October 9, 2025 • 16 mins
Sunday Oct. 26th...THOUSANDS are coming together at the LA State Historic Park for the annual Susan G. Komen ‘More than Pink’ Walk to raise crucial funds to fight breast cancer. And no one knows more about that, then Nichole Delansky ...a busy working Mom who is also THANKFULLY a breast cancer SURVIVOR!! Diagnosed in October 2023, Nichole underwent multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, and has transitioned to preventative drug therapy. She joined the LA chapter of Komen's advisory board (is their Board Chair).
For those interested in more information or to register for the walk they can go to www.komen.org/lacountywalk if they have any questions about breast cancer, need assistance they can call 877-Go-KOMEN. We ALSO will have an 'iHeart Media Team' too 🙂
What is the MORE THAN PINK Walk? The MORE THAN PINK Walk, Susan G. Komen’s largest fundraising event series, evolved from the Race for the Cure in 2018. Each year, we host over 100,000 participants at our 40+ in-person (and one virtual) walks across the U.S. Since the first Walk in 2018, our participants have raised more than $60 million dollars and continue to be a part of a community committed to our vision of a world without breast cancer. With inclusive and accessible options for people of all ages and abilities – including breast cancer survivors, those currently in treatment for breast cancer and people living with metastatic breast cancer – the Walk provides participants the opportunity to come together and connect in meaningful ways. It allows us to focus on sharing our passion, sharing our stories and connecting with others, all while fundraising to support life-saving programs and research.
The finish line is a world without breast cancer, and we know the only way we can get there is together.
What does it mean to be More Than Pink? For too long, pink has been connected to breast cancer awareness. However, people impacted by breast cancer need more than awareness; they need access to treatment, emotional support and so much more. It will take more than pink to help achieve our vision of a world without breast cancer. It’s more than a pink-themed costume, wig or pink ribbon at a fundraising event and it’s more than one month a year. Together, we are More Than Pink: passionate and supportive people dedicated to supporting those who need help today while tirelessly searching for tomorrow’s cures.
Aired October 5, 2025: In this podcast: Lisa Foxx talks to Nichole Delansky about her breast cancer journey and why she hopes people will come out and support.
For those interested in more information or to register for the walk they can go to www.komen.org/lacountywalk if they have any questions about breast cancer, need assistance they can call 877-Go-KOMEN. We ALSO will have an 'iHeart Media Team' too 🙂
What is the MORE THAN PINK Walk? The MORE THAN PINK Walk, Susan G. Komen’s largest fundraising event series, evolved from the Race for the Cure in 2018. Each year, we host over 100,000 participants at our 40+ in-person (and one virtual) walks across the U.S. Since the first Walk in 2018, our participants have raised more than $60 million dollars and continue to be a part of a community committed to our vision of a world without breast cancer. With inclusive and accessible options for people of all ages and abilities – including breast cancer survivors, those currently in treatment for breast cancer and people living with metastatic breast cancer – the Walk provides participants the opportunity to come together and connect in meaningful ways. It allows us to focus on sharing our passion, sharing our stories and connecting with others, all while fundraising to support life-saving programs and research.
The finish line is a world without breast cancer, and we know the only way we can get there is together.
What does it mean to be More Than Pink? For too long, pink has been connected to breast cancer awareness. However, people impacted by breast cancer need more than awareness; they need access to treatment, emotional support and so much more. It will take more than pink to help achieve our vision of a world without breast cancer. It’s more than a pink-themed costume, wig or pink ribbon at a fundraising event and it’s more than one month a year. Together, we are More Than Pink: passionate and supportive people dedicated to supporting those who need help today while tirelessly searching for tomorrow’s cures.
