I am Jackie Treece.   I grew up in the Los Angeles area and graduated from UCLA.  I was privileged to study a year at the university and music conservatory in Vienna, Austria.  As a Rotary International ambassadorial scholar, I enjoyed a year of graduate studies in Saarbruecken, Germany.  After completing my MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, I moved to Denver, CO where I began my corporate career and met my husband, Dave.

Dave and I live in Littleton, CO and own the Best Western Alpenglo Lodge in Winter Park, CO.  Our son, Nik, lives in Denver.

I was diagnosed in July 2004 with invasive bladder cancer.  Typically, an older man’s, smoker’s disease, my diagnosis is proof cancer can hit anyone, anytime.  It was quite a shock, and my choice was “get my bladder out or die”.   My seven-hour surgery included a radical cystectomy, where doctors built a new bladder out of my small intestine, and a radical hysterectomy.  I had MVAC chemo (clinical trial). Prior to diagnosis, I changed my diet and began a nutritional healing journey that would greatly contribute to my ability to cope with major surgery and chemo.

I stumbled upon Relay when a friend noticed a wine and cheese fundraiser flyer.  I walked as a survivor the first year.  I have been survivor chair, youth chair, and mission delivery chair.  My proudest Relay moment was working with over 500 youth in three high schools.

As a patient, I attended “Look Good Feel Better” and enjoyed picking out hats at the wig shop.  My ACS program involvement has been with Relay For Life and Bark For Life.  I have taken a bit of a break for caregiving of elderly parents and my husband, who received a double lung transplant in 2018.  Having been through cancer and serving as a caregiver has given me an even greater appreciation for caregivers.