Former Cherry Hill teacher Danielle DiRenzo celebrates her 10-year anniversary of her breast cancer diagnosis by embarking on a 500-mile journey on “El Camino” with Tracy’s Backpack.
Earlier this year, in honor of her 10-year anniversary of her diagnosis of breast cancer, retired Cherry Hill teacher Danielle DiRenzo embarked on a journey to walk a 500-mile pilgrimage that began in St. Jean Pied de Port France and that ended at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
She started the walk on April 25 and walked 280 miles over the course of six weeks. Due to health constraints, she finished the journey by bus and completed the expedition on June 4. The trip was made more special by her bringing Tracy’s Backpack along for the ride.
In her research and preparation to walk the Camino, DiRenzo came across Tracy’s story. Tracy Lloyd was a woman from Canada who also had breast cancer and was of similar age at the time she planned to walk the Camino in 2017. She began her journey in spite of the news that the cancer had returned, determined to still do the walk but had to return home for treatment in the middle of her journey. She never got to finish the walk, as she had died shortly after her 50th birthday before being able to return.
Several years after she had passed, her family had posted her story on social media and offered to send the backpack to someone else who would walk the path and finish it.
The first woman Alice was from Canada and received the backpack and completed the trek, leaving Tracy’s photo at the Camino as promised. She had also documented the story online, where it gained more and more traction. Though the original idea was for Alice to keep the bag, she chose to donate it to a woman from Australia to take it on her passage through the Camino. From there, the Australian donated it to a woman named Laura in the U.S., and this is when DiRenzo got involved.
“She was ready to send the backpack on, and I just felt really compelled–I wanted to carry this backpack,” DiRenzo said.
It had been 10 years since her diagnosis, and she had learned in February of this year that she did not have to continue with follow up visits for her cancer. She retired from her 30-year career teaching at Cherry Hill Public Schools in January.
“I don’t post on Facebook much myself but I really thought, I really want to carry this backpack and I’m going to push myself to do something out of my comfort zone, which of course – the Camino in itself is something out of your comfort zone. And it really was special walking with this backpack,” said DiRenzo. “It has a big Canadian flag on the back, so people would stop me and say ‘Oh, where are you from in Canada?’ and I would tell the story of Tracy and the backpack and I made a lot of connections because of it.”
Though DiRenzo had started with the intention of walking all 500 miles, around midway, she had plantar fasciitis and other health issues which prevented her from walking the entire way.
“If I didn’t bring the backpack, I wouldn’t have finished it,” DiRenzo said. “There were so many physical issues, but I felt a sense of responsibility and determination and inspiration from Tracy and everyone following, so I kept going.”
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her life time. Following DiRenzo’s diagnosis, she joined a group for young cancer diagnoses, and she felt very supported by the doctors, nurse and nurse navigator that had worked with her. She shared that it was helpful to know that other people had gone through the same thing.
“It’s a little bit of a wakeup call,” DiRenzo said. ” … I think any kind of serious diagnosis is a wakeup call. Are you doing what you really want to do in life, how do you want to spend your time, who do you want to spend it with? (Hearing about Tracy’s story) moved the Camino up on my list a little bit.”
After completing her journey, she has also designated someone new to carry the backpack next.
“It just was a really special way to honor not just Tracy but all the people we’ve lost to cancer and also celebrate,” DiRenzo said. “It was an honor to carry Tracy’s backpack. I don’t know this woman, never met her, but I’m thankful for her family for sharing her with the Camino community.”
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Though people may think of breast cancer as a lump, DiRenzo had a calcification that wasn’t something she’d be able to detect on her own. She emphasized the importance of follow up care and adhering to the recommended health screenings, and investigating your options once you are diagnosed.
Tracy Lloyd enroute the Camino in 2017. She is survived by her backpack and continues to inspire other breast cancer survivors to walk El Camino.
Danielle DiRenzo with Tracy’s Backpack overlooking a river enroute El Camino.
