Editor's Note: NewsChannel 2 anchor Wendy Chioji is grateful to all of the viewers who have expressed their best wishes as she wages her fight against breast cancer.

Chioji has chosen to use NewsChannel2000.com as her way of keeping the public updated on her health. New diary entries will be posted every Friday.

I just finished my first bottle of Tamoxifen, and I had to refill the prescription.

BREAST CANCER INFORMATION Four Steps Promote Early Detection WENDY'S DIARY Oct. 31: Ride For The Roses Oct. 24: Another Cycling Weekend Oct. 18: An Emotional Finish Oct. 17: Singin' In The Rain Oct 16: Rally In Indianapolis Oct. 15: Chilling In Arkansas Oct. 14: Monster Crosswinds Oct. 13: Tailwind To Texas Oct. 12: An Uphill Climb Oct. 11: The Race Begins Previous Diary Entries WEB LINKS Florida Hospital mammography locations Complete Guide For Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Decision Guide Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation National Breast Cancer Coalition American Cancer Society National Breast Cancer Coalition INTERACTIVE Breast Cancer Survivors: Share Your Experiences Meet Other Breast Cancer Survivors

So far, no side effects that I have noticed. No hot flashes, and no weight gain either. I'm crossing my fingers that this will continue for, oh, four years and 11 months.

I also got my notice for my annual visit to the gynecologist. That would be the same visit last year that started off the whole breast cancer ordeal. I can't believe it's almost been a year. And honestly, it makes me a little anxious to go back to that doctor. I'll have to procrastinate for a while.

I'm getting ready to go to Salt Lake City for the Olympics too. I'll report, not just for WESH NewsChannel 2, but for all 28 Hearst-Argyle-owned stations. There are stations in Pittsburgh, Boston and Sacramento. I'm really looking forward to reporting. I got to report at the Atlanta summer games in 1996, but only because of the bomb.

I leave Tuesday and come back on Feb. 25. Instead of this journal, I'll be writing a daily journal from the Olympics. I'll get back to this journal at the end of the month.

After the Olympics, I have set a new goal: the Lance Armstrong Ride for the Roses. It's in April in Austin, Texas. It's his fundraiser for his foundation. Lance Armstrong is my hero. When I was feeling terrible through chemotherapy, I would remember things he talked about in his book and know that I could get through it.

And seeing him recover from cancer, and win three Tour de France races, was incredibly inspiring! I think that riding my first century ride, 100 miles, in a cancer fundraiser ride with Lance Armstrong, almost exactly a year after my cancer diagnosis, is perfect. It'll be an incredible statement of survival. I'm going to try to get an interview with him, too, if I can. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I'm going to change my training routine from running to more riding. That makes sense, since the century will probably take me more than seven hours. I'm heading out on a 40-mile ride Sunday. My century riding partner, Giti, will be out of town, so I'll get a headstart on him. He'll catch up quickly, though. There won't be much riding of bikes in Salt Lake City. (15 degrees?)

I talked to my friend from the chemo room, Nona, this week. She's doing great, physically. She even has been playing golf. But just as things got better for her, things turned terrible for her. Her husband, Jim, died this week. He had been deteriorating because of lung disease. It doesn't seem fair how tough life can be sometimes.

Luckily, Nona has wonderful people who live around her who will help. She's still taking chemo every week for her pancreatic cancer, but she never complains.

I'll spend the weekend gathering all my ski clothes and cold weather clothes, to get ready for the Olympics. Don't forget, I won't have a journal entry here for two weeks, but I'll write an Olympic journal on NewsChannel2000.com's Olympics section.

Wendy
Feb. 1, 2002

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