Airline pilot, biker, survivor organizes ride against cancer

Diane Sandoval’s life is anything but boring.

SARAH SHEW WILSON

Breast cancer survivor Diane Sandoval is combining her love for Harley riding and ‘calling’ to raise cancer awareness into a local fundraiser set for next month.

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She’s been a commercial airline pilot for more than 25 years, a Harley-Davidson biker for 40 years and recently made the move with her retired husband, Reggie, to their dream home in Lockwood Folly.

Now, she’s added “cancer survivor” to her list of accomplishments and says she has a “calling” to promote breast cancer awareness and fight the disease she was lucky enough to beat. On Nov. 14, she and her fellow bikers will take to the streets to benefit breast cancer research.

When Sandoval first found a lump, she was living in Charlotte, and her doctor sent her for a biopsy. She was told a week later the sample was sent to another lab for more testing.

“As soon as I heard that, I knew something was wrong.”

When she called her doctor again she was in Boston getting ready for a flight. She had to convince him to give her the results over the phone, which is usually not done.

“I asked him, ‘Would you want to fly with a pilot who was worried about whether or not she had breast cancer?’”

He said it was positive, and Sandoval decided to fight it with everything she had.

“I was very lucky,” she admits. “It was Stage 1, garden variety.”

But the experience was not exactly a pleasant one.

“The only way to describe it is, when cancer walked into the door, the devil walked into the house.”

Sandoval had a mastectomy but was lucky enough not to have to undergo chemotherapy, thanks to a relatively new test that predicts the likelihood of cancer recurrence.

Her tissue sample was sent for an Oncotype DX test, which uses the sample to analyze patterns of activity in 21 genes. The likelihood of recurrence within 10 years is scored on a scale of 0 to 100. A recurrence score of 17 or below is considered low-risk, and Sandoval “came out with a lucky 13,” she said.

With her brown mane of hair reaching past her knees, chemo would have been traumatic for her, Sandoval said, not to mention jeopardizing her future as a pilot.

After learning about her score, she connected with a group of other survivors who came through surgery without chemotherapy and became active in cancer awareness.

After recovering from surgery, she and her husband also discovered Lockwood Folly through friends who retired to the area.

“When I drove through the gates, it was home sweet home,” Sandoval said. “We built a lovely retirement home. We just love this area. It’s such a great community.”

She’s returned to flying and is now on international duty, but she is also taking the time to spread the word about breast cancer.

“Since I had a happy ending, it’s like a calling now,” Sandoval said. “I feel an obligation to try to get this stuff stopped. It’s like an out-of-control locomotive. When they say one in three women have a chance of getting cancer, that’s unbelievable.”

On Nov. 14, Sandoval is inviting fellow bikers to participate in the first ever “Ride Cancer Into the Ground” bike run beginning at Beach House Harley Davidson in Shallotte to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

There’s no charge for the ride, but she is selling logo T-shirts for riders and is accepting donations.

Already, she and her fellow riders are making pink ribbons for survivors who ride and are soliciting sponsors and riders.

“I’m trying to get as many ladies as I can on these motorcycles,” Sandoval said.

To participate or for more information, call (704) 796-1119 or e-mail tovrodess@gmail.com.