Aired October 5, 2025: In this podcast: Lisa Foxx talks to Nichole Delansky about her breast cancer journey and why she hopes people will come out and support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, It's Lisa Fox and this is the iHeart So
Cal Show, all right.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
So the end of this month, Sunday, October twenty.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Six, thousands are coming together at the LA State Historic
Park for the annual Susan G Coman More Than Pink
Walk to raise crucial funds to fight breast cancer and
for breast cancer awareness. And no one knows more about
that than Nicole Delansky, who's on with us. She's a
busy working mom who's also thankfully a breast cancer survivor.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Diagnosed back in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Nicole underwent multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, all the terrible stuff,
but now is transitioned to preventative drug therapy, which she'll
talk all about. And she's part of the La Chapter
of Coman's advisory board and their board chair. And she's
got a big old team walking on Sunday, October twenty
six that she'd love for you to join and support.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So Hi, Nicole, Hi, Lissa.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
So happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Well, Nicole, and so impressive.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
I was looking on the website coman dot org slash
Ella County Walk, and I could see already you got
your team's.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Looking healthy A lot of people walk on your team.
You've got a chunk of money already raised, so yeah,
you're doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yes, we've got So last year was my first walk
because it was my first what I call cancer versaries,
So it was one year from my diagnosis date, and
I was just feeling like the experience was already kind
of slipping away from me and life, busy, life was
moving on. I'd finished like the majority of my treatment,
and I was just looking for an opportunity to just
(01:24):
connect with community and people who understood the experience. And
so last year I went by myself, by just a
little old me fundraising with a group of friends who
did the walk with me, and we had so much
fun last year that we decided to form a team
called the Tired ass Moms Association, which I hope other
folks can relate to. And you know, not only are
(01:47):
we tired and you know moms who have got busy lives,
but were also just tired of the fact that every
year is another year where our friends and family are
affected by breast cancer. So you know, we're tired in
a lot of ways. But we're using the walk to
spread the good word and get people together and hopefully
(02:07):
raise some good money to fight this disease.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Well, and you say, you're you know, you're a tired
mom and obviously probably exhausting to go through what you
went through. And also pretty much everyone that I know,
we're tired of talking about cancer and even tired of
doing these walks, having to do these walks, you know,
I mean, wouldn't it be incredible if in our lifetime
we could just get rid of this thing?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
You know, it's one thing to do.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
These walks who support you know, friends, family, people that
you love, or just even total complete strangers. But to you, now,
it's so personal because it happened to you. Breast cancer
happened to you.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah, and it also happened seemingly out of the blue.
I mean, I just my quick backstory is I my
cancer was detected early on, thank god, But it was
by way of just an annual screening though, you know,
for anybody who is delaying those checks. You know, that's
part of why I love being involved with this group,
(03:02):
is just to promote early detection and awareness. But I
had no no history of health issues. I had no
history of breast cancer in my family. I don't have
one of the genetic variants that predisposed me to the disease.
So you know, I think when people are affected by
this disease, they think to themselves, well, there must be
(03:22):
some you know history or and it's and it's and
it is true in some cases, but certainly not in
all cases. So yeah, I'm an example of just not
not having any of the quote unquote warning signs and
yet having the benefit of getting it detected early through
annual screenings, which I'm super grateful for.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
No cole can I ask how young were you when
you got diagnosed then? Because it was recent obviously, but
how young were you?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
So I'm forty seven, almost forty eight now, and I
was detected at forty five, which I kind of get
a giggle out of people saying, well, you're young for that,
which which is like, you know, forty five and young.
I don't know how often you say that in the
same sentence, but you know, young for breast cancer detection
and honestly getting younger, which is part of why we're
(04:08):
shining a light on early detection and awareness. And yeah,
forty five and it's gone by fast, almost two year
cancer versary from my diagnosis in October twenty twenty three.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
And so that was a mammogram that revealed that your
annual mammogram YEP.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
A mammogram and also an ultrasound. So just through other
annual screenings, that was made clear that I had dense
breast to which depending on you know, what your doctor recommends,
also requires some additional screening through an ultrasound, And so
I happened to have both scheduled on that day. The
(04:45):
crazy part is I had a morning appointment. I was
patting myself on the back for having you know, scheduled
my mammograms. And it turns out I was diagnosed that day.
