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.