TEAM HEATHER AND THE KOMEN NATIONAL RACE FOR THE CURE REGISTRATION IS UP AND RUNNING

Come join Team Heather and help us get to our 2006 goal of $30,000 to fight breast cancer. Just visit the Team Heather webpage for the Komen National Race for the Cure to become a team member or visit my personal Komen National Race for the Cure webpage to sponsor me personally. WE NEED YOUR HELP and so do thousands of underprivileged women who can't afford the testing, screening, and treatment to battle their breast cancer. Join us, won't you?

If you are unsure about joining the team OR sponsoring us, I thought it might help to learn a bit about Heather. She was my youngest sister. Heather was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer at age 25 and participated in the National Race for the Cure® in 2001 and 2002. Heather offered herself up to speak around Northeast Ohio on the importance of early detection and treatment for breast cancer. She was determined to help improve the quality of life for those less fortunate. Heather’s intense desire to inform and educate other women, young and old alike, on the dangers of emerging breast cancer guided her decision to proudly go wigless and hatless throughout her treatment. At 26, and recently married, Heather lost the battle with breast cancer she had been fighting for over a year and a half.

This year, Team Heather is proud to announce our 2006 Komen National Race for the Cure's Honorary Team Captain is the lead singer from “Eddie From Ohio,” and my very good friend, Julie Murphy Wells. Last September, Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer and is now undergoing her last rounds of chemotherapy; remission, here she comes! For those who know and love Julie, we aren't surprised she's tackling this experience with the same faith, courage, humor, and spirit with which she walks through life.

Also, it is with just as much celebration that we announce United States Congressman, and close friend, Jim Kolbe (AZ) has agreed to become our 2006 Honorary Team Chairman - "I would be honored to serve as your Honorary Chairman for your team." Congressman Kolbe’s family has been struck by cancer as well and is more than happy to lend his name and prestige to Team Heather’s efforts this year.

Come join the team! You CAN make a difference. PLEASE act now!

Team Heather Captain,
Shawn Gardner

Team Heather Adds United States Congressman Jim Kolbe to the Team as the 2006 Honorary Chairman

Family and friends of Team Heather had no words to explain the excitement we felt when we announced that Eddie From Ohio's lead singer, Julie Murphy Wells, agreed to become the team's 2006 Honorary Team Captain. It is with just as much celebration that we announce United States Congressman, and close friend, Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) has agreed to become our 2006 Honorary Team Chairman, saying, "I would be honored to serve as your Honorary Chairman for your team."

TEAM HEATHER HAS A UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN FOR OUR HONORARY CHAIRMAN!!! This is all very hard to believe for those of us who sat in a neighbor's back patio years ago and decided that we were going to make Team Heather a fundraising force to be reckoned with. A new Team Heather awareness website, a nationally known bands' lead singer as our Honorary Team Captain, a United States Congressman a our Honorary Chairman, and a $30,000 fundraising goal - 2006 will be quite a year for Team Heather.

Representative Kolbe, an 11 term Congressman from Arizona, is an advocate for personal savings accounts, a leader and proponent of immigration reform and strengthening border security, and a fierce proponent of smaller government, lower taxes, and more individual responsibility. Most importantly to Team Heather, Congressman Koble has demonstrated his desire to help in the fight against breast cancer by joining our team. Thanks Jim!

Komen's "National Race for the Cure" 2005 Grant Awardees

It is always amazing to raise money and see where it actually goes to be used well. Last year, Team Heather raised over $27,500 for Komen's National Race for the Cure. The 2005 Komen Grant Awardees have recently been announced and seeing some of the recipients of the hard work of over 1000 teams and thousands of individuals really makes the months of hard work pay off. Thank you Komen, for using this money wisely. Take a look at the work of some of the awardees below:

Adventist Healthcare

Arlington Free Clinic

Boat People S.O.S.

Cancer Research And Prevention Foundation

CASA of Maryland, Inc.

DC Department of Health

Holy Cross Hospital

La Clinica del Pueblo

Lombardi - Capital Breast Care Center

Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc.