And I wasn't even the first breast cancer diagnosis in
that office on that day. Bread cancer diagnosis before noon
on a random Thursday, you know. And two years later,
(05:06):
here we are being part of a group that of
course nobody wants to be a part of. But right
right it is, you know, huge in number.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Well in the self exams we could do anytime, all
the time, and I'm gonna do it right now while
I'm talking to you. I hope that's not weird talking
about you know, self exams are important. Self exams. We
can do them Yep, it does count one of them. Anyways,
we can do them anytime, probably not when you're ovulating,
but the annual mammograms are so so crucial, and like
you said, if you have dense breasts, as do I.
(05:35):
Last year I had a couple of lumps removed. Thankfully
they turned out to be benign, but still just always scary.
But when we get the clean bill of health, you're like, who,
all right, I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Good for a year.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
But within that year, like a lot, a lot can happen.
So you have been just fine until forty five, and
then all of a sudden, there's one screening everything changed.
So so what happened after the diagnosis and how how
was your journey you know, to where you are now?
Speaker 3 (05:56):
It was it felt like time had stopped. As soon
as I heard the words, I'm sorry to tell you,
but it looks like cancer, which were the exact words.
I'll never forget them. And certainly, you know, you go
into a period of shock and then you mobilize. It's
like what do I do next? Then you talk to
somebody who's been through it before, or they say, oh,
(06:18):
you need a care team, you need an oncologist, you
need a radiologist. You need a surgeon, and so I
leaned on friends who had been through similar situations and
contacted my doctor and got a care team together. And
my specific diagnosis, you know, because breast cancer is not
a monolith, it's an umbrella of diseases. And so my
(06:38):
specific cancer type and the stage it was in required
me to have surgery to remove the light of lumpectomy.
Some people choose to have a single or double mistectomy
with reconstruction, so it really just depends. In my case,
it was a lumpect to me, and subsequent surgery is
just to ensure that the margins that were clear, meaning
(06:59):
that the doctor got all of the can be detected
in that area. Yeah. Yeah, And then in my case,
moved quickly to chemotherapy, so you know, had four rounds
of chemo. You would be amazed at the technology now
that allows you to try to save your hair cold capping.
You know, it's a whole new world. You scratch the
(07:19):
surface and you learn so much in such a short
period of time. And then after chemo, I had radiation
and now I'm on drug therapy. So it's very common
after my cancer type to you know, go on various
hormone blocking and aromatase inhibitor therapy. So right now I'm
on a drug until twenty twenty nine that is designed to,
(07:43):
you know, reduce the amount of estrogen and progesterone in
my body to limit my chances of recurrence. So each
one of those stages comes with like different challenges, and
you know, certainly has been educational and challenging in a
lot of ways. But right now I am no cancer detective.
I'm feeling great. And part of the reason why I'm
(08:03):
chatting with you today, and part of why I am
connected to the Coman Foundation is that now that I'm
on the other side of a lot of the big
stuff that I experienced over the last couple of years,
I'm just looking for ways to help give back and
hopefully raise some money for a good cause.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, God, bless you can. I just do this right now,
because it must feel good to be on the other side,
right thank you?
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Oh, like, thank goodness, you know, it's feel good.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah, I mean, we're not carrying signs of their face
in a past tense, you know, because we're going to
see a lot of that out the more than pink
walk on the twenty six and that's you know, it's
everyone there to share a little bit of everything in
terms of what they feel, how they feel, who they're honoring,
or what they're going through. I mean, it's survivors, it's
family members, it's friends, it's a memory of so it's
all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
So you said you walked last year by yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So now your team, and I saw inline you raised
like well over five thousand dollars by the way, so
it's another clappity clap. Yeah, right, how.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Big is your team?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And can anyone join the the TAMAS. I mean, I
don't want to get in trouble for staying on the radio,
but yeah, the Tired Ass Mom's Association Team, your team,
TAM Tired Ass Mom's Association Team.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
That's right, the TAMAS.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Please find us, Please join us for about seven fundraisers
accounting and if you just want to, if you just
want to come find our table. We'll be there early
and enjoying some breakfast and snacks and we really want
to like listen. Having breast cancer is a you know,
devastating experience no matter what stage you're in, and it's
(09:35):
very personal. Some people choose to you know, go through
their treatment and get past it and not share it
very wide and you know, process what's happening to them
on a personal and very private level. And then there
are people that are feeling alone and seeking community, people
who have been touched by this disease and want to
get out there in the community and connect. And that's
(09:57):
really the point of this walk, so that you feel
like there's a place for you, a place for your
allies to go, and a place to learn more about
Susan g Coman and what they're trying to do to
help make breast cancer a footnote in medical history. So
you know, if you want to join us, I would
love it. You don't have to be a tired APS mom,
by the way, you can be someone who loves someone
(10:20):
who loves the tired APS mom and will be there
for you and hopefully we meet some great people.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And how was it having a family? You know, you
have two boys.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
How is it dealing with having breast cancer while still
having to raise boys and you know, run your family?
