Breast Cancer Survivor is Steppin’ Out in Pink 9/10/09

Winona Resident Peggy Dalton has no family history of cancer. She always does her monthy self exams and has never
missed a mammogram. “My health was always good. Had never had anything wrong with me. I don’t think I had any sick
days for years.”

But early last year, that string of good health came to a crashing halt. “The radiologist saw a spot that he didn’t
like…they wanted to look at it further.”

A few days later, her worst fears are confirmed. “It was a Friday night about 5:15 in the evening and the phone
rang. I knew exactly from the expression on her face that the results came back positive.” “Your heart starts
pounding. It’s just difficult. You hear cancer, but you don’t think of it when it doesn’t run in your family.”

There was however some hope in news she’d been given. “It wasn’t a cancer where we said ‘we’re not going to cure
her.’ Her cancer was one we said ‘this is very curable.'”

An aggressive round of Chemotherapy and radiation soon followed. “You just kind of ‘this is what I have to do to
get past this and it’s going to be fine. It was harder for everyone else than it was for me.”

“You wish you could trade places right from the get go. It’s difficult to see someone that you love and care for so
deeply have to go through that. If I were king, no women would have to go through breast cancer.”

Friends and family, particularly her husband and daughter provided a huge support over the course of her treatment.
But she admits, without the help of the staff at Gundersen Lutheran’s Center for Breast care, she never could have
gotten through the fight. “The center is absolutely amazing. They’re there to help you through it in any way they
can.” “It’s not a job to them. It became very obvious very quickly that it’s their passion. They’re in a war and
they’re out to win that war.”

Last September, still battling the cancer and weak from radiation Peggy laced up her shoes and walked five miles in
Gundersen’s Steppin Out in Pink fundraiser for the Norma J. Vinger Breast Center. “It was amazing to see all the
support and other women that have gone through this. There’s a feeling when you are there with others who’ve been
through it that helps you get through it. It didn’t feel like 5 miles at all.” “To watch Peggy, who not long before
would have really struggled, was really uplifting.”

Now, one year later, she is ready to walk again. She walks for the women who lost their battles and for the ones
that are still very much in the middle of it. But as for her… “Everything looks good and the prognosis is very
positive.”

“What do you think about how your wife fought this battle? She was amazing.”

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