Mautner Project

National Capital Area Affiliate of Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization

Nueva Vida

Providence Hospital

Suburban Hospital Cancer Program

Sibley Memorial Hospital

Smith Farm Center for the Healing Arts

Washington Adventist Hospital

Whitman Walker Clinic

If you visit any of these sites above, you will see that the monies raised from Komen's National Race for the Cure go to helping underprivileged women become informed on, tested for, and treated against breast cancer. Heather loved this goal of providing assistance for women who can't enjoy the type of medical care she received, so the $27,500 that Team Heather raised in 2005 is continuing here work today. Thanks, and $30,000, here we come!

Sheryl Crow Announces Her Personal Breast Cancer Battle

Sheryl Crow is not stranger to overcoming the odds. She wrote her first song at age 13 and worked as a music teacher for autisitc children. She went from jingle-writing to become a backup singer for Michael Jackson. She was offered only dance-pop contracts after Jackson's "Bad" tour and turned everyone of them down in her quest to be a rocker. She battled personal depression, professional scandal, the controversial death of an ex-boyfriend, and more. She's written songs for Wynonna Judd, Celine Dion, Stevie Nicks, and Eric Clapton and sung an unlikely duet with Kid Rock. She's been a Bond girl with her writing and performance of the theme song for Tomorrow Never Dies. She's had countless Grammy-winning hits and saw just as many platinum-selling albums. She's dated and broken up with one of the world's most revered athletes. She's over 40 and hotter than ever. And now, she 's a breast cancer suvivor.

This week, Crow announced her battle with breast cancer in a statement:

"Approximately 1 in 7 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime and more than 2 million Americans are living with breast cancer today. I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

We are a testament to the importance of early detection and new treatments. I encourage all women everywhere to advocate for themselves and for their future. See your doctor and be proactive about your health.

More than 10 million Americans are living with cancer, and they demonstrate the ever-increasing possibility of living beyond cancer. I am inspired by the brave women who have faced this battle before me and grateful for the support of family and friends."

It is ironic that in 2000, she performed for a "Rock Against Breast Cancer" Concert. Who would have guessed she'd be the beneficiary of such a wonderful chapter in this long battle. Good luck in your recovery, Sheryl. With your inner strength, winner's attitude, and admirable confidence, your battle has already been won.

Announcing Team Heather's Dual Purposes - Awareness & Fund-Raising

Hello All,

Team Heather, the effort initiated in 2001 to support my youngest sister in her battle with breast cancer, has now branched off into two exciting endeavors: a fund-raising effort through Team Heather’s participation in Komen’s National Race for the Cure, and an awareness effort through this Team Heather Blog. Last year, the fund-raising effort of Team Heather placed third out of over 1200 teams, with $27,500 raised by 77 team members. The awareness effort has just begun.

(Look, however, for the line between the two to blur somewhat as we grow closer to the June 3, 2006 race-day. This blog will be used to update and communicate progress of the fund-raising efforts of the official Komen National Race for the Cure's Team Heather website. It’s the only way to see our daunting $30,000 goal come true.)

During the other months of the year, the overarching goal of this blog and the Team Heather awareness effort is to educate, inform, empower, enlighten, strengthen, lift, and motivate breast cancer survivors facing personal battles with breast cancer, no matter where they are in the process of treatment and recovery. I maintain that it is essential to provide an abundance of resources to breast cancer survivors, in order to make their search for answers, their need for support, and their ability to fight more practical and successful through one, concentrated tool.

It is my goal to make this blog a storage-house of information, where individuals will be pointed in any number of directions in order to help make the important decisions one makes in battling breast cancer.

By the way, my view of a breast cancer survivor is fairly broad, in that I believe if you are an individual newly diagnosed and beginning treatment, an individual who has completed treatment and is newly cancer-free, an individual who has lost the battle with breast cancer, or the co-surviving spouse, parent, sibling, child, grandparent, or grandchild of any of the first three, you are a breast cancer survivor.

The first "links" section of my Team Heather Blog contains specific organizations created to answer questions, provide guidance, offer options, produce research, ease fears, celebrate stories, embrace pro-activity, create communities, and link to further resources for breast cancer survivors of all kinds. In this section you will find websites geared towards individuals from all walks of life, including African American, Hispanic, Gay/Lesbian, White, Disadvantaged, At-risk, Young, Old, Underprivileged, and more. My advice - get lost in these websites.

The second "links" section highlights products, retailers, organizations, efforts, literature, services, gifts, symbols, games, treats, stress-relievers, events, support groups, and alerts that serve to send the message of unity and hope to breast cancer survivors, through pink ribbon and breast cancer awareness-focused avenues. I think you will find phenomenal illustrations inside to demonstrate your dedication and commitment to this fight.