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Great question. You know, it's interesting when I first got diagnosed,
I was reluctant to tell them because I didn't want
them to be afraid. And my boys are they're ten
and twelve. They're in fifth grade and seventh grade, and
this was two years ago, and so I didn't I
wasn't sure what they would think about their mom being
(10:56):
quote unquote sick, or having to have procedures in the
hot fittal or potentially losing my hair to chemotherapy. And
my first instinct was not to tell them. I wanted
to protect them from worry and protect them from fear.
And what I realized is my personal choice was I
didn't want to hide it from them, and I certainly
didn't want to be whispering about my experience in my
(11:19):
own home with the kids, and so I just made
the choice to involve them and be very pragmatic about
what was happening and let them know Mom was going
to be okay, but I was going to have to
go through some challenges. And I'm so glad that I
made that decision. These kids are incredibly resilient. It gave
them an opportunity to support me, you know, and be
(11:39):
a part of the recovery experience, and they just impressed
me every step of the way. My husband was amazing also,
and it was just wonderful to be able to, you know,
nobody wants to go through this experience, but to have
the support network that I had inside my home really
helped me get through.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yeah. Sure, and now you're like, and now you have
it'd be nicer to me, darn it, because I've been
through a.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Hell exactly when I'm when I'm tired, you got to
let me sleep in.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
And you gotta be nicer to mom, darn it. So
will they all be there walking with you on the
twenty six. We'll be there.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Last year, I brought my eldest. His name's Mac and
he came and you know, one of the more touching
moments was they have these signs that you pin onto
your shirt and it says who are you walking for?
And he kind of scuttled off with a little pink
marker and he wrote my Mom. And when I saw
him put it on, it still brings me to tears.
But he it gave him an opportunity to get out
(12:35):
there and understand that what was happening to Mom was
happening to a community of people. And I think it
really made him feel good to be able to show
up and do the walk with.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Us and support you for sure. And Nicole, how do
you feel this Ison' J. Comman Foundation helped you get
through your breast cancer.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Yeah. Interestingly, I'd always known about Coleman. It was kind
of in my mind this, you know, it's kind of
only game in town in terms of really raising money
for breast cancer research and getting the word out there.
And but it's like, you don't know you need you
don't know you need a foundation like that until you
(13:11):
need it. And so, you know, obviously, they put on
this walk every year, and it was grateful for the
opportunity to get out there. It also allowed me to
connect with the executive director of our LA chapter, Yolanda,
and after the walk, she and I got to know
each other and I told her I was looking for
an opportunity to give back. And so now I'm on
(13:32):
the advisory committee. I'm the board chair for LA all right,
and yeah, and so so we meet, you know, every month,
and we get together to find ways to spread the
good word. And you know, I think providing giving back
to the community when that gave me the support I
needed when I needed it. It just feels like a
(13:55):
full circle moment. And I can't I can't think of
any other organization I'd want to do with.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yeah, and look at you, a local gal, and now
you're paying forward to help others who God forbid are
dealing with this.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Yeah. And once you make the decision to be public
with your story, it's incredible how many people find you
and share their story with you. And you know, every
phone call I get or every email I've received in
the last you know, two years since I've been open
about my experience just brings me closer to community, and
(14:29):
you know, it helps us feel stronger together, just helps
us feel like every stage of this experience, we know
who we can rely on to hear everybody's individual experiences,
we can share resources and direct each other to resources
as needed, and it's just really been rewarding. But I
do also want to say it's also an intensely personal
(14:51):
decision to share and be open about it, and creating
a safe space for people to do that, I think
is really important. And I think the walk that I
think the walk does that.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Sure, sure absolutely coman dot org slash La County Walk,
by the way, Coman with a k coman dot org
slash La County Walk for all the information. If you
also have questions about brust cancer and need assistance, you
can also call eight seven seven go coman k O
M E N. And if you want to support Nicole,
you sound so amazing. I hope I get a chance
(15:21):
to meet you in person to give you a big
hug and I high five and all the stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
I wwise.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Likewise, look forward to seeing you guys soon.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, we're gonna have an iHeart team out there as well.
