|
Monday, 22 October 2007 |
Two-hour aerobic marathon at Snowcreek Athletic Club to help Chantal Hodges through her ordeal
By Stacey Powells
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
Being a self-employed single mother of two school-age children isn’t easy under the best of circumstances. Throw breast cancer into the mix and the world crumbles little by little, with everything that was once familiar and constant turned upside down.
In December 2006, Chantal Hodges went for a routine mammogram and was told that everything looked normal; however, the lump that Chantal found felt anything but normal and she stayed on her doctor until they did an ultrasound. In April this year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “No matter what you’re told, if you are not comfortable with the diagnosis, keep on it,” Hodges said.
Like millions of other people in this country, Hodges didn’t have medical insurance, but through the “Every Woman Counts” program at Sierra Park Clinic she was able to acquire Medi-Cal. Still, the out-of-pocket costs continue to pile up. “What is taking its toll is that I have to keep going out of town.” Due to the limited services in this area, she has to go to Southern California for treatment, which means she misses work and accumulates other bills associated with traveling. She started her chemo treatments the first week in October, and is also looking at the possibility of having three more surgeries. “Everything is going as well as it can be and I’m very grateful for all the help I’ve received so far from my friends and the community,” Hodges remarked.
In true Mammoth Lakes form, her friends have rallied. Local fitness professional Kathy Dolan has arranged a two-hour Aerobic Marathon that will take place on Saturday Oct. 20 at Snowcreek Athletic Club. The funds collected from the marathon will go toward helping Chantal deal with the additional financial burden she is incurring as a result of her cancer.
“Every 15 minutes there will be a new activity,” Dolan said. “There will be Pilates, yoga, different types of cardio and CHP Officer Bill Thompson will head up a 15-minute boot camp.” Pledge sheets are available at Snowcreek Athletic Club. For more information call Kathy Dolan at (760) 934-8511, ext. 40.
|
|
Last Updated ( Saturday, 27 October 2007 )
|
