Jackie Ducharme: Participant Profile

Jackie Ducharme did not know when she completed the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride last year in honor of her mother’s cancer journey that she would complete the Challenge this year after her own breast cancer diagnosis and in the middle of treatment. The changes that a cancer diagnosis brings are often sudden and unavoidable. Jackie found participating in the 2020 Mamma Jamma Challenge to be flexible and inclusive at a time in her life when these helped her connect with the cancer community.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.  

My name is Jackie. I was born in Buffalo, NY, grew up in South Florida and have been living in Austin since 1993. I have two daughters—the oldest is starting her first year at UT Austin and my younger daughter is finishing up high school. I work in the insurance field and I am engaged to a wonderful man. I love gardening, camping, hiking, travel and, because my fiancé nudged me in that direction, now I love cycling, too. It was because I started cycling that I found the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride and ended up completing the 40-mile route on my first ride ever in 2019.

Who or what inspired you to participate in the Mamma Jamma Challenge this year? 

Last year I rode in honor of my mother who had breast cancer eight years before and is doing great now. This year my reason for riding, unfortunately, was even more personal. I found out in May that I had breast cancer, had a double mastectomy in June, and started chemotherapy in July. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to participate this year due to the timing of the challenge being right in the middle of my chemo treatments, but because the Challenge was so flexible, I easily finished the 120 minutes of activity.

Tell us about your fundraising experience for the Mamma Jamma Challenge? What are your tips for success? 

Fundraising was easy for me this year with my recent diagnosis. But what was not easy was announcing my situation on social media. I had chosen to only let family and close friends know what was going on with my health. When I posted my participation in Mamma Jamma on Facebook this year, I also let everyone know that I was battling breast cancer. It was hard for me to “announce” it in that way, but I knew doing so would help all the organizations involved, and my situation could be beneficial in some way.

What are some of the activities you tracked in this year's Mamma Jamma Challenge? What are your favorite ways to move to beat breast cancer? 

The only activity that I could really do this year was walking. I took short walks in the neighborhood every day to complete the challenge. I was glad that the challenge was so flexible—there was not going to be a 40-mile bike ride for me this year! It just goes to show even a chemo patient can do it, no excuses!

by: Ezra Rodriguez