So and again, if you want to read more about
Nicole's story Nicole Delansky, she's part of the TAMA, the
TAMA Club t a m A the Tired Ass Moms Association,
her group for looking for you know, donations and looking
for more people too. If you want to join Nicole
or support Nicole and her friends out there, please do so.
(15:48):
Look for TAMA or under Nicole Delansky and support in
any way that you can. But of course we'd love
to see folks out there in droves, thousands of people,
a sea of pink and people out there for a
very important reason Sunday, October twenty six at the LA
State Historic Park in downtown LA for the Susan g
Coman More Than Pink Walk, because it is more than
just a color. The color has done so much in
(16:10):
terms of awareness, but this is also about real people's
stories and supporting people like you who went through it,
who went through the battle and thankfully came out on
the other side as a survivor.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
And thank you for sharing your very inspiring story.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
And we can't wait to see out there Sunday, October
twenty six, woo.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Thank you so much, look forward to it.
Hi, It's Lisa Fox and this is the iHeart So
Cal Show, all right.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
So the end of this month, Sunday, October twenty.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Six, thousands are coming together at the LA State Historic
Park for the annual Susan G Coman More Than Pink
Walk to raise crucial funds to fight breast cancer and
for breast cancer awareness. And no one knows more about
that than Nicole Delansky, who's on with us. She's a
busy working mom who's also thankfully a breast cancer survivor.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Diagnosed back in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Nicole underwent multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, all the terrible stuff,
but now is transitioned to preventative drug therapy, which she'll
talk all about. And she's part of the La Chapter
of Coman's advisory board and their board chair. And she's
got a big old team walking on Sunday, October twenty
six that she'd love for you to join and support.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So Hi, Nicole, Hi, Lissa.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
So happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Well, Nicole, and so impressive.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
I was looking on the website coman dot org slash
Ella County Walk, and I could see already you got
your team's.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Looking healthy A lot of people walk on your team.
You've got a chunk of money already raised, so yeah,
you're doing it.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yes, we've got So last year was my first walk
because it was my first what I call cancer versaries,
So it was one year from my diagnosis date, and
I was just feeling like the experience was already kind
of slipping away from me and life, busy, life was
moving on. I'd finished like the majority of my treatment,
and I was just looking for an opportunity to just
(01:24):
connect with community and people who understood the experience. And
so last year I went by myself, by just a
little old me fundraising with a group of friends who
did the walk with me, and we had so much
fun last year that we decided to form a team
called the Tired ass Moms Association, which I hope other
folks can relate to. And you know, not only are
(01:47):
we tired and you know moms who have got busy lives,
but were also just tired of the fact that every
year is another year where our friends and family are
affected by breast cancer. So you know, we're tired in
a lot of ways. But we're using the walk to
spread the good word and get people together and hopefully
(02:07):
raise some good money to fight this disease.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Well, and you say, you're you know, you're a tired
mom and obviously probably exhausting to go through what you
went through. And also pretty much everyone that I know,
we're tired of talking about cancer and even tired of
doing these walks, having to do these walks, you know,
I mean, wouldn't it be incredible if in our lifetime
we could just get rid of this thing?
