What a fabulous event! On Monday, November 16, 2009, I attended the taping of Kaleidoscope – a show celebrating skating, song and survivorship. You can see it on Thanksgiving Day on FOX at 4:00pm EST. You’ll definitely hear the roar of appreciation from a mostly cancer survivor crowd.
Scott Hamilton skated publicly for the first time in six years after a second bout of brain cancer – and yes he can still do those amazing back flips – he did 3 to standing ovations. Dorothy Hamill, also a survivor, was as graceful and fast across the ice as ever. Olivia Newton-John, the 3rd survivor, hosted and sang at the event. We were also treated to David Foster, Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Viktor Petrenkov, Rachel Flatt and American Idols David Archuleta and Katharine McPhee.
Afterward, I was lucky enough to attend a reception, meet these stars and tell them about ovarian cancer and all of us. They were impressed by our work at the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. Most of all they wanted to send all of you a message of hope and good wishes and, as Olivia Newton-John puts it, a wish that we all become “thrivers, not only survivors!”
Christy Schmidt, Ovarian Cancer National Alliance President-elect and ovarian cancer survivor seen here with singer, actress and fellow cancer survivor, Olivia Newton John. Also seen here on the right, Mary Gant, long-time supporter of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and experimental scientist at the National Institute of Health (NIH).
