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    Fighting Strategies

    All-time tennis great opens up on her "personal 9 11" in a touching Houston lunch

    Clifford Pugh
    Oct 11, 2013 | 3:35 pm

    Tennis great Martina Navratilova says she's had a lot of highs and lows in her remarkable life, but she hit rock bottom when she was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. "It was my personal 9/11. My life will never be the same again. It just switched," she told an audience of nearly 1,000 that packed the Westin Galleria ballroom at the 12th Annual Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation Luncheon.

    Believing herself to be in great health, the nine-time Wimbledon champion had put off having a mammogram for four years. "When you get a notice in the mail that your pet needs to get a rabies shots, you make that appointment right away. But when the mammogram notice comes, you put it off," she said, urging women to take care of themselves first.

    "When you get a notice in the mail that your pet needs to get a rabies shots, you make that appointment right away. But when the mammogram notice comes, you put it off."

    Navratilova underwent a lumpectomy and radiation for the stage 3 cancer and today is in excellent health, with some valuable lessons learned from the experience. "What is important is how we react to what happens, how we use those resources to be good at our worst," she said.

    Speaking without notes, Navratilova detailed five strategies that have worked for her, whether it's fighting cancer or aiming to win a U.S. Open title (mixed doubles) one month short of her 50th birthday (which she did in 2006):

    1. Surround yourself with positive people. "If you have five friends helping you get through this, studies show you have a much better chance for recovery," she said.

    2. Stop labeling experiences as negative. "Whether it's a flat tire or a missed tennis shot, we need to stop looking upon things like this as good or bad. I treat them as challenges. Without those challenges, we don't have opportunities to grow. That's how we improve," she said. "You have to treat life as a game. If you're not challenged, it's not that much fun."

    3. Try to keep your priorities straight. Align your priorities with your goals. Sit down, think about exactly what it is you want and divide your goals into manageable pieces.

    4. Live your values. Don't let others set your limitations. "For me (in tennis) it was coming to the net. If I had stayed at the baseline, you would have probably never heard of me. People who succeed take chances. They don't listen to negative comments along the way."

    5. Turn your focus outward. "I think it's the opposite of what they're teaching today to go inside and find yourself. We're so busy looking inward we don't recognize when others need help. You can really help find yourself by looking outside yourself."

    Navratilova also spoke movingly about her decision to defect from her native Czechoslovakia and become a U.S. citizen, her decision to come out as a lesbian, her role models (Australian tennis great Rod Laver is tops) and her longtime friendship with onetime rival Chris Evert.

    Among those in the crowd were Channel 13 anchor Ilona Carson, who emceed the luncheon, Amy Bernstein, Mike Huff, Jennifer Hernandez, Martha Turner, Roseann Rogers, Cheri Fama, Beth Wolff, Bob Hale, Mark Cady, Robin Mueck, Maxine Myers, Mariella Massa, Ken Jacobson, Mike Brubaker, Jim Lemming, Hannah Storen and Raghda Henthorne, who received the Spirit of Courage Award.

    Proceeds from the luncheon, which raised $100,000, benefit the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute.

    The luncheon honored Nancy Owen, a beloved Houston real estate agent who lost her 20-year battle with breast cancer in 2001. Luncheon underwriters in the real estate community included Prudential Anderson Properties, John Daugherty Realtors, Bernstein Realty, Martha Turner Properties, Greenwood King, Heritage Texas Properties and Keller Williams, along with The Houston Association of Realtors.

    Dr. Melissa Landis, from left, Dr. Alessandro Grattoni, Dr. Xiaosong Wang, Dr. Anthony Lucci, Dr. Kent Osborne and Amy Bernstein.

    Dr. Melissa Landis, from left, Dr. Alessandro Grattoni, Dr. Xiaosong Wang, Dr. Anthony Lucci, Dr. Kent Osborne and Amy Bernstein at the Nancy Owens luncheon October 2013
      
    Photo courtesy of TK Images Photography
    Dr. Melissa Landis, from left, Dr. Alessandro Grattoni, Dr. Xiaosong Wang, Dr. Anthony Lucci, Dr. Kent Osborne and Amy Bernstein.
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    Stage With Purpose

    Broadway stars and Houston youth shine at Covenant House Texas gala

    Joel Luks
    Jun 11, 2025 | 2:00 pm
    Covenant House Night of Broadway Stars gala 2025
    Photo by Katy Anderson
    Rayshun LaMar performed "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours."

    The curtain rose, and so did hearts, as Night of Broadway Stars lit up the Wortham Theater Center, merging musical razzle-dazzle with a mission rooted in compassion. Benefiting Covenant House Texas, the evening offered both Broadway brilliance and deeply personal testimony in support of youth experiencing homelessness.

    The stage sparkled with talent flown in from New York, including Houston’s own Kevin Cahoon, who returned to his hometown to perform “Maybe Love” from Shucked. Josh Young brought heat with “Heaven on Their Minds” from Jesus Christ Superstar, Brook Wood belted “Save Me,” and Rayshun LaMar had guests dancing in their seats to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.” Rita Harvey teamed up with Young for a romantic rendition of “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge.

    But the real headliners were the Covenant House youth, who joined the Broadway pros onstage.

    Their performances were acts of courage, resilience, and transformation. During the seated dinner in the Wortham’s grand foyer, guests were visibly moved as the youth shared their journeys using signs that contrasted their lives before and after Covenant House.

    A key fundraising feature — Scholarships of Hope — invited attendees to fund holistic care for the youth, including shelter, meals, mental health services, and career development.

    The evening was chaired by April and Wells McGee and Flo McGee and Wade Upton, and honored the Hamill Foundation for its longstanding support. Incoming Covenant House Texas CEO Anthony Flynn took the mic to share his personal connection to the cause, his own experience with housing instability, and his excitement for the organization’s future.

    Seen on the scene were Heidi and Todd Binet, Cheryl Boblitt King and Bill King, Kurt and Marlene Nondorf, Randy Walker, Elaine and Robert Shaffer, Patti and Tom Turner, Amy Pierce, Joe and Cathy Cleary, and Barbara Strobel and George Bement.

    Covenant House Night of Broadway Stars gala 2025
      

    Photo by Katy Anderson

    Rayshun LaMar performed "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours."

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