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
You know, it's one thing to do.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
These walks who support you know, friends, family, people that
you love, or just even total complete strangers. But to you, now,
it's so personal because it happened to you. Breast cancer
happened to you.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah, and it also happened seemingly out of the blue.
I mean, I just my quick backstory is I my
cancer was detected early on, thank god, But it was
by way of just an annual screening though, you know,
for anybody who is delaying those checks. You know, that's
part of why I love being involved with this group,
(03:02):
is just to promote early detection and awareness. But I
had no no history of health issues. I had no
history of breast cancer in my family. I don't have
one of the genetic variants that predisposed me to the disease.
So you know, I think when people are affected by
this disease, they think to themselves, well, there must be
(03:22):
some you know history or and it's and it's and
it is true in some cases, but certainly not in
all cases. So yeah, I'm an example of just not
not having any of the quote unquote warning signs and
yet having the benefit of getting it detected early through
annual screenings, which I'm super grateful for.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
No cole can I ask how young were you when
you got diagnosed then? Because it was recent obviously, but
how young were you?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
So I'm forty seven, almost forty eight now, and I
was detected at forty five, which I kind of get
a giggle out of people saying, well, you're young for that,
which which is like, you know, forty five and young.
I don't know how often you say that in the
same sentence, but you know, young for breast cancer detection
and honestly getting younger, which is part of why we're
(04:08):
shining a light on early detection and awareness. And yeah,
forty five and it's gone by fast, almost two year
cancer versary from my diagnosis in October twenty twenty three.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
And so that was a mammogram that revealed that your
annual mammogram YEP.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
A mammogram and also an ultrasound. So just through other
annual screenings, that was made clear that I had dense
breast to which depending on you know, what your doctor recommends,
also requires some additional screening through an ultrasound, And so
I happened to have both scheduled on that day. The
(04:45):
crazy part is I had a morning appointment. I was
patting myself on the back for having you know, scheduled
my mammograms. And it turns out I was diagnosed that day.
And I wasn't even the first breast cancer diagnosis in
that office on that day. Bread cancer diagnosis before noon
on a random Thursday, you know. And two years later,
(05:06):
here we are being part of a group that of
course nobody wants to be a part of. But right
right it is, you know, huge in number.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Well in the self exams we could do anytime, all
the time, and I'm gonna do it right now while
I'm talking to you. I hope that's not weird talking
about you know, self exams are important. Self exams. We
can do them Yep, it does count one of them. Anyways,
we can do them anytime, probably not when you're ovulating,
but the annual mammograms are so so crucial, and like
you said, if you have dense breasts, as do I.
(05:35):
Last year I had a couple of lumps removed. Thankfully
they turned out to be benign, but still just always scary.
But when we get the clean bill of health, you're like, who,
all right, I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Good for a year.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
But within that year, like a lot, a lot can happen.
So you have been just fine until forty five, and
then all of a sudden, there's one screening everything changed.
So so what happened after the diagnosis and how how
was your journey you know, to where you are now?
Speaker 3 (05:56):
It was it felt like time had stopped. As soon
as I heard the words, I'm sorry to tell you,
but it looks like cancer, which were the exact words.
I'll never forget them. And certainly, you know, you go
into a period of shock and then you mobilize. It's
like what do I do next? Then you talk to
somebody who's been through it before, or they say, oh,
(06:18):
you need a care team, you need an oncologist, you
need a radiologist. You need a surgeon, and so I
leaned on friends who had been through similar situations and
contacted my doctor and got a care team together. And
my specific diagnosis, you know, because breast cancer is not
a monolith, it's an umbrella of diseases. And so my
(06:38):
specific cancer type and the stage it was in required
me to have surgery to remove the light of lumpectomy.
Some people choose to have a single or double mistectomy
with reconstruction, so it really just depends. In my case,
it was a lumpect to me, and subsequent surgery is
just to ensure that the margins that were clear, meaning
(06:59):
that the doctor got all of the can be detected
in that area. Yeah. Yeah, And then in my case,
moved quickly to chemotherapy, so you know, had four rounds
of chemo. You would be amazed at the technology now
that allows you to try to save your hair cold capping.
