Cancer in the past, Edman gets a minivan makeover

As if Susan Edman wasn't getting enough grief from the kids about her minivan, now her mom-mobile is a rolling billboard for a convenient store snack food.

Unbeknownst to the 39-year-old Minnesota wife and mother of three children, husband Chris Edman hijacked the family's Pontiac Montana to be skinned like the No. 39 Tornados race car wheeled by Ryan Newman.

"When my husband pulled it in the drive way I was pretty well stunned that he had done that to the van," Susan said. "I thought to myself. 'Is it really painted like that forever? That is really bright.'"

Her next question: "Is that mine?"

She was in disbelief, but before she could figure out why her minivan was painted orange and black with the Tornados brand emblazoned down the side, Chris wrapped his arms around her and said, "Honey, we are going to Daytona."

The family was to start packing that wonderfully colored machine and travel 1,500 miles to Daytona International Speedway, where they could park in the infield and watch the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona -- a Fourth of July holiday weekend made in NASCAR heaven, according to the Edman family.

Without Susan knowing, Chris had campaigned for his wife to win a sweepstakes organized by Ruiz Foods, Newman's sponsor and makers of the taquito-like snacks. Contestants had to explain why they deserved to have their vehicle skinned or wrapped like the No. 39 car.

The Edman's story touched Stewart-Hass Racing so much that the team threw in race tickets for the weekend. Mom and Dad have been to NASCAR races, but this will be a first for their three children.

So what was so special about that Pontiac minivan?

Absolutely nothing. However, what is special is the story of the mom behind the wheel.

Last year, Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer. She found the lump through self-examination in February and a month later underwent a procedure that removed both of her breasts -- a bilateral mastectomy.

Though she is here to tell her story, in the beginning the thought of leaving her three kids -- Jason, 13; Joshua, 10; and Hannah, 8 -- without a mother was unbearable.

"There was a lot of information out there about breast cancer, but we still had to get through the uncertainty, not knowing whether or not I would be cancer free at some point," Susan said.

Early detection helped Susan. The cancer was diagnosed as Stage 2 in her right breast. After the mastectomy, she battled through about six months of chemotherapy. She was sick, tired, lost her hair, but she never lost her fight.

"Fight like a girl was my motto. I carried that theme through my treatment," said Susan, who in September learned from her doctor that she was cancer free.

Through it all, the sleepless nights and missed summer camping trips with her family, Susan and her husband managed to find some small joy by watching Cup Series races together.

Since 1999, both Chris and Susan have been Tony Stewart and Newman fans and enjoyed goading one another every Sunday. Susan admits she picked Newman for his homespun personality and burly persona. Then, ironically enough, Newman and Stewart became teammates at Stewart-Haas Racing near the same time Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer. So cheering for the Stewart-Haas cars every week carried deeper symbolism and meaning. It also served as a nice escape for the couple.

"I remember every time we would go to the hospital and sit in that dinky room for chemo treatments, the first thing we did was turn on SPEED channel," Chris said. "It was nice to kind of get out of our lives for a moment and forget why we were actually there."

On Friday, Susan and the family will meet Newman in person. But she's not sure what she will say to the driver who -- through a television -- helped her cope with a life-threatening illness.

As far as Newman is concerned, she doesn't have to say a word.

"When you hear something like Susan's story, it is very humbling. It's really kind of hard to put into words," Newman said. "I'm a race car driver. That's all I've done since I was four years old, and I guess I don't think about the other part of it.

"Honestly, I don't think that drivers ever really understand the kind of impact that we have on our fans who watch us and cheer for us every week. It's really something powerful."

"I'm still trying to process it all," Susan said. "I probably won't believe it is happening until I get there."

And when the family returns home to Minnesota on Sunday, you can bet the kids won't be giving mom any more grief about the minivan, because now it will forever be known as the racecar-painted minivan that traveled to Daytona International Speedway and parked in the famous infield.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.