Memory of mom pushes daughters to race

Mary Dichtel used to watch the Cubs from the top of the stairs, afraid that if she sat too close to the TV she would jinx them.

When Dichtel's daughters compete Sunday in the U.S. Women's Triathlon in Naperville, they know their mom will be watching them from a distance, too, as they race in her honor. Dichtel died of ovarian cancer in November.

Part of the proceeds from Sunday's triathlon will benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, established to help finance research and early diagnostic treatment programs.

People know so little about ovarian cancer because there are few survivors to champion its awareness, said Dichtel's daughter, Sharon Mills, 40, of Naperville.

"Because it's such a deadly disease, it doesn't get as much attention," Mills said.

After helping their mother battle the cancer for more than two years, Mills and her sister, Christine Layshock of Cary, were looking for a way to help researchers.

"We were looking to take something that was a really tough few years trying to fight this disease with my mom, and my sister and I were trying to do something really positive out of something that really stunk," she said.

Mills knew about the triathlon but never knew it supported ovarian cancer research.

Once she discovered the connection, she knew it was the perfect match.

Mills sent out an e-mail to friends from the Farmstead subdivision, Edward Fitness and Scott Elementary School expecting maybe a few people to be interested.

Instead, "Team Mary" drew 26 members. Five will compete solo and there will be seven relay teams of three. The team already has raised more than $3,700 for the cause.

Mills, who recently spoke while entertaining her neighbor's baby and her own two kids, said she was touched by all the support she received from friends and neighbors while her mother was sick and now again for this event.

They've all taken turns helping baby-sit for each other and run each other's errands to give other team members time to sneak in workouts for the event.

"This has been a wonderful experience," Mills said. "I'm just grateful to my wonderful friends."

Mills said she and her team will compete for all those women who suspect something might be wrong and end up with a diagnosis that comes much too late.

"For women it's very important to be assertive with your doctor if you feel like you have something wrong," Mills said. "Most of the women have caught this because they've been aggressive."

She said she's not concerned with having a competitive finish time.

"The friends of ours who are doing it, some of them are great athletes and others don't do things like this," she said. "If they have to walk some of the 5K, they have to walk some of it and if they have to take a rest on the bike, they have to take a rest."

Team Mary will wear white T-shirts with teal writing and Harry Caray glasses on the front to represent Mary's lifelong love/hate relationship with the Cubs, along with her name and years of her life on the back.

While they know she'll be watching from a distance, her presence in their hearts will push them during Sunday's race.

"We both found a lot of inspiration from her," Mills said. "We're trying to make it happy and joyful and positive, even though it is sad and we miss her a lot."