Gator stories abound on Insidethegatornation.com

February 3, 2009

The following excerpt is one sample of the hundreds of stories on http://insidethegatornation.com/.

“I recently celebrated two very important anniversaries: being cancer-free for 11 years and working as a television news reporter in Miami for 30 years. The University of Florida helped me reach both of those milestones. I graduated from UF in December 1978, with a job in hand. My classes and work experience at WUFT and WRUF in Gainesville prepared me well. I wasn’t prepared to learn I had cancer 20 years later…my doctor here recommended I see a specialist at the University of Florida. I moved back to Gainesville for six weeks while undergoing radiation treatment and surgery at Shands…It felt like I was home again. Now I return once a year for a check-up. During my annual trip in November, I was given a tour of Shands Cancer Hospital…and I spoke to students in two TV news reporting classes…Then we took a tour of the WUFT newsroom and studios. It felt like I was home again. So this week (BCS National Championship), my daughters and I will be cheering for my Florida Gators, our orange and blue hearts bursting with pride and gratitude.”