Pink breast cancer band

Breast cancer survivor dived back into active life

MARGARET HAIR feels like an impostor.

"I'm not a runner. I'm a swimmer," she says, mildly embarrassed.

Still, Margaret, 47, is the New Balance-sponsored runner for this year's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Coeur d'Alene. The 5K race raises money for breast cancer treatment and research.

"Margaret has that sparkle, that infectious little giggle," says Judy Shannon, chairwoman of this year's race. "Swimming is an even more difficult sport to come back to, with the arm movement. But Margaret did it tenfold."

A routine mammogram revealed breast cancer in Margaret five years ago. She was stunned. She had no reason to suspect health problems.

Margaret had swum competitively since childhood and for Washington State University's team. She'd collected boxes of blue ribbons from master's swimming for a decade.

"I hope to always swim," she says.

She also played soccer. Her discipline, fitness and lean body made her a vital ingredient on her co-ed team. Sports are her pleasure. Pushing herself satisfies her. Her sunny attitude reflects her happiness.

Not even an accident that took Margaret's ring finger seven years ago dented her enthusiasm for the playfield. Her wedding band caught on a soccer goal net as she jumped to take it down after a game.

Doctors moved her remaining three fingers closer together. Five weeks after the accident, Margaret was back in the pool, working to get the most efficiency from her repaired hand.

The abnormal mammogram came 17 months later. Margaret assumed abnormal meant she needed another mammogram in a few months. Instead, she was sent immediately to a surgeon.

She swam at a downtown Coeur d'Alene pool with furious energy while she awaited her biopsy results, as if to prove to herself that she couldn't have breast cancer. Doctors told her on Valentine's Day that her test was positive.

Margaret caught the cancer early. It hadn't spread to her lymph system. A second opinion confirmed the diagnosis. Doctors could remove her breast or remove the cancerous area and treat her with radiation to prevent recurrence.

She chose a mastectomy after long nights analyzing the choices.

"I didn't want to wake up worrying I'd made the wrong choice," Margaret says.

Tears followed, then anger. She wondered why cancer had to threaten people. She shared her anxieties with a counselor and talked to breast cancer survivors who had chosen different procedures. She didn't change her mind.

Margaret opted for full reconstruction, knowing it would help her feel normal. Four weeks after surgery, she was back in the pool and swimming as she had before surgery. Because doctors caught her cancer so early, they didn't have to remove lymph nodes under her arm.

"I was thrilled," Margaret says. "It was like I'd never been out."

She returned to her job in Coeur d'Alene helping rural communities for the federal government. She also returned to swimming three mornings a week, aerobic training twice a week and soccer on weekends. The comforting routine, friends and her husband, Randy, helped her get her life back.

Margaret couldn't resist the Race for the Cure when it started in Coeur d'Alene in 2000. She was astonished to see people she'd known for years wearing survivors' pink T-shirts, just as she was.

"The race shows the general population the impact breast cancer has on the community," she says. "It makes you feel like a special person."

Checkups continue to show Margaret clear of cancer. Her insurance covers checkups. The Race for the Cure raises money for North Idaho women who can't afford mammograms.

Last year, the race provided $60,000 for mammograms, breast exams and educational materials for 360 Panhandle women.

Margaret urges women to have annual mammograms.

"It'll ease the mind to get tests," she says. "The sooner you catch it, the better."

This sidebar appeared with the story:

IF YOU GO

Race for the Cure

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Coeur d'Alene is Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. The 5K race starts on Park Drive. Entry costs $20 until Sept. 28 and $25 on race day. Register online at cdaraceforthecure.org or pick up registration forms at Kootenai Medical Center, KREM-TV, Coeur d'Alene Resort or Resort Plaza Shops.

Women without insurance who need a mammogram should call 665-9888 for information about free services.