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'Bald is beautiful' outlook gives woman hope, courage

DENVER - "You know when you give a dog a bath and they shake in the tub and they act like their life is over, and then, you let them out of the tub and out of the bathroom and they run around your house and go crazy like they're so happy to be alive? That's how I felt after surgery," Danielle Valks said.

"I woke up from surgery and I had a really lucid moment which I remember so clearly. I knew.. *knew* .. all the cancer was gone and I was going to be fine," Valks said.Valks credits some of her strength to the fact she doesn't have to expend energy worrying about how she will pay for her treatments. Valks does not have health insurance but the Denver Chapter for the Komen for the Cure Foundation has come to her rescue. Grant money from Komen paid for Valks' mammogram, biopsy and ultrasound. Another round of grant money paid for her surgery and oncologist. The Komen grant money is available thanks to all the people who pay the $35 fee to participate in Denver's Race for the Cure or Sleep in for the Cure ($25 for kids amp; seniors). For those who have yet to register for the Oct.3 event, Valks has these words of encouragement: "Please do it. You will help so many people. You will make so many people's lives easier. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the Komen Foundation right now." "I sat with that lump for a year, thinking that if it was cancer I would be financially ruined," she said."I would never be able to buy a house or go back to school. Now, I don't have any financial stress. I can recover in peace and do chemotherapy and sit on my couch in peace." To sign up for the Denver Race for the Cure:http://www.9news.com/life/community/raceforthecure//>

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