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Published on 09/11/1995 All articles from this issue

Jazzercise instructor, 49er quarterback team up to fight breast cancer with fund-raiser

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Bonnie Angelo, a 15-year student in Barbara Peterson's Jazzercise aerobics class, fought the valiant fight. But Angelo's opponent was breast cancer. This past January, after a 3 1/2-year battle, Angelo succumbed to the disease.

Though stricken, Angelo was determined to live a normal lifestyle. She continued to come to class, even though chemotherapy had deprived her of her strength and her hair.

"She was just incredible," Peterson said of her friend. "She said she was going to beat this."

Angelo is gone, but the tremendously successful fund-raiser that she inspired lives on as a tribute to her memory. The third annual Jazzercise to Beat Breast Cancer, scheduled for Sept. 30 at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, promises to be an even bigger affair than last year's event which raised nearly $100,000.

For the second straight year, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, a Los Altos Hills resident, will make an appearance and lead in fund-raising efforts by auctioning off his shirt.

Young's presence has apparently made a difference - the inaugural 1993 event, without him, raised $15,000.

This year's event, running 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the campus gymnasium, includes two Jazzercise classes, a Wellness Faire focusing on education and early detection of breast cancer, and a live auction. Proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for research, education, screening and treatment. During the past decade, the Komen Foundation, based in Dallas, has raised more than $27 million and has funded more than 200 grants to researchers and institutions worldwide. Peterson, who's been teaching Jazzercise classes for 15 years, said she and other Jazzercise participants started the fund-raiser when they realized how many of their peers had contracted breast cancer. Nationally, the disease affects one in every five women. The leading cause of death of women between 35 and 54, experts estimate 46,000 will die this year of the disease.

The fund-raising has reached epic proportions this year. Organizers hope to fill some 8,000 pledge forms and sell 1,200 T-shirts. Young's presence will go a long way toward fulfilling those hopes.

Peterson said Young got involved last year after stopping by her lemonade stand in Los Altos Hills. "I started telling him about my friend Bonnie and he said 'I'd love to come (to the event)'' " she said. Peterson added that Young encouraged her to continue the event this year.

Peterson emphasized participants don't have to "jazzercise" to get something out of the event. Booths at the Wellness Faire include free mammograms, opportunities to measure body composition, nutrition information and a breast model that shows how to feel for lumps.

Pam Grange, a breast cancer survivor and Jazzerciser who has supported the event since its inception, said her involvement is a way of combating the disease. "I've watched my mother, grandmother and best friend die from breast cancer and have survived my own bout with the disease," she said. "This dreadful and deadly illness must be stopped. Supporting 'Jazzercise to Beat Breast Cancer' is my way of fighting back and helping others do the same."

"This is our passion for finding a cure," said organizer Cathy Jensen. "We don"t have to do this. It's a lot of work and a lot of time, and we are all volunteers." Jensen said approximately 100 people will be volunteering this year as word of the event has spread. "The ripple effect has taken over," she said.

Peterson, Grange and Jensen are all part of a nine-member committee overseeing the details. Other committee members are: Terry Pergamit, Susan Trombetta, Judy Bortman, Janet Martinez, Nancy Dailey, Chris Syrett and Martha Redington.

Admission is $25, including a T-shirt. For more information, call 436-0888.