The cars stretched for blocks down Morrison Avenue in New Suburb Beautiful. Everyone came for the same reason: to support their friend and neighbor Ana Montiel-Berner. Ana, 41, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood-related cancer that attacks bones, in April 2002. In some ways, the diagnosis came as a relief. Finally, her baffling health problems had a name. Finally, she could look toward getting better.
More than two years later, her condition has stabilized. She goes to the doctor regularly, takes drugs to stave off the disease and refuses to dwell on what-ifs.
ON JAN. 9, she and five friends - Lisa Donaldson, Johanna Ellis, Kristen Keller, Sheila Rose Little and Stacy Ryan - will walk in the Walt Disney World Marathon in Orlando. Ana's participation is a miracle, they say, given that not too long ago, she walked with a cane.
"She's got such a good attitude. It's so refreshing," said Stacy, a mother of three young children. "If you ever feel sorry for yourself, it's silly."
Ana credits Dr. Melissa Alsina at Moffitt Cancer Center, her rock-solid husband and caring friends for helping her get through. "It's very easy to go into a hole and feel sorry for yourself, but you've got to keep going," she said. "Life is too precious."
She hasn't always been this optimistic.
The months before her diagnosis were awful. Her hands stiffened, and her joints swelled. The pain became unbearable. Worse, she couldn't play with her son, Kyle, now a kindergartener at St. John Greek Orthodox Day School.
DOCTORS initially thought she had rheumatoid arthritis. Bone marrow tests, however, revealed myeloma, which typically affects people much older.
Attacking the cancer required a full-scale assault. To purge it from her system, she had a stem cell transplant, a rigorous process that pounds patients with chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill the bad cells and make room in the bone marrow for healthy, new cells.
Losing her hair was the least of her worries. She had a 50-50 chance of survival.
Last year, she had both hips replaced within three months.
Today, she's training for a 26.2-mile walk to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
To raise money, Ana's friends organized a gift party last week at Johanna Ellis' house on Morrison. Johanna turned her first floor and front porch area into a boutique with about a dozen vendors selling everything from jewelry to silks to candles.
Local doctors donated the food and wine. Businesses gave spa and laser hair removal packages for the silent auction. A masseuse offered guests free chair massages.
The more than $1,000 raised during the evening will help the walkers go to the marathon. Each participant must pledge at least $2,000, not including personal expenses.
Callie Booth came to the party with her beaded jewelry to support her longtime friend and cancer causes in general. Callie's mother died of cancer in 1980.
"It seems cancer has touched everyone," she said.
Sad but so true.
She remembers healthy Ana as a free spirit who liked to party with friends, cruise in her Jeep and cook from scratch. (Even now, she makes homemade waffles for her son every morning.) Originally from Venezuela, Ana moved to Tampa late in high school. It broke Callie's heart to watch Ana decline then retreat into her own world during the difficult treatment. Now she hopes Ana's strength and will to live keep the cancer away.
Ana's continued health depends on keeping her blood levels within an optimal range. She eats organic foods, avoids stress and monitors the latest medicine and research.
Whether walking in a marathon or watching her son grow up, she lives one step at a time.
To help Ana and her friends take part in the walk, send donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 13907 N Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 101, Tampa, 33618. Make a note that it's for "Ana's Team."
THE LAST DROP: Last month's hurricanes toppled a Bayshore Boulevard mainstay - the metal horses in the city's public art display at Rome Avenue in front of the Wallace mansion. Frances took out Trojan; Jeanne clobbered Desert Storm, named after Tampa's own retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. Black Beauty survived unscathed. Public art administrator Robin Nigh happily reports the horses are fine, except for some minor hoof damage. She expects the herd, called Equanimity, to be back on its feet in a few weeks.
