April 27, 2011 07:56 by John McDonald

By Seth Davenport, Special to the Daily PilotApril 27, 2011 | 9:16 p.m. 

Last November, the story of a Marine who ran from Florida to Texas carrying the American flag to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project touched me. The WWP is a nonprofit that helps physically and psychologically injured soldiers readjust to their civilian lives back home.

The Marine’s story was a calling for me to participate. Later, while driving down Coast Highway in Corona Del Mar, I felt guilty for how wonderful life is for all of us here and how often we forget about the sacrifices that our soldiers and Marines make for us. The day-to-day issues that we may struggle with are trivial in comparison with what our servicemen and women struggle with after ending their tours of duty. I decided that, to make a difference, I needed to do something impressive, dramatic, and beyond the comprehension of most people.

So on Saturday, I will begin a 50-mile, 13-hour trail race at Lake Hughes, west of Lancaster and Palmdale, which will take me along the Leona Truck Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. I will be running in the Leona Divide race, an off-road race in those mountains, where the elevation ranges from 3500 feet to 5500 feet above sea level, is tough enough, even more so while weighing 235 pounds. Read the rest of this entry

Cancer hits Angels Strike Force member

April 22, 2011|By MARCIA C. SMITH

ALISO VIEJO – It might be a stretch to call this a “living” room, with the portable oxygen concentrator rumbling by the front door, the tall green metal oxygen tank near the end table, the pill bottles between the TV and DVD remotes and the rented hospital bed parked snugly in the elbow of the sectional sofa.

But this is home, central to love, family, friends and everything that means “living” for Heather (Hoefnagels) Beyer.

She’s only 27 years young. She’s dying from the breast cancer doctors missed. Twice. She’s trying to last long enough to say her goodbyes and cross everything off her final to-do list. She knows she has to hurry.

The tumors are everywhere now, burrowed into her bones, her lungs, robbing this longtime competitive cheerleader and former Angels baseball Strike Force spirit team member of more of her motion and stealing a few more of her breaths.