You know, it's a whole new world. You scratch the
(07:19):
surface and you learn so much in such a short
period of time. And then after chemo, I had radiation
and now I'm on drug therapy. So it's very common
after my cancer type to you know, go on various
hormone blocking and aromatase inhibitor therapy. So right now I'm
on a drug until twenty twenty nine that is designed to,
(07:43):
you know, reduce the amount of estrogen and progesterone in
my body to limit my chances of recurrence. So each
one of those stages comes with like different challenges, and
you know, certainly has been educational and challenging in a
lot of ways. But right now I am no cancer detective.
I'm feeling great. And part of the reason why I'm
(08:03):
chatting with you today, and part of why I am
connected to the Coman Foundation is that now that I'm
on the other side of a lot of the big
stuff that I experienced over the last couple of years,
I'm just looking for ways to help give back and
hopefully raise some money for a good cause.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, God, bless you can. I just do this right now,
because it must feel good to be on the other side,
right thank you?
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Oh, like, thank goodness, you know, it's feel good.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah, I mean, we're not carrying signs of their face
in a past tense, you know, because we're going to
see a lot of that out the more than pink
walk on the twenty six and that's you know, it's
everyone there to share a little bit of everything in
terms of what they feel, how they feel, who they're honoring,
or what they're going through. I mean, it's survivors, it's
family members, it's friends, it's a memory of so it's
all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
So you said you walked last year by yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
So now your team, and I saw inline you raised
like well over five thousand dollars by the way, so
it's another clappity clap. Yeah, right, how.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Big is your team?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And can anyone join the the TAMAS. I mean, I
don't want to get in trouble for staying on the radio,
but yeah, the Tired Ass Mom's Association Team, your team,
TAM Tired Ass Mom's Association Team.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
That's right, the TAMAS.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Please find us, Please join us for about seven fundraisers
accounting and if you just want to, if you just
want to come find our table. We'll be there early
and enjoying some breakfast and snacks and we really want
to like listen. Having breast cancer is a you know,
devastating experience no matter what stage you're in, and it's
(09:35):
very personal. Some people choose to you know, go through
their treatment and get past it and not share it
very wide and you know, process what's happening to them
on a personal and very private level. And then there
are people that are feeling alone and seeking community, people
who have been touched by this disease and want to
get out there in the community and connect. And that's
(09:57):
really the point of this walk, so that you feel
like there's a place for you, a place for your
allies to go, and a place to learn more about
Susan g Coman and what they're trying to do to
help make breast cancer a footnote in medical history. So
you know, if you want to join us, I would
love it. You don't have to be a tired APS mom,
by the way, you can be someone who loves someone
(10:20):
who loves the tired APS mom and will be there
for you and hopefully we meet some great people.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And how was it having a family? You know, you
have two boys.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
How is it dealing with having breast cancer while still
having to raise boys and you know, run your family?
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Great question. You know, it's interesting when I first got diagnosed,
I was reluctant to tell them because I didn't want
them to be afraid. And my boys are they're ten
and twelve. They're in fifth grade and seventh grade, and
this was two years ago, and so I didn't I
wasn't sure what they would think about their mom being
(10:56):
quote unquote sick, or having to have procedures in the
hot fittal or potentially losing my hair to chemotherapy. And
my first instinct was not to tell them. I wanted
to protect them from worry and protect them from fear.
