Exit Only: The Survivors Among Us
EXIT ONLY
TODD DILLS
The Survivors Among Us
Convoy for a Cure events get rolling this month
Truckers News Senior Editor Todd Dills is the author of a novel, Sons of the Rapture, and blogs daily at www. overdriveonline.com/ channel19. Write him at tdills@rrpub.com or http://twitter.com/ channel19todd.
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community, those who build on her was a result of her failing aorockwood, Tenn.-based ownerhard experience to help those foltic valve. She needed a replaceoperator Michele White’s lowing for better or worse along ment, the doc said, or she “would International ProStar, which is similar trajectories. Last year’s leased to Crete, was Texas Convoy for a Cure event the lead truck in the raised more than $12,000. “ComTexas Convoy for a bined with the three Canadian conCure for breast cancer voys” — in Ontario, Alberta and event last year. She New Brunswick, respectively — earned the lead spot says Texas event organizer Cindy by being the biggest Stowe, “the total raised for breast single fund-raiser cancer research and awareness was among participating $94,000.” haulers. It was an At the end of this month and appropriate honor early next, the convoys roll again. for a truck with such Details follow. a distinctive design: • Alberta: Sept. 25 in Nisku, www. though there have albertaconvoyforacure.ca been many trucks • Ontario: Oct. 2 in Cornwall, built and painted to www.convoyforacure.com promote particular • New Brunswick: Oct. 9, Saliscauses over the years, Michele White’s cancer-awareness-themed International bury, www.convoyforacure-atlantic. White’s ProStar, ProStar com sporting such slogans • Texas: Oct. 16 in Terrell, donabe dead in six months.” as “Still alive by the grace of God tions and information at www.conIt’s refreshing to see peoand early detection” and “Been voyforacureusa.com ple like White among the driver screened lately?”, is a rolling testament to the owner-operator’s personal experience. POSTED “Breast cancer is an insidious and pervasive disease, and odds On the road again a load of beer In related are that one in every eight women In addition to the Texas Convoy destined for news, One Bar will have it in her lifetime,” White for a Cure event’s actual conDallas and said Records singersays. She is herself a survivor of voy, the 2009 program featured he was glad to songwriter five different cancers, beginning a performance by an ownerbe back on the Terry Wooley with Hodgkin’s Disease in the late operator you’ll be familiar with road. He’s also has penned a 1970s, diagnosed shortly after the if you’re a regular reader here, made some tribute song for beginning of her truck-driving independent Howard Salmon. progress on his the Convoy for Incidentally, Salmon’s back music, teama Cure events career in 1976. In 1981 the disease in the states this month, after a ing up with the in “There Is a resurfaced, followed by breast canIndependent near six-month sojourn out at folks at Cashbox Cure,” available cer in 1999 and kidney and colon owner-operator/ his place in Hawaii, where he Records (cashfor download for singer-songwriter cancers in 2007, “a bad year for recovered from rotator cuff sur- boxrecords.com) $0.99 at www. Howard Salmon me,” she told convoy participants gery and attended a tsunamito promote his terrywooley.com. in her address at the 2009 event. watching party after the FebruThese Trucks Are Made of Gold All proceeds will be donated to In addition to the cancers, in April ary Chilean earthquake sent record, first released last year. convoy organizers toward their of that year, “I had a DOT Dochigh seas out into the Pacific. Salmon says he’s hoping to goal of raising money to benefit tor shut me down for a heart murWe caught up with him in make the Oct. 16 Texas convoy breast cancer research and mur” that a cardiologist then told Nashville in July. He was under again this year. awareness efforts.
COURTESY MICHELE WHITE TODD DILLS
98 TRUCKERS NEWS SEPTEMBER 2010