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• 5 victims of rape in 2 weeks

• Weighing in on Prop. 8

• Finding a better life through literacy

• Area congressmen remain supportive of bailout

• Cleavage Creek

• Regional Roundup

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 (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Public health care is a Christian option (75)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (52)
• The haves should help the have-nots (31)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (25)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (18)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (17)

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Cleavage Creek

Local cancer survivor featured on wine bottle

When Theresa Larson was diagnosed with breast cancer, she thought her life was over.

She didn't see herself inspiring 8,000 readers with her story, "My Fight for Life."

And she especially never expected her face to appear on the label of a wine that will be distributed nationwide.

Four years after her diagnosis, Larson, the Lodi News-Sentinel's administration manager, is one of six breast cancer survivors throughout the United States featured on 2008 Cleavage Creek Cellars wine labels.

"We wanted to pick women who inspire other women. Theresa's a dynamite lady," said Budge Brown, the owner of Cleavage Creek Cellars, whose own wife died of breast cancer in 2005.

In October 2007, the Pope Valley winery released the first generation of Cleavage Creek wines in an attempt to raise money for breast cancer research. For every bottle sold, 10 percent goes to breast cancer research. The winery says it has already donated more than $37,000 to breast cancer causes.

There are six wines this year, including Napa Cabernet, Napa Petite Sirah, Chardonnay, Cabernet Syrah, a Secret White and a Secret Red. Larson's photo is on the Secret White bottles.

Local cancer survivor Theresa Larson appears on this bottle of 2008 Cleavage Creek Cellars wine. (Courtesy photo)

The 2008 bottles feature the photos of six survivors who proved they are an inspiration to their community and in the world of breast cancer.

Larson was chosen for her work with Pink October in Lodi, and for telling her inspirational story and personal photos in "My Fight for Life." 8,000 copies of the booklet were distributed nationwide, and Larson still receives feedback from women with cancer and their families.

"Women that have read it say, 'You're in my head. I can't express my feelings, but you did,'" Larson said.

Still, she didn't think it was enough to catapult her into nationwide exposure.

Last October, Larson got a call from her best friend, Despina Scalise. She said Larson should go online and apply to have her photo on a wine label for a winery she'd seen featured on TV.

"Just to shut her up, I went online and applied," Larson laughs.

Weeks later, Larson got a call saying the search had been narrowed down to 45 survivors. She was one of them. Shortly after that, she got another notice saying she was chosen as one of the six.

In April, Larson and the other five women went to a professional photo shoot in Palm Springs. There were lights. There were cameras. There was thick, rubbery foundation. Fake "eyelashes that weighed 10 pounds," Larson said. And Brown was there, advising the models how to hold their elbows, how to tilt their heads and just how much to smile.

"He had a vision and he knew how he wanted us to look," Larson said. "I have a newfound respect for super models."

With Pink October, Cleavage Creek and "My Fight For Life," Larson's and Cleavage Creek's biggest goal is to raise funds to fight the disease.

"I have a daughter. I have daughters-in-law. I have granddaughters. I don't want them to go through this," Larson said.

Larson went through surgery, two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. She is now cancer free but still under the close eyes of her doctor.

Through all of this, Larson has learned a lot.

"Hair grows back. Eyelashes and eyebrows do, too," she said. "I'm at the point where I no longer think about cancer every day."

The Lodi News-Sentinel is inviting donations to reprint Larson's booklet, "My Fight for Life." If you would like to contribute, contact Theresa Larson at (209) 369-2761 or write to Lodi News-Sentinel, 125 N. Church St., Lodi, CA, 95240.

Contact Lodi Living Editor Lauren Nelson at laurenn@lodinews.com.