Like many athletes, Karen Newman will say that adversity has a way of building strength. For many years, the former Old Greenwich resident was on top of the endurance sports world. As a member of Team USA, Newman claimed All-American status in the triathlon and competed in numerous World Championship races. But out of nowhere, her career –and life – were threatened when she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.
During her remarks at the Center for HOPE Luncheon at Wee Burn Country Club on May 3, Newman told an audience of nearly 300 how hope, faith and support inspired her to continue training despite undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatments. Just one year after completing cancer treatment, Newman earned a silver medal at the World Championships in New Zealand and set a world record in the triathlon.
Newman’s new book, Just Three Words, is a gripping story that reveals the incredible power words have – to shatter or empower us – and the astonishing potential that love has to heal. Newman has inspired thousands as she continued training and competing in triathlons throughout her grueling cancer treatments.
The 2016 Center for HOPE Luncheon, Kelly Corroon of Greenwich, Stephanie Douglass of Greenwich, Barbara Epifanio of Darien and Susan Yonce of Greenwich, raised more than $115,000 for the Center for HOPE and The Den for Grieving Kids – Family Centers’ critical illness and bereavement support programs.
