Theresa is our model for our 2007 Secret White.

It felt like Alice in Wonderland, falling down the rabbit hole.

Hearing the words “you have cancer” robbed Theresa of any sense of stability and security she had known. The revelation arrived just a few months before her 50th birthday and two weeks before her son’s wedding.  The bad news continued to arrive in waves:  Metastatic breast cancer – stage II, grade 3. She was also Her2Neu positive, ER/PR negative.  The cancer had reached her lymph nodes.  It was the type of cancer that was known to have a high rate of recurrence.

“My head was spinning when I heard the diagnosis,” offers Theresa.  “I’ve always been able to confront problems in a head-on fashion.  Nothing prepared me for this.”

21 months of aggressive treatments and procedures ensued: a lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy, dose dense chemotherapy, radiation, and a monoclonal antibody that would specifically target Her2Neu receptors. Covering all of her possible treatment bases, Theresa also utilized complimentary therapies such as acupuncture and guided visual imagery.

She was bolstered by the support of her family, friends, and co-workers.  Strangers who learned of her medical plight came to her aid as well.  “People in my life circled around me and lifted me up when I thought I could no longer stand on my own,” says Theresa. “Other survivors rushed to my side, eager to encourage.  I wrapped myself in their stories, their words.  Their compassion and support strengthened me.”

There were many dark, unsettling days, and sleepless nights as she faced the disease and the treatments. “During those early morning hours when sleep refused to come, I spent endless hours on the internet, hoping and searching for news that would make my diagnosis easier to bear.  These searches were like reading a scary novel.  I could only take it in small doses.  When fear and despair rose to levels that threatened to drown me, I shut down my computer and waited for the next sleepless night and the dance would begin all over.”

Theresa experienced a gamut of emotions.  She rode the rollercoaster of sadness, anger, frustration, fear, and more fear.  Within the initial months of her diagnosis, she withdrew physically and emotionally.  It was at one visit to her chemotherapy clinic that she came to grips with her situation and possible fate.  She watched a very ill woman struggle to get to her feet. “I felt that I might be seeing her last days on this earth.  I realized that while I had been dealt a rough hand, and that my cancer might take my life, I had to abandon my self pity and fear.  I could not live the rest of my life with fear in the driver’s seat.  I realized that I had two choices: I could stay down in that hole with fear, or I could climb out of it.  I made the choice to climb out.  The woman I watched was an inspiration to me and she never knew it.  In some ways, she gave me a part of my life back.”

It has been Theresa’s positive attitude that has motivated and guided her.  She decided to write about her experiences with breast cancer.  The Lodi News-Sentinel newspaper in California published her chronicles, “My Fight for Life” One woman's story of breast cancer survival.  It has been recognized by the California Newspaper Publisher's Association and the National Newspaper Association.  Response was so overwhelming that they reprinted it in booklet form and it is available to anyone for free (shipping charges apply).  Thousands of copies have been requested.  To get your copy email Theresa at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Published on March 13, 2009 - The Soroptimist International of Lodi, California recently selected Theresa larson as recipient of the Making a Difference for Women Award.  This award acknowledges women who are working to improve the lives of women and girls through their personal or professional activities.  Click here to read more.

About Theresa

Theresa is a married mother of four and grandmother of five.  She and her husband Ray live in Stockton, California where she enjoys a full life of family, good friends, and work at the Lodi News-Sentinel.