MEET THE WEBMASTER

read about sylvia's battle with breast cancer

HELP SYLVIA AS SHE PARTICIPATES IN THE 2008 5K RACE FOR THE CURE IN MIAMI, FL

SUPPORTS THE SUSAN G. KOMEN BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION.

Sylvia Woolwine lives in the picturesque mountains of Southwest Virginia. She has lived there since 1964 when she relocated from Atlanta, Georgia.

She graduated from Andrew Lewis High School in 1965 and did not attend college, choosing instead to marry and raise a family. She has spent most of her adult life as a full-time wife, mother and homemaker until her children were grown, working occasionally as a seamstress out of her home and doing free-lance artwork.

Sylvia has been married for 34 years to her husband Bruce and has two grown daughters by a first marriage. Her daughter, Sherrri, lives in south Florida with her 3 sons ages 13, 10 and 7 who are a delight to their "Grandma Woolwine". Sylvia's younger daughter Barbara, is single and lives at home with Sylvia and her husband Bruce who enjoy her companionship very much.

Sylvia has self-taught skills in several areas although she admits her artistic abilities were never really learned...they were something she was born with and became more skilled at with time and practice. She taught herself to sew when her daughters were very young and would eventually become a master tailor specializing in bridal and formalwear and custom alterations. She uses her sewing skills to make all of the costumes for Gypsy worn on this site.

She showed her original art at outdoor shows and festivals in her area during warm weather until her battle with breast cancer in 2005 left her permanently unable to participate in the rigors of showing her works. Sylvia has several permanent works displayed in her hometown's Municipal Building. Her original art and portraits are also in private collections throughout the United States. She always signs her pieces simply "Sylvia". Her artistic honors include several purchase awards at The Bank of Fincastle Art Show, Fincastle, Virginia for two consecutive years.

The website for her beloved Gypsy started out as a fun way to learn web-building and the Internet, but Sylvia quickly realized its' potential to do more than entertain. The site has been re-designed many times and is still a work in progress. She enjoys the friendships she has made on the Internet and a media tool from which to speak out on issues she feels are important concerning animal welfare and the Chihuahua breed.

In January of 2004 Sylvia launched her own website development business, Woolie Webs. Her clients include large corporations, support groups, small businesses and personal sites from Miami, Florida to Northern Virginia on the East Coast. To learn more about Sylvia Woolwine's custom web design, development and custom graphics services visit her newest website at www.wooliewebs.com or email her at info@wooliewebs.com.

This labor of love for Gypsy The Red Chihuahua was built to entertain and showcase what she calls "The Most Delightful Pet I Have Ever Owned."

SYLVIA IS A THREE TIME CANCER SURVIVOR.



GO TO SYLVIA'S PERSONAL FUND RAISING PAGE

HELP HER efforts to support

THE Susan G. Komen FOUNDATION

AS SHE PARTICIPATES IN THE 5K RACE FOR THE CURE - Miami Affiliate!
OCTOBER 2008, MIAMI, FLORIDA

BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR
view photos

Postscript March 4, 2005:
Sylvia was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 13, 2005. She had a mastectomy on Valentine's Day 2005 and a second surgery twelve days later on February 26, 2005 due to complications from the first surgery. Beginning March 22, 2005 she began aggressive chemo therapy for three months and long term hormone therapy for five years to treat this disease and hopefully prevent it's recurrence.

Throughout her illness and treatments she maintained this website and continued to help new and prospective Chihuahua owners when they contacted her via emails or left posts on our Chihuahua Lover's Message Board. Indeed, Sylvia believes that this website for her beloved Gypsy may be the one of the things in her life that kept her spirits up and helped her to cope with this terrible disease that afflicts so many women. She wishes to express her sincere thanks to all her doctors, nurses, her family and wonderful friends who have sent their well-wishes and supported her throughout her illness and cancer treatments.

