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Last 7 Days

Top Blogs

• Tecklenburg sentenced to 90 days in jail

• Top Bush official, Anna Cabral, speaks at General Mills in Lodi for women’s forum

• Supreme Court reaffirms death penalty in Lodi case

• Galt High trustees look forward to passage of school bond

• Breast cancer survivor brings laughter, learning to Lodi at event today

• Regional Roundup

• Chances slipping for Delta College campus in Tracy

• San Joaquin County to spend up to $200,000 for assistant director

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (165)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (70)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (48)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Public health care is a Christian option (29)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (17)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Breast cancer survivor brings laughter, learning to Lodi at event today

When Becky Olson first found out she had breast cancer nine years ago, she turned to the medical community for treatment. She had no way of knowing then that salvation would come to her in the form of a hat.

It was a gift from friends, a simple gesture meant to cheer her up and cover a head bald from rounds of chemotherapy. But when Olson put it on her head, something magical happened — she smiled.

“The minute I saw it, my eyes lit up and I got a lump in the back of my throat,” Olson said in an interview Tuesday. “I thought, ‘OK, I can do this.’ ”

Since then, Olson’s appreciation for laughter and friendship have seen her through the long recovery period and a second diagnosis of breast cancer in 2004. Today, she will share her story with local audiences when she speaks at a Pink October breast cancer awareness event held at Lodi Memorial Hospital.

Olson, who resides in Portland, Ore., has written a book about her battle with cancer and the journey of self-discovery she’s made since her first diagnosis. “The Hat that Saved My Life” gives readers an in-depth look at the mind and life of someone forced to re-prioritze her life.

With the help of friend Sharon Henifin, Olson started an organization five years ago called Breast Friends, a support network for friends and family members of breast cancer patients. The group provides information and support, and matches volunteers with patients who are going through the ordeal alone.

To people in Lodi who plan to attend today’s talk, Olson had this to say: “Tell them they’re going to laugh.”

Olson will speak at Lodi Memorial Hospital today at 6:30 p.m. in classrooms A and B, 975 S. Fairmont Ave. To learn more about Olson or Breast Friends, visit http://www.beckyolson.com or http://www.breastfriends.com

Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.