Debra is our model for our 2007 Napa Valley Reserve Petite Sirah.

April 26th, 2005 . . . . Debra was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Debra dealt with breast cancer every day. It was part of her job as an outpatient oncology chaplain at a large medical center. The breast cancer always belonged to someone else until one day it was hers. Just 4 days prior to her own diagnosis, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I was not surprised, nor was I horrified by my diagnosis” notes Debra. “I had worked as an oncology chaplain for 4 years and knew that cancer was treatable and curable. I also had many wonderful role models for how to deal with cancer. So I knew I could choose my attitude. My experience did not have to be full of angst and drama. It was all about how I chose to perceive and interpret what was happening.”

Every day in her work, Debra saw the ravages of cancer. She also saw incredible inner strength and faith exhibited by those undergoing treatment. She provided counseling to these patients. Now she was to be on their side of the equation.

“Working in an oncology center, I knew all of the doctors and nurses who would be treating me. There was never a doubt that I would receive the best of care. I knew a great deal of what to expect from a medical perspective. Those whom I had counseled, comforted, and consoled would become my sources of strength and inspiration.”

Debra had a mastectomy followed by 6 months of CMF, a combination of three chemotherapy drug treatments for breast cancer. She had worked with numerous cancer patients. She knew the medical drill. Her protocol was a regimen she had seen countless others follow. Their courage and focus contributed mightily to her belief that she would be victorious.

“I wanted to come through this experience with some measure of grace, charm, and good humor. That was my goal from the very beginning. It wasn't that I didn't break down and weep with sheer exhaustion from time to time; it was more that my world was bigger than this cancer experience. It was not my whole life. It was an experience I had and I chose not to define myself as a "cancer survivor. " It was not the worst thing that ever happened to me. I felt grateful that I was diagnosed and was getting treatment which is more than can be said for many women in the world.”

A creative person of many talents, Debra is an award winning author known for using her sense of humor and spiritual rather than religious perspective to hone her message. It was through her writing that she has been able to carry a message and to connect with those fighting cancer and other diseases. Debra wrote a book about the breast cancer experience, hers and her patients’. It's Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life & Cancer is a bawdy, uniquely spiritual, quirkishly insightful book that chronicles the journey of dealing with breast cancer.

“We are not our disease. We are not our condition. We are not our situation. We are so much more. And we are all here, at this time, for a larger purpose. Somewhere in this knowledge is the comfort in knowing that our lives have purpose and there is a plan to connect all that we are and all that we do. Being a chaplain has helped me to see that there are many different paths to the Divine. My awakening came the day I let my experience inform my theology instead of my theology informing my experience. It was like casting off from the safe harbor, out into the high seas. Scary but freeing.”

“I never use the phrase "fight my battle” when I think about my breast cancer. Early on, I decided I wanted to mine this experience for all the gold nuggets I could find. I knew a lot of the "mining experience" would give me rocks, but I also expected, and received, many gold nuggets. So much of this journey has been about perspective. I wanted as much positive influence for perspective as I could muster.”

To help others with cancer, Debra does public speaking, writes a blog, and continues to contribute her creative talents to cancer education projects. Her dog Max is a certified therapy dog. Together they visit hospitals and nursing homes.

About Debra