Finally, there is a third "links" section called, "_____ for the Cure," where fund-raising events from all across the country are spotlighted. Obviously, the most recognizable of these events is the national, "Race for the Cure," but there are activities within as diverse as the individuals affected by this disease. Here you will find that you can cut, boogie, crunch, cook, write, shower, ride, quilt, toast , swing, stitch, ski, and more for the cure. Do anything, do something!

I thank you for your support in Team Heather's new awareness effort and I hope you will return again and again to my Team Heather Blog. I invite you also to participate in our fund-raising efforts through joining the Komen National Race for the Cure's Team Heather; look for information on how to do so coming soon.

I thank you on behalf of my sister, Heather, and the thousands and thousands of breast cancer survivors, for your commitment to finding a cure to this indiscriminate disease. Please email me with questions, comments, suggestions, and more at gardnershawn68@aol.com. Together, we can make a difference.

Thanks again,
Shawn

Valentine's Day Message from Komen

Dear Friend,

Forget "Say it with flowers!" I want to wish you a Valentine's Day with action! I am sending you this card to celebrate hope, courage, strength, love, and ultimately a CURE for breast cancer.

I hope you'll join me in spreading the hope and act today in the fight against breast cancer!

Add your voice to the battle against breast cancer and pass on this wish to others.

Happy Valentine's Day!
P.S. Please forward this message on to all your loved ones!

Taking the "1 in 7" Idea a Step Farther

In exploring hundreds and hundreds of websites dedicated to supporting, informing, motivating, treating, teaching, empowering, guiding, and arming women in the fight against breast cancer, the quote that best sums up what we are all trying to do comes from the founders of www.breastfriends.com:

"Every woman in America will be touched by breast cancer in her lifetime. One in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The other six will know her. "

It doesn't get more powerful than that.

I sent an email out to dozens of my friends and family with the link to this blog. I asked them to get lost in it and hit me back with ideas on how to get the message out with the greatest success. One of my friends suggested we put the link to Team Heather in our email's signature. Great idea Caroline! If you enjoy this site, please consider making it part of the signature for either your work or personal email.

I appreciate each of you who come to this blog and would welcome any comments you might have. Feel free to post them on here, or email me at gardnershawn68@aol.com.

Team Heather's New 2006 Honorary Team Captain - Julie Murphy Wells

Julie Murphy Wells

John McMahon/JohnEBongo Photography (JohnEBongoPhoto@aol.com)

Team Heather is proud to announce our 2006 Komen National Race for the Cure's Honorary Team Captain is the lead singer from "Eddie from Ohio," and my very good friend, Julie Murphy Wells. "EFO" is a local Virginia band with an unwaveringly dedicated following and over 15 years of national touring and CD sales success. They've been called "the greatest band you've never heard of," and their most recent CD, "This Is Me," showcases Julie's amazing talents.

Julie is the Team Captain for Bubba's Buddies, a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation team organized around her son who was diagnosed with the disease several years ago. To date, Bubba's Buddies has raised over $50,000 for Juvenile Diabetes research and treatment. Last summer, Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer and is now undergoing her last rounds of chemotherapy; remission, here she comes! For those who know and love Julie, we aren't surprised she's tackling this experience with the same faith, courage, humor, and spirit with which she walks through life.

Julie is joined onstage each performance by Robbie Shaefer, Michael Clem, and Eddie Hartness - together they bring down the house. With the recent addition of the Grammy Winning Producer, Lloyd Maines (Dixie Chicks), "EFO" is busier than ever. Their most recent tour is taking them to venues across the country, from Virginia to California, and many places in between. Look for them coming to a stage near you.

Team Heather is proud and humbled to welcome Julie Murphy Wells as our 2006 Honorary Team Captain and we look forward to supporting her every step of the way in her own battle. Thank you Julie and we love you.

EFO's Nine CD's To Date

A Juggler on His Blades - 1992
Actually Not - 1993
I Rode Fido Home - 1995
Big Noise - 1997
Portable EFO Show - 1998
Looking Out the Fishbowl - 1999
Quick - 2001
Three Rooms - 2003
This is Me - 2004

Humorous (Yes, Humorous!) Books about Battling Breast Cancer

Of all the amazing women I know who have done battle with breast cancer (my sister, my mother, my friends, my coworkers, my relatives) there is one thing they all have in common - they faced their battle with humor as a weapon.

