Lance Armstrong has gained worldwide fame as the seven-time winner of the grueling Tour de France bicycle endurance race and a survivor of life-threatening cancer.
But few people know that he was born to a petite 17-year-old who was captain of the "high-kickin' Rusk Ram" drill team in Dallas. When Linda Armstrong Kelly told her parents she was pregnant, they kicked her out of the house.
"They were not supportive at all, but I was determined to have the baby," said Mrs. Kelly during an interview from her home in Plano, Texas.
The brand new home she shares with her husband, Ed Kelly, is a far cry from her poverty-stricken background and her struggle to raise her son as a single mother after a brief marriage to Lance's father.
"Tumultuous sums it up. I managed to make the most of it," said Mrs. Kelly, who now spends her time traveling around the country giving inspirational talks on the art of survival in the face of daunting odds.
Which is why she was invited to speak in Santa Barbara on Sept. 21 at a fundraiser for the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. The nonprofit supports local children with cancer, and their parents, during the treatment and recovery process.
In her talk, Mrs. Kelly will discuss her trauma in dealing with her son's near-death experience in 1996, when testicular cancer metastasized to his brain and lungs.
"It was quite a journey, and I have a great message of hope for those who have been diagnosed with the dreaded disease," said Mrs. Kelly, who attributes most of what she has achieved to the "gift of survivorship my mom gave me. Yes, it was hard being poor, but it gave me fire in the belly. I resolved to find the diamond in the dumpster, the blessing in every bummer."
After her 10-pound son was born, Mrs. Kelly was determined to make a better life for him by taking "any job I could get. I had no skills. I was a file clerk, a supermarket checker, punched a cash register at Kentucky Fried Chicken and sorted packages at the post office. At times, I worked two or three jobs."
Eventually, the young mother finished her high school education by taking the GED or General Equivalency Diploma. She became a secretary at a telecommunications company and worked her way up to global account manager before resigning after 15 years to devote time to writing, public speaking and assisting nonprofit organizations like the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation with fundraising.
"I finally found my real calling," said Mrs. Kelly, who has given 28 talks so far this year.
Afterward, she signs copies of her book, which tells the story of her life -- warts and all. Its title is "No Mountain High Enough: Raising Lance, Raising Me" (Broadway Books, $24.95).
"Lance and I grew up together," said Mrs. Kelly, a 52-year-old grandmother who looks decades younger in her photos. Her son is 34.
In the book's introduction, Mr. Armstrong remembers with affection lessons his mother taught him:
"Make every setback an opportunity," she said.
But more important to him were the things she never said:
"Get off that damn bike and get inside this house."
"This sport is getting too expensive. I'm not paying for one more spoke on one more wheel."
"Who do you think you are? You better learn to settle for less, instead of dreaming of the impossible."
The Tour de France champion recalls the times he would ask her "to drive behind me as I rode my bike, to check my time and count the miles. She would grab her car keys, and off we would go. She never said, 'I'm too tired.' "
Mr. Armstrong also gives much of the credit for his triumph over cancer to his mother.
When they heard the diagnosis, Mr. Armstrong remembers his mother announcing, "'This isn't going to happen to us,' and I believed her. Her belief was my belief, and I'm convinced it was that belief, in combination with the marvelous abilities of my doctors, that helped me to survive the disease. As my mother once said, 'You were a survivor long before you got cancer.' "
e-mail: mmcmahon@newspress.com
TEDDY BEAR CANCER FOUNDATION
The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation was founded several years ago to provide support for middle- to low-income families of children being treated for cancer.
Among the services provided are:
• Full or partial payment of one month?s rent or mortgage
• Car payment and necessary vehicle maintenance
• Payment of utility bills to bring past-due amounts up to date and avoid possible disconnections.
If financial assistance is not needed, the following services are available to all families who have a child being treated for cancer at Cottage Hospital:
• Financial planning: In addition to financial aid, the foundation offers families one-on-one consultations with a professional financial adviser.
• Parent support group: Groups meet once a month and are facilitated by social workers who work for Cottage Hospital and the Cancer Center.
• Care packages: Included are gift certificates from local markets and restaurants, toys for the child and his/her siblings and a Parent Pax containing toiletries, a phone card, a disposable camera and a voucher for food that can be delivered to the hospital.
• Hotel accommodations: The foundation offers free hotel stays to immediate family during an emergency or an unusually extended hospital stay.
• Kids? days and family events: The foundation sponsors fun activities for children and their families throughout the year.
• Body and mind strength training: Facilitated by Titan Sports Performance Center, this program is offered to cancer patients, ages 8 to 21. This program provides fitness and wellness instruction, as approved by the doctor, to aid in recovery.
• School spirit: Local high school students create, organize, promote and implement fundraising events for the foundation.
• TBCF storytellers: Twice a week a Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation volunteer reads stories to children in the pediatrics department at Cottage Hospital.
• Automobile donations: Cars donated to the foundation are given to families in need.
IF YOU GO
Who: Linda Armstrong Kelly, mother of seven-time Tour de France
champion Lance Armstrong
What: Luncheon speaker
Why: Benefit for Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation
When: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 21
Where: Four Seasons Biltmore Resort
Tickets: $175
Information: Nikki Katz: 962-7466.
Source: www.teddybearcancerfoundation.org