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Nov 4, 2007 9:25 pm US/Eastern
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Story Behind The Headlines
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
In my job I am so fortunate to meet some really amazing people. I've been lucky enough to interview John F. Kennedy, Jr., President George H.W. Bush, Janet Reno, many actors and performers. But it's the people whose names aren't in the headlines that I really remember.
Martine Rodney is one of those people.
38-year old Martine is a single mother of three beautiful children. Two boys, ages 13 and 5. And an 11 year old daughter. Martine came from Haiti and lives in a small two-bedroom apartment in Miami. She had a good job - until one day she learned she had breast cancer.
It was so severe that doctors told her she had to quit to focus on recovering. Within a month she had a double mastectomy and began eight months of chemotherapy. And there were other scares along the way - another lump was discovered and another surgery had to be performed. Martine had Medicare, but money was a huge worry. She says she was sick, scared, and had to take care of her children.
Because they couldn't afford furniture, she would pick-up pieces found on the streets of South Florida - and clean and fix them up. She can remember exactly where she found everything - the computer desk in the corner of the living room, the big armchair covered with a blanket, the bed now being held up with plywood.
I met Martine through the El Dorado Furniture's 40 Years 40 Families contest that Neighbors 4 Neighbors worked on. A representative from the Haitian Information Center told us about Martine - her struggle, her needs, and her will to survive. If anyone could benefit from new furniture and appreciate it, she told us, it was Martine.
I remember so well her young daughter saying that the one piece of furniture she really wanted was a dining room table. So that they could eat together as a family. This Thanksgiving that's exactly what Martine was doing. Sitting with her children at that brand new table, and giving thanks for her health, those who helped in her recovery, and her children.
I'm happy to say that Martine's breast cancer is in remission. And a few Saturday's ago she joined the more than 14,000 others who took part in the Komen Race for the Cure - raising awareness about breast cancer. Yes - Martine Rodney is someone to remember.
Shannon
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