My sister Heather had to have her fake Billy Bob teeth in before going to chemotherapy, my mother Becky proudly shows off her 5 breast tattoos (used to line up her radiation), my friend Julie sent out, as her Christmas cards, a picture of her, her husband, and their two boys, all proudly donning bald heads. Humor is a MUST when facing the fear, pain, and mystery of breast cancer.

Books that tackle breast cancer are few and far between. No one wants to put "laughter" and "breast cancer" in the same sentence - yet the books on the list below do so and do so with great success. Please think about picking up one of these books for a woman in your life in the midst of her own fight - I think you'll find it will be her most favorite gift.

1. The Courage Muscle - A Chicken's Guide to Living with Breast Cancer
2. My One-Night Stand with Cancer: A Memoir
3. Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy
4. The Victoria's Secret Catalog Never Stops Coming: And Other Lessons I Learned from Breast Cancer
5. B.O.O.B.S: A Bunch of Outrageous Breast Cancer Survivors Tell Their Stories of Courage, Hope, and Healing
6. I'm Alive and the Doctor's Dead
7. Breast Cancer? Let Me Check My Schedule
8. Humor After the Tumor
9. The Feisty Woman's Breast Cancer Book
10. No Mountain Too High: A Triumph over Breast Cancer : The Story of the Women of Expedition Inspiration
11. Plant A Geranium In Your Cranium
12. Breast Cancer Be-Attitudes!
13. Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Breast Cancer
14. Breast Cancer for Dummies
15. Uplift : Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors
16. Mammograms and Mastectomies: Facing Them With Humor and Prayer
17. Complete Idiot's Guide to Living with Breast Cancer
18. Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole
19. Red Devil: To Hell with Cancer and Back
20. Dreamwalk: A Survivor's Journey Through Breast Cancer
21. Don't Count Me Out: Surviving Breast Cancer
22. Bosom Buddies : Lessons and Laughter on Breast Health and Cancer
23. Breast Cancer Husband : How to Help Your Wife (and Yourself) during Diagnosis, Treatment and Beyond
24. Various Breast Cancer Support Books

Team Heather's Website from The National Race for the Cure - 2005

Thought it would be cool to link to Team Heather from 2005's Komen National Race for the Cure. Out of over 1000 teams, we came in 3rd in fundraising. 2006, here we come!

Bumper Stickers That Matter

There are so many damn bumper stickers here in Washington, D.C. that announce everything from, "My 5 Year Old is on the Honor Roll at Pre-School," "My Other Car is a Broomstick," "Visualize World Peas," and "Your Tailgating is Really Bothering my Phone Call."

Heck, Chris and I have even joined the bumper sticker craze this week when we ordered, "This Teacher Gives W an F," "My Dog is Smarter Than Your President," "January 20, 2009 - The End of an Error," and "W - The Bigot."

But I think it's time we slap something on our Range Rovers, SUV's, H-3's, and BMW's that really makes a difference. Here are some links to a number of fantastic Breast Cancer Awareness bumper stickers sites where you can order your stickers right online.

Drop $3 on a bumper sticker with a good message for a change, not just another "I'd Rather Be Fishing!" Here are a couple options:


http://www.cafepress.com/shop/bumper-stickers/browse/store/yoadrienneaz.33214243 - Breast Cancer Isn't Prejudice

http://www.cafepress.com/cp/browse/store/grannygear.

29685331 - Breast Cancer Sucks
http://www.cafepress.com/tshirtsheaven.29019107 - One In Seven

http://www.cafepress.com/shop/wire/browse/store/

scarebaby.29432875 - Hope

http://www.cafepress.com/tshirtsheaven.22769223 - Simple Breast Cancer Ribbon

http://www.flagline.com/id91F16 - Survivor

Words Left by Heather on My Computer at Work

I love you …….heather

Famous People (Women AND Men) Who've Battled or Who are Battling Breast Cancer

I thought it would be powerful to see the names of quite a few familiar individuals who've had to battle breast cancer over the years. Many of them are alive and 100% cancer-free and some of them lost their lives to this indiscriminating disease - yet they are all survivors! They, like my sister Heather, didn't allow the cancer to break their spirits or lessen their faith. The true definition of a "survivor!"

