Editor's Note: NewsChannel 2 anchorwoman 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 periodically.

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

It's a big month in the life of Chioji.

Not me -- but the Canine Companions for Independence dog that the agency named after me. He's been living with his puppy raisers, Marcia and Tom, in Atlanta for about a year and a half, learning basic training skills.

This month, he came to the CCI facility near Ocoee for doggie college. Isn't he beautiful? I find him to be charming and smart, too.

Anyway, now he learns advanced training, and if he's successful, he'll be graduated and matched with a disabled human partner. He'll learn 60 commands to make that person's life better. It's all very exciting.

Friday morning, I went to the kick-off breakfast for the American Cancer Society's "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk. There were about 500 people there, all ready to raise money in the fight against breast cancer.

I'm the honorary chairwoman, and I was asked to tell my story to help get the event started. It was a lovely event, and I am happy to be able to help. Don't forget: the event is Oct. 19 at Church Street at 9 a.m. You can get information from the ACS at (407) 843-8680 ext. 529.

I hope to see you there. I'm just starting to recruit Channel 2 walkers and runners. With October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month looming, I have been inundated with requests to speak about my experience with breast cancer, and I have been in a quandary over many of the requests.

Honestly, I turned down the majority of them. I am almost always reluctant to accept invitations to speak just about the cancer experience. It's not that I'm reluctant to talk about it (you all know better than THAT!) I am just trying very hard not to be identified only with breast cancer.

I think there are other, equally interesting facets to my life and other charities and causes I am passionate about. I appreciate that I am in a unique position to reach a lot of people with information about cancer and survival, and I believe I have done and am doing that, in my own way.

But during the cancer treatment, I considered it a detour to my life. Not exactly a phase, but an era. And it's over. Every day, I am grateful that I was able to survive and survive well. But it didn't define my life by a long shot, and I am not dwelling on it.

For me, the ultimate victory over cancer is the ability to continue to live the same life as before, but better. Just like my hero, Lance Armstrong. (Always more of him!) Enough of the soapbox.

We're coming up on the anniversary of Sept. 11, can you believe it? I think the day promises to be an incredibly sad and poignant one. A good day to count blessings and tell your friends and family how much you love them.

Wendy
Aug. 23, 2002

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