UPDATE JULY 22, 2005:
Sylvia completed her 12 weeks of chemo therapy on June 3, 2005. She is slowly regaining her strength and returning to some of the activities she loves. The twelve weeks of chemo were especially hard on Sylvia. She was very sick and weak throughout those treatments. Her doctors have told her to give herself a full year to expect recovery from chemo, but she is grateful to be alive and finally feeling better. She still doesn't have any hair except a little "fuzz" on top of her head, but she is undaunted by this and continues to go bareheaded when out in public because it is more comfortable in the summer heat. She does wear jaunty little caps to block out the summer sun, but is happy to reply to curious children and adults who stare that she is happy and it will "grow back someday."

View Photos of Sylvia During her Chemo Therapy Treatments Click on thumbnails for enlarged view. Use your browser's BACK button to return to this page.
	Sylvia (r.) with one of the special Oncology "Greeters" who volunteer helping patients park and get in and out of their vehicles. All the volunteers or "Greeters" at Oncology and Hematology Associates of Southwest Virginia are cancer survivors which makes them ideally suited to the special needs of patients. Only a person who has "been there" can truly understand what a person undergoing cancer treatments endures. These volunteers are very special!
	Sylvia shown near the end of her third chemo treatment. Her daughter Barbara accompanied her throughout all six treatments, staying the entire five to six hours by her Mother's side to help her to the bathroom and bring her snacks, etc. Barbara also accompanied Sylvia to every one of her emergency visits back to oncology to receive IV's for fluids and more anti-nausea medicine when she would become very ill on the fifth day after each treatment.
	Gypsy played a big part in Sylvia's emotional well-being during her treatments and recovery from breast cancer. Always by Sylvia's side, even in the worst of times, Gypsy was a loving and tender companion to her Mommy. Here they are shown sharing a pop-up freezer pop which is one of the few things Sylvia could eat and really enjoy.
	Sylvia at the end of her sixth and final chemo therapy session with nurse/practitioner "Liz." Sylvia looked tired, but was very happy to have completed all her treatments on time. Liz was especially kind and helpful throughout Sylvia's 12 weeks of treatment. Our very heartfelt thanks to Liz, Dr. Richards (her oncologist) and all the wonderful and hard-working team of nurses and assistants at Oncology and Hematology Associates of Southwest Virginia, Inc. located in Salem, Virginia.
Photos Taken In the Months Following Treatments:
	In mid-September Sylvia and her husband spent four days at Myrtle Beach, SC relaxing and enjoying some much-needed time to themselves. In this picture Sylvia is shown relaxing in the hot tub at the hotel. She's starting to get a little fuzz on her head by this time.
	While at Myrtle Beach Sylvia and her husband spent an afternoon and evening fishing off the World Famous Cherry Grove Pier. This picture shows Sylvia proudly holding a small Black Tail Shark she caught at night. It is illegal to catch sharks in SC so he had to be thrown back, but it was exciting just the same!
	HAPPY BIRTHDAY GYPSY! October 12, 2005 Sylvia with Gypsy on her 7th birthday October 12, 2005. Photo shows Sylvia's hair starting to grow back more.
	MARCH 2006 On January 16, 2006 Sylvia voluntarily had her second mastectomy for preventative measures. It turned out this breast was pre-cancerous so she was very glad she elected to have this done, knowing she had saved herself a lot of pain and suffering down the road. This most recent photo shows Sylvia sporting a full head of very curly hair!
	MAY 6, 2006 SYLVIA MEETS "BIG TOM" On May 6, 2006 Sylvia attended the Roanoke Valley Championship Chili Cook-off where "Big Tom" was a guest. Big Tom was a contestant in CBS's popular reality series Survivor Africa and Survivor All-stars where he left his indelible mark as one of the most popular contestants ever to compete in the series. Big Tom gave Sylvia a big hug!
Email Sylvia: bcsurvivor@meetgypsy.com Please Visit Our Page For Breast Cancer Patient Resources! Sylvia has added a page of resources to help newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and their families cope with the myriad of issues and problems which face people diagnosed with breast cancer and other forms of cancer. This page will be continually updated in an effort to give our visitors the latest online resources about the disease of breast cancer. VISIT OUR BREAST CANCER RESOURCE PAGE