Survivors Currently Battling Breast Cancer

Carol Martineau Baldwin, mother of the acting Baldwin brothers and founder of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center of the University Hospital and Medical Center at Stony Brook.
Allyce Beasley, American TV/comedic actress
Anastacia, African-American singer
Eileen Brennan, American actress
Diahann Carroll, African-American actress, singer
Julia Child, famous TV cook, known as The French Chef (beat breast cancer and died of natural causes at age 91)
Diana Douglas (Darrid), former actress; ex-wife of Kirk Douglas; mother of Michael Douglas
Elizabeth Anania Edwards, lawyer; wife of John Edwards (former Democrat U.S. Senator from North Carolina)
Jill Eikenberry, American actress
Linda Ellerbee, Texas-born journalist
Melissa Etheridge, American singer and prominent lesbian
Edie Falco, American stage and TV actress
Peggy Fleming, American figure skater
Betty Ford, former First Lady
Maria Friedman, British actress
Sheila Hancock, British actress
Julie Harris, legendary American stage actress
Laura Ingraham, right-wing radio host/pundit
Molly Ivins, Texan journalist
Kate Jackson, American actress
Ann Jillian, American actress, entertainer
Jennifer Jones, American Oscar-winning star actress
Sondra Locke, American actress
Rue McClanahan, American TV/stage actress
Kylie Minogue, Australian singer, actress
Alla Nazimova, Russian-born American stage and film actress who survived breast cancer (died at 66 of a coronary thrombosis in 1945)
Phyllis Newman, TV and Broadway actress/singer; widow of Adolph Green
Olivia Newton-John, UK/Australian singer/actress
Jerri Nielsen, American physician who famously treated herself for breast cancer while stuck in the South Pole after discovering a lump on her breast
Cynthia Nixon, American stage and TV actress
Aimee Osbourne, UK-born daughter of Sharon Osbourne; treated surgically in the UK
Nancy Priddy, mother of actress Christina Applegate
Sandra Day O'Connor, first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Nancy Reagan, former U.S. First Lady
Lynn Redgrave, British/American actress
Kathleen Reynolds, wife of former Irish taoiseach, Albert Reynolds
Wendy Richard, British actress
Cokie Roberts, American journalist
Margaretta Fitler Murphy Rockefeller, American socialite
Betty Rollin, author, retired TV correspondent
Richard Roundtree, male African-American actor
Soraya, Colombian-born musician/singer
Jean Simmons, British-born U.S. actress
Carly Simon, American singer
Jaclyn Smith, American actress, businesswoman
Brett Somers, Canadian-born U.S. actress, TV personality
Suzanne Somers, American actress
Gloria Steinem, American feminist activist; stepmother of Christian Bale
Gloria Stuart, legendary American actress
Shirley Temple, American former child star/former Republican diplomat
Ann Veneman, former head of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Marcia Wallace, American comedic actress

