When Wendy McCoole found out she had breast cancer in December of 2003, the events surrounding her diagnosis unfolded sort of like one of those cartoon snowballs that start rolling down the hillside towards the unsuspecting character getting bigger and picking up momentum as they go. Luckily, since Wendy is an east coast kind of gal, she knew a thing to two about snow and survival! Along the way she figured out how to turn what could have been an avalanche of fear and apprehension into something much more akin to a snow angel!

Wendy remembers how it all started very clearly, saying: “It all began when I found a lump just two weeks after a self exam and just five days after my OB/GYN checkup. I always found this a bit bizarre. My doctor suggested I wait a few weeks to see if it went away after my menstrual cycle, but it didn't. As a result, I had an ultrasound on Tuesday, and by Friday they said it was ‘suspicious’ but most likely benign. On the following Monday I saw a surgeon and by Wednesday I was in surgery to have the lump removed. That Friday they called to tell me it was ductal carcinoma, and the following Tuesday I was back in surgery to do a complete lumpectomy. I was absolutely wiped.”

Wendy was 42 at the time of her diagnosis, the same age her mother was when she was initially diagnosed, just 25 years later!

“Because my Mom has had breast cancer three times and her sister had it once, they suggested I test for the cancer gene. My daughter Brittany was 18 at the time of my diagnosis, and she looked me square in the eye and said I’m going to get this too, aren’t I? The test came back negative, which surprised me, but I was very thankful! I understand there is a more extensive genetic test available now, which I will definitely consider, because I would love to be able to look my daughter just as squarely in the eye and tell her at least she doesn’t have to worry about being genetically predisposed to this disease!”

“Since part of my testing showed I was HER-2-Neu positive I opted to have chemotherapy followed by radiation. In order to maintain my sanity and to help other women traveling a similar path, I kept an online diary, which was affectionately nicknamed Bald Wendy, to keep my family and friends updated as I progressed through my treatments. I shared candid thoughts about how I was feeling physically and emotionally, and displayed lots of pictures, including my head being shaved in preparation for chemo, the team at the cancer center, and even photos of my nieces and nephew painting my head like an Easter egg.”

“Prior to my diagnosis I was a marketing director for a software company. I did that for a long time, more out of necessity than because it was what I really wanted to be doing. I had such tremendous feedback from my Bald Wendy site that in 2004 I broke away from the corporate routine to start a non-profit organization called BreastCancerStories.com. This site is an online community where people dealing with breast cancer can stay in touch with loved ones and with one another while going through treatment.”

Wendy’s story appears on the site, as well of those of many other women who have faced a breast cancer diagnosis. She feels particularly moved by two young women who lost their battle with the disease, but who had managed to share their stories on the website. “One of them was a personal friend who was also a Wendy. She lived in Vermont and was only 37 years old when she died. It just broke my heart because she had so much to live for. I spoke to her just last week and she assured me she was totally at peace and ready to go, saying that she’d never felt so peaceful in her whole life. I felt grateful to her for sharing that perspective with me, because I know all of us who have had breast cancer always have that little bit of fear lurking somewhere in the background! Another woman named Shannon was just 29 when she passed away last December. Shannon was so eloquent, well spoken and funny. It just doesn’t seem fair. I’m just glad these two women had a chance to share their stories, because they definitely deserve to be remembered!”

Wendy completed her chemotherapy in June of 2004 and then her radiation in September of that year. By October 2004 bald Wendy was sporting a new head of hair, and starting to realize it was time to jump back into life full force.

Music has always been a mainstay in Wendy’s life. She played guitar, sang and wrote songs all through her young adulthood and although she grew up in a barbershop family and loved going to shows, she didn’t truly catch the bug until she was in her late 20's when she starting singing in quartets, performing on shows and going to competitions.

Wendy currently sings baritone with Exhilaration, Harmony, Inc.'s 2005 International Quartet Champions. She won the International Quartet Championship title in two previous quartets — Heart’s Delight (won in 1989) and Limited Edition (won in 1995). She sang with her sister, Debbie Borsari, in both of those championship quartets. The sisters also founded New England Voices in Harmony, a women’s barbershop chorus based out of Nashua, NH. Wendy has taught at numerous barbershop schools and coached a number of men’s and women’s quartets through New England and southern Canada.

Husband Kevin and her kids, Ryan and Brittany help to round out Wendy’s very full life. She feels particularly blessed to have a great relationship with Kevin’s two children, Sean and Erienne, as well.

Thank goodness for women like Wendy McCoole who show us that a breast cancer diagnosis can be just the beginning of finding out our lives have a purpose much different than what we originally thought. Oh, and remember that snowball analogy? Well, in Wendy’s vernacular, breast cancer didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of stopping her from living a full life and making a positive difference in the lives of others!