Walking into wisdom

It’s been just a year since AnnMarie Piantoni first ran in the Komen

Orange County Race for the Cure, but to her it seems like a lifetime

in experience and learning.

During that 12 months between races, Piantoni learned what it

means to be a friend, a mother to her daughter Kaitlyn and a

survivor.

“I look at things a lot differently now,” she said. “Things that I

thought were so important were not. I really just appreciate the life

I have.”

During her first run in 2004, Piantoni was just one week into her

chemotherapy treatments for stage-two breast cancer, a road bump in a

good life that had its share of sad moments, including the loss of

triplets shortly after their birth and the death of another son born

prematurely.

But Piantoni doesn’t see her life as one marked by hardships. And

now, almost nine months after she finished her cancer treatments, she

is helping to raise money and awareness for breast cancer survivors.

“I have no problem having anybody call me and talk to me about

what they’re going through,” she said. “The best thing you can do is

talk to someone who has been there.”

Before Piantoni was diagnosed with cancer in June 2004, she had

already been through two major losses. Her triplets who were born 17

weeks early and died just one day after delivery. Three months later

Piantoni became pregnant with another child, a boy who would be born

14 weeks early. He died after 11 days.

Piantoni first discovered she had breast cancer during a routine

mammogram at her doctor’s office. During the procedure, she said she

knew something was wrong.

“They kept taking photos, then coming back to take more photos,”

she said. “And the radiologist had a strange tone. She knew what she

saw, and I was sure she thought that I had cancer.”

A biopsy several days later confirmed Piantoni’s fears: She had

cancer that had already spread to three of her lymph nodes.

Piantoni began chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The First

Christian Church, where her daughter attends school, stepped in to

help a family in need.

“It was a very comforting thing for me, because I always knew she

was in a good place,” Piantoni said of her daughter.

Friend Linda Hooker was one of dozens of friends and family who

showed up to support Piantoni at this year’s race. Hooker was there

when Piantoni first ran in 2004 and said the experience was powerful.

“Last year, it was so much bigger than life. I had no idea that

breast cancer affected so many people. It was so emotional,” she

said. “This year it was more celebratory. We invited our families in

the hopes that our girls won’t have deal with this when they get

older.”

Piantoni’s group raised $2,300 for breast cancer research. To

date, the 14-year-old event as a whole has raised more than $11

million.

“Just having everyone there made it an awesome event,” Piantoni

said. “I just felt the love and support that has been there the whole

year. It didn’t just affect me, it affected a lot of people.”