New Jersey breast cancer survivor treks through historic pilgrimage route, celebrates hope and resilience
As we continue to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we turn our attention to an extraordinary journey of resilience and hope from South Jersey. This remarkable journey involved hiking hundreds of miles across Europe, undertaken by a survivor treated at Virtua.
Each step she took was not just a personal triumph, but a tribute to the memory of a woman who became her inspiration.
Danielle DiRenzo has a video diary of her trek across Spain. The retired Cherry Hill teacher was on a historic trail called the Camino de Santiago.
"It is a religious pilgrimage, but not everyone who does it does it for religious reasons," DiRenzo said.
For her it was a celebration of surviving breast cancer.
"It was kind of a little bit of a gratitude, grateful for my health," DiRenzo said.
Her cancer was detected on a routine mammogram when she was 47 years old. She says her treatments at Virtua were successful and she's now cured.
Because of some injuries, DiRenzo says she walked about 280 miles of the 500-mile journey.
"I started on the border of France and Spain," DiRenzo said "This has been tough. I'm not going to lie, it's been very hard."
The backpack she carried was a constant reminder of her good fortune. It belonged to a Canadian, Tracy Lloyd, who wasn't able to finish the pilgrimage because of a breast cancer recurrence.
"I felt a very strong connection to her. We were about the same age when we were diagnosed," DiRenzo said. "Lloyd was 50 when she passed away, and it's just a wake-up call."
It was on Facebook where DiRenzo learned about the legend of Lloyd's backpack – it's been carried along the Camino by several others.
"And I was really compelled to ask to carry it because of my own breast cancer diagnosis," DiRenzo said.
Inspiring others as she shared the journey on facebook with the hashtag #TracysBackpack, culminating at the Cathedral of Santiago.
The trip of a lifetime filled with gratitude. DiRenzo says the trek that started in April took her six weeks. And she's passed along Lloyd's backpack to another woman who will be celebrating her 50th birthday on the Camino in October.