And what I realized is my personal choice was I
didn't want to hide it from them, and I certainly
didn't want to be whispering about my experience in my
(11:19):
own home with the kids, and so I just made
the choice to involve them and be very pragmatic about
what was happening and let them know Mom was going
to be okay, but I was going to have to
go through some challenges. And I'm so glad that I
made that decision. These kids are incredibly resilient. It gave
them an opportunity to support me, you know, and be
(11:39):
a part of the recovery experience, and they just impressed
me every step of the way. My husband was amazing also,
and it was just wonderful to be able to, you know,
nobody wants to go through this experience, but to have
the support network that I had inside my home really
helped me get through.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yeah. Sure, and now you're like, and now you have
it'd be nicer to me, darn it, because I've been
through a.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Hell exactly when I'm when I'm tired, you got to
let me sleep in.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
And you gotta be nicer to mom, darn it. So
will they all be there walking with you on the
twenty six. We'll be there.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Last year, I brought my eldest. His name's Mac and
he came and you know, one of the more touching
moments was they have these signs that you pin onto
your shirt and it says who are you walking for?
And he kind of scuttled off with a little pink
marker and he wrote my Mom. And when I saw
him put it on, it still brings me to tears.
But he it gave him an opportunity to get out
(12:35):
there and understand that what was happening to Mom was
happening to a community of people. And I think it
really made him feel good to be able to show
up and do the walk with.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Us and support you for sure. And Nicole, how do
you feel this Ison' J. Comman Foundation helped you get
through your breast cancer.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Yeah. Interestingly, I'd always known about Coleman. It was kind
of in my mind this, you know, it's kind of
only game in town in terms of really raising money
for breast cancer research and getting the word out there.
And but it's like, you don't know you need you
don't know you need a foundation like that until you
(13:11):
need it. And so, you know, obviously, they put on
this walk every year, and it was grateful for the
opportunity to get out there. It also allowed me to
connect with the executive director of our LA chapter, Yolanda,
and after the walk, she and I got to know
each other and I told her I was looking for
an opportunity to give back. And so now I'm on
(13:32):
the advisory committee. I'm the board chair for LA all right,
and yeah, and so so we meet, you know, every month,
and we get together to find ways to spread the
good word. And you know, I think providing giving back
to the community when that gave me the support I
needed when I needed it. It just feels like a
(13:55):
full circle moment. And I can't I can't think of
any other organization I'd want to do with.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yeah, and look at you, a local gal, and now
you're paying forward to help others who God forbid are
dealing with this.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Yeah. And once you make the decision to be public
with your story, it's incredible how many people find you
and share their story with you. And you know, every
phone call I get or every email I've received in
the last you know, two years since I've been open
about my experience just brings me closer to community, and
(14:29):
you know, it helps us feel stronger together, just helps
us feel like every stage of this experience, we know
who we can rely on to hear everybody's individual experiences,
we can share resources and direct each other to resources
as needed, and it's just really been rewarding. But I
do also want to say it's also an intensely personal
(14:51):
decision to share and be open about it, and creating
a safe space for people to do that, I think
is really important. And I think the walk that I
think the walk does that.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Sure, sure absolutely coman dot org slash La County Walk,
by the way, Coman with a k coman dot org
slash La County Walk for all the information. If you
also have questions about brust cancer and need assistance, you
can also call eight seven seven go coman k O
M E N. And if you want to support Nicole,
you sound so amazing. I hope I get a chance
(15:21):
to meet you in person to give you a big
hug and I high five and all the stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
I wwise.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Likewise, look forward to seeing you guys soon.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, we're gonna have an iHeart team out there as well.
So and again, if you want to read more about
Nicole's story Nicole Delansky, she's part of the TAMA, the
TAMA Club t a m A the Tired Ass Moms Association,
her group for looking for you know, donations and looking
for more people too. If you want to join Nicole
or support Nicole and her friends out there, please do so.
(15:48):
Look for TAMA or under Nicole Delansky and support in
any way that you can. But of course we'd love
to see folks out there in droves, thousands of people,
a sea of pink and people out there for a
very important reason Sunday, October twenty six at the LA
State Historic Park in downtown LA for the Susan g
Coman More Than Pink Walk, because it is more than
just a color. The color has done so much in
(16:10):
terms of awareness, but this is also about real people's
stories and supporting people like you who went through it,
who went through the battle and thankfully came out on
the other side as a survivor.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
And thank you for sharing your very inspiring story.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
And we can't wait to see out there Sunday, October
twenty six, woo.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Thank you so much, look forward to it.
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