Survivors Lost to Breast Cancer

Ingrid Bergman, Oscar-winning star actress (died on 67th birthday)
Bibi Besch, actress (died at age 56)
Rose Bird, California judge (died at age 63)
Carina Bleeth, mother of actress Yasmine Bleeth (died at age 47)
Vanessa Brown, actress (died at age 71)
Coral Browne, actress (died at age 77)
Judith Campbell Exner, JFK relationship-related celebrity (died at age 65)
Rachel Carson, American environmentalist and author (Silent Spring) (died at age 56)
Norma Crane, American actress (died at age 44)
Linda Creed, songwriter (died at age 37)
Bette Davis, Oscar-winning star actress (died at age 81)
Sandra Feldman, former president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) (died at age 65)
Sophie Germain, French mathematician (died at age 55)
Gloria Grahame, Oscar-winning actress (died at age 57)
Lady Augusta Gregory, Irish nationalist landowner (died at age 80)
Florence Halop, American comedienne/comedic actress (died at age 63)
Judy Holliday, Oscar-winning star actress (died at age 43)
Jeanne Hyde, wife of U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde
Jill Ireland, British actress, wife of Charles Bronson (died at age 54)
Caron Keating, Northern Irish celebrity (died at age 41)
Marie Keating, mother of Ronan Keating
Kathy Keeton, Penthouse publisher and wife of Bob Guccione (died at age 58 of surgical complications)
Virginia Clinton Kelley, mother of President Bill Clinton (died at age 71)
Susan G. Komen, breast cancer activist (died at age 36)
Helen Gorman Kushnick, Hollywood producer (died at age 51)
Joi Lansing, actress (died at age 44)
Frances Lear, ex-wife of Norman Lear
Juliette Gordon Low, Founder of Girls Scouts of the USA (died at age 67)
Lady Linda McCartney, singer, activist, wife of Paul McCartney (died at age 56)
Mary Mohin McCartney, mother of Sir Paul McCartney
Hattie McDaniel, actress (died at age 57)
Roseann Murtha O'Donnell, mother of Rosie O'Donnell
Klara Pölzl, mother of Adolf Hitler (died at age 47)
Minnie Riperton, singer, mother of Maya Rudolph (died at age 31)
Rod Roddy, male radio and television announcer (died at age 66)
Roxie Roker, actress, mother of Lenny Kravitz (died at age 66)
Rosalind Russell, star actress (died at 69)
Wendie Jo Sperber, actress (died at age 47)
Dusty Springfield, songwriter/singer (died at age 60)
Doris Jones Stein, philanthropist (mother of Susan Shiva)
Susan Stein-Shiva, philanthropist (daughter of Doris Stein)
Susan Strasberg, actress (died at age 60)
Jacqueline Susann, writer (died at age 56)
Louise Troy, American actress (died at age 60)
Danitra Vance, actress (died at age 40)
Vivian Vance, actress, singer (died at age 70)
Suzie Wilson, mother of actress Mara Wilson

Write a Letter to the President Asking Him to Fund Breast Cancer Research

Action Alert!

This year, more than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer. We are making a difference right now, and so can you! Just visit www.ActNowEndBreastCancer.org and sent a letter to the President and Congress thanking them for extending the life of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp. This simple effort has generated over $34.5 million for breast cancer research.

With the State of the Union around the corner, and millions of Americans tuning in to listen, let's express our hope that the President includes funding for breast cancer research in his priorities for the coming year. As President Bush prepares to address the nation, join me and thousands of others in urging him to use this forum to help educate Americans about the importance of breast cancer programs. Send your letter today!

Please join me, Team Heather, and our friends and family. Click here to send your free letter. www.ActNowEndBreastCancer.org

All of us, united together, can make a difference in the lives of women and families facing breast cancer. Send your letter today.

Thanks!
Shawn

Heather Gardner Starcher

Team Heather Sets The Goal For 2006 And The National Race For The Cure

Team Heather $30 K - 2006 (TH30K06)

Team Heather 2005 Places Third out of over 1000 Teams, Raising over $27,500

As you may know, the 17th annual Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure® is on June 3, 2006. The National Race for the Cure® is the largest 5K in the world. This will be the 6th consecutive year Team Heather, a team created in honor of my sister, Heather Gardner Starcher, has participated in this deeply satisfying and consequential experience. We are determined to surpass our fundraising efforts of last year, where, with the help of folks like you, Team Heather raised over $27,500. Please think about making your philanthropic efforts for 2006 be Team Heather and the National Race for the Cure®. Thank you and $30,000, here we come!

I thought it might help those of you who never met Heather, to learn a bit about her. She was my youngest sister. Heather was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer at age 25 and participated in the National Race for the Cure® in 2001 and 2002. Heather offered herself up to speak around Northeast Ohio on the importance of early detection and treatment for breast cancer.

As a big sister in the Big Brothers & Big Sisters Program® for over six years, and as a volunteer counselor for children with disabilities at Camp Wonderlung, Heather was determined to help improve the quality of life for those less fortunate. It is no small wonder that her desire to make a difference in the lives of the disadvantaged merged perfectly with her the fight against breast cancer and her passion for The Komen National Race for the Cure. Here, monies raised go to providing underprivileged women with the financial assistance to battle this deadly disease.

Heather’s intense desire to inform and educate other women, young and old alike, on the dangers of emerging breast cancer guided her decision to proudly go wigless and hatless throughout her treatment. At 26, and recently married, Heather lost the battle with breast cancer she had been fighting for over a year and a half.

