Cyclist Lance Armstrong inspires cancer patients at a medical center, who wear yellow bracelets from his organization.
By JILLIAN BANDES
Published July 25, 2004
PALM HARBOR - Lance Armstrong's personal victory over testicular cancer and successive Tour de France wins make the champion cyclist an inspiration to both nurses and patients at the Cornerstone Cancer Center.
"If Lance can do what he does after going through all that he did, there is always hope," said Kit Meador, 39, a registered nurse with Tampa Bay Area Cancer Consultants, which is in the center.
As a symbol of the bond between Armstrong and cancer patients everywhere, Meador has been handing out the popular yellow cancer awareness bracelets from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to fellow nurses and patients. The simple rubber bands, emblazoned with the phrase "LIVESTRONG," represent each patient's fight against the disease and the hope for a cure.
"What Lance says yellow means to him is courage, hope and perseverance," Meador said. "That is what we do every day. We get up in the morning, we need courage. Then we need hope to sort through the day, and perseverance at the end of it."
Meador got started on her "Lance kick," as her co-workers call it, this past month, when her enthusiasm for triathlons and cycling led her to the Lance Armstrong Foundation Web site, www.laf.org There, she joined the Peloton Project, raising funds through family and friends for the nonprofit cancer awareness foundation.
The bracelets went on sale for $1 each in May - with all profits going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation - and Meador decided to buy 100.
"I just came in here one day and said "We're going to give away these bracelets!' and everyone looked at me like I was crazy," she said.
But they have become a hit. Of the original 100 she obtained, fewer than 25 remained last week, and they were going fast.
"Just about everyone in here is wearing them," said Pam Parry, a registered nurse who works with Meador and has participated in several local triathlons with her. "Kit is great at motivating people."
Meador, a mother of three, is a picture of confidence and optimism as she administers both treatment and compassionate advice to the patients in her care. Four to 15 chemotherapy infusions are given per day at Tampa Bay Area Cancer Consultants, which opened eight years ago at the Cornerstone Cancer Center. It is run by oncologist Dr. Anda Norbergs.
The bracelets are a tangible symbol of the nurses' dedication and positive attitudes.
"I've always felt so comfortable here," said Leanna Skerrit, 45, a Tampa Bay Area Cancer Consultants patient who has battled breast cancer on and off since she was 26. Skerrit has enthusiastically worn a yellow bracelet since the day they came in the mail.
The cancer center's distribution of the bracelets has coincided with fervor for them throughout the Tampa Bay area. Sports apparel store Foot Locker and bike shop Chainwheel Drive in Clearwater are just two of many local stores that have sold out of all the bracelets they stocked.
"I go to the grocery store and people go "Where'd you get that?' " Parry said. "Patients come back and ask for another bracelet, because they gave away theirs."
Armstrong's past tour wins - and the possibility of his record-setting sixth win today - has turned the wristbands into this summer's gotta-have-it fad.
"I think what (Lance) is doing is wonderful," said Ruby Calvert, who is being treated for lymphatic cancer. "I think he is an encouragement for a lot of people."
Going into this weekend's final stages, Armstrong's strong riding in the mountains has moved him closer to his goal. The mountains that patients climb at the clinic are not so dissimilar, Meador said.
"Cancer is an endurance sport," she said. "Just like cycling."
TO HELP
To make a donation under Meador's name as part of the Peloton Project, go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation Web site at www.laf.org Click on "Peloton Project" at the top of the page, then click on "Sponsor a Member" at the left side of the screen. Enter the name "Meador" under the search criteria, and click "search by last name." Then click "Find Member to Sponsor," and follow the instructions given.
