries removed because estrogen played a part in feeding the cancer.