I would be honored if you aided in Heather’s ongoing battle in 2006, by either joining Team Heather as a member, or donating to the cause in the name of Team Heather.

How are you making a difference and leaving your mark right now? There are three ways to do just that in supporting Team Heather and the fight against breast cancer. 1) Join Team Heather; 2) Sponsor Team Heather; 3) Spread the message of Team Heather. Doing one of these is great, doing two or three of these will all but ensure that we reach our fundraising goal of $30,000 in 2006.

Please think first about joining the team. By becoming a member of Team Heather you will have the opportunity to help raise funds through your very own website set up for you on the National Race for the Cure’s® website. It doesn't matter if you can physically make it to the race on June 3, 2006 or not. Your participation as a team member, raising funds for an issue that touches so many lives, will help the mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, friends, and coworkers of all of us.

If joining the team and raising funds is just not something you are able to do at this time, please think about donating to Team Heather. By donating any amount of money, you will receive the satisfaction of contributing to the fight against breast cancer. You will also help to propel this tiny little team into the ranks of the big boys. We consistently raise more money than every bank, university, embassy, branch of the military, lobbying group, sports team, and other larger organizations, year after year.

No matter what you do, PLEASE forward this appeal and information to those in your address book who would be interested in joining the fight. There will be no way we can raise $30,000 without your help in some way.

Directions for either joining Team Heather or donating to the team will be coming shortly on this website. Even though the race is in June, the sooner you decide to participate in some way the sooner Team Heather will meet the required numbers to qualify for the 2006 National Race for the Cure®.

Thank you very much for your consideration and thank you for your efforts to end this devastating disease. We love and miss you tremendously Heather!

You CAN make a difference. PLEASE act now!

I Run For Life - Melissa Ethridge

It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday that she gets herself dressed
Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete

I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life

It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul
And now I'm still learning the lesson
To waken when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all

I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life

And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more

I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your daughter your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life

Heather's Wedding

My Sister - Heather

After Heather and Jason's Wedding

National Race for the Cure 2005 - Heather's Team

National Race for the Cure 2004 - Team Heather

National Race for the Cure 2002 - Heather's Team

National Race for the Cure 2002 - Heather's Family

Becky - Heather's Mom and a Breast Cancer Survivor (on left)

Heather and Her Sister, Renee

Heather's Family - 2002

Heather's Family

Heather and Her Grandparents and Siblings

Team Heather's Goals - 2003-2005

My Words at Heather's Funeral

Words About Heather

Thank you each for being here. All of you are celebrating Heather’s life with us because you each, in your own way, traveled through this journey with her. You prayed for her, cried over her, empowered her or been empowered by her. You showered Heather with the kind of love that sustained her spirit and we thank you. And so I want to share with you a couple of thoughts on behalf of the Gardner and Starcher families.

You each know the courage and faith Heather demonstrated throughout her fight over the past year and a half. We take comfort in this and also in the belief that Heather did not have to physically conquer her illness to beat it. Heather overcame this disease time and time again with each challenge she faced. Oh yes, we saw Heather beat this disease.

We saw her beat it in the way she steeled herself when finding out her diagnosis. We saw her beat it with her reaction to finding out she would not be able to conceive – "we’ll adopt". We saw her beat it when she went to work at the same time she took chemo and
radiation. We saw her beat it in the way she rebounded after finding out it spread. And we saw her beat it each time she put in her Billy Bob teeth to make someone laugh.

Heather’s spirit did more than beat this disease, it destroyed it.

Heather felt all would be worthwhile if a miracle was born out of her challenges and suffering. We saw many miracles amid all the pain.

We saw a miracle in people coming back into the church or finding faith where they did not think they had any. We saw a miracle in the hundreds and hundreds of people praying daily for Heather. We saw a miracle in family members finding each other again or strengthening their bonds. We saw a miracle in Heather’s medical professionals taking strength in the unique way she approached her disease. And we saw a miracle in people becoming more educated on and active in the fight against breast cancer.

Heather’s faith was the foundation of her spirit and to witness these and other miracles is to see through the heartache to the beauty in Heather’s experience. Take your example for faithfulness from Heather. Each day, she held herself in the belief that God does not give you more than you can handle. And through even the toughest of times, Heather strengthened her faith when others might have questioned theirs.

