she`s so skirt!

Dr. Caitlin Schmidt celebrates life.

When Caitlin leads the First Ladies' Walk for Life next month, she'll be in step with Nike, goddess of victory. Caitlin was just 33, still breast-feeding her baby, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. An OB/GYN, Caitlin found that keeping busy with patients helped her - and her patients. "Talking to a doctor with a bald head, in the middle of her chemotherapy, made patients feel like maybe their lives were pretty good," she says. Last fall, she learned cancer had spread to her shoulder. She closed her practice, devoting time to treatment and family. As of June, her tumor has stopped growing, and her joy in being a stay-at-home mom has surprised her. "I was always in such a hurry to get to the next stage in life. Now, I want to freeze each precious moment." Caitlin recalls how, as a girl, she'd kept running a race long after others finished. She feels she's reliving that race now. "I will keep on running because I want and need to be here. I don't know what Œinner goddess' that might be, but the hope of another day keeps me going." To learn more about the Walk for Life, go to www.palmettohealthfoundation.org.