A friend once told me a spirit that shines brightly is the one not meant to be with us long. This was a hard concept for us to understand. But when we look back, Heather’s spirit was blinding. In her 26 years, she experienced:

a lifetime’s worth of laughter and joy,
a lifetime’s worth of faith,
and a lifetime’s worth of love – after all, she met her soul mate in Jason.

So we can miss Heather and be sad for our loss, but Heather would never allow us to feel sorry for her. Feeling sorry for Heather is the antithesis of the way she lived her life, and if you knew anything about Heather, you would not dare do anything to make her mad. She was difficult when angered here on Earth, can you imagine angering her now?

I guess the last thing I wish to leave you with is the sense of Heather. She will be with us each and every day. She will be all around us. Along with organizing the grandest of bingo games, Heather will be our greatest advocate. Heather will look down to make sure that Jason is protected and has a beautiful life, that her two families find strength they didn’t know they had, and that her girlfriends carry on in her name. She will look down and empower us when we are lonely and be there with us at night when we awake. And anywhere there is beauty, there you will find Heather. She was defined by butterflies, angels, dragonflies and the symbol she grew to love, the breast cancer ribbon. So each time you see one of these:

think of our Heavenly angel,
take comfort in the way she lived her life and in the peace she found through her faith,
and smile knowing Heather is up there taking charge of those looking down on you.

Heather in The Akron Beacon Journal

Heather (Gardner) Starcher

On September 29, 2002, Heather (Gardner) Starcher, our 26-year-old newly wedded angel, wife of Jason Starcher and daughter of Robert and Rebecca Gardner, became our Heavenly angel as she left us to be with our Lord. On April 20, 2002, two families were united as Heather Gardner married Jason Starcher. These two families became one long before Heather’s wedding day though, as "Team Heather" was formed in early 2001 upon her diagnosis of breast cancer. Heather may no longer be with us, but she won her battle over cancer with each of her smiles that lit a room, in each of her heart-felt laughs, through every person she touched with her strength, and in the grace, faith and fortitude with which she met her enormous challenges.

Heather, a 1994 graduate of Manchester High School and a 1999 graduate of The University of Akron, made it a purpose in life to lighten the hearts of others with her smile and her warm touch. As a member of St. Francis De Sales Parish, Heather drew on her faith and prayer with the onset of each new obstacle. It was Heather’s family and friends that helped her to be able to stay positive, but it was undoubtedly Heather’s belief in God that enabled her to touch so many.

Heather added her own special influence to the Gardner Insurance Agency, where she worked with her father, Robert, for over six years. It was her career goal to succeed her father and assume the ownership of the agency. Heather greeted each new face with a welcoming air and took quality time to speak with clients and professionals alike.

Heather participated in The National Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. for the past two years and offered herself to speak around Northeast Ohio on the importance of early detection and treatment for breast cancer. As a big sister, in the Big Brothers & Big Sisters Program for over six years, Heather was excited to help improve the quality of life for one less fortunate. It was a goal of Heather’s to make her little sister, Jolene, feel wanted and loved and Heather was dedicated to that effort. Heather also felt extremely fortunate to work with children with disabilities as a volunteer counselor for Camp Wonderlung. Heather enjoyed the escape she provided these very special children.

Heather leaves behind, to go on in her spirit, her dedicated and beloved husband of five months, Jason Starcher of Akron; parents, Robert and Rebecca Gardner of Akron; brother, Shawn Gardner of Washington, D.C.; sister, Renee Gardner of Jacksonville, FL; grandparents, Harvey and Flora Bridgeman of Dennison, OH; parents in law, Roland and Sandra Starcher of Akron; brother in law and sister in law, Scott and Dee Green and nephews, Logan and Nicholas, all of Akron; brother in law and sister in law, Sean and Jennifer Starcher and nieces, Morgan and Miranda, all of Akron; her indomitable circle of best friends, Jennifer Soles, Julie Carpenter, Tracy Young, Angela Rea and Raeal Moore, all of Akron and Columbus; and many many relatives and friends.

Along with countless others who prayed for her, laughed with her, cried over her and were touched by her larger-than-life spirit, the lives of these twenty-two relatives will forever be changed by having witnessed the courage in Heather’s battle. All but Heather’s spirit was taken from her, and so it is in this that we endeavor to embrace the beauty, joy and love of life and family. We will forever love and miss you Heather, our Heavenly angel, until we see each other again.