Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2002)
march 1.2002 » Just out 1 g rTTÎTTTÏÏTnTïnetus ortland lesbian Krystal Ashling will participate in a three-day walkathon starting May* 17 in Boston to raise money for breast cancer treatment. Never having had the disease herself, the 54-year-old social worker nonetheless feels compassion toward the women w'ho have lived with and died from it. Ashling has worked for Southwest Washing ton Medical Center for seven years and has seen her share of suffering. “Because of being involved in hospice,” she says, “I’m really quite aware of the impact [breast cancer] tends to have.” Although Ashling has participated in other walks and marathons, the upcoming event will be her biggest yet. Organized by Pallotta Team- Works, a for-profit company that raises money for myriad causes, the Avon Breast Cancer Three-Day Walk will require walking 20 miles a day with thousands of other people. Ashling must raise $1,900 by April 19 and is reaching her goal primarily by sending letters to friends and family requesting support. The money will help give women with undetected hreast cancer the resources to find out early enough to survive. Last year, Ashling saw the movie Pay It For- ward and began asking herself what she could do to change the world. “1 was thinking: ‘What can I do that would be like that? W hat could I do that would be giving more than I could even imagine?’ ” As she searched for an answer, she came across the Pallotta TeamWorks mission state ment. “I read it and I just started crying,” Ash ling says. “I knew that I had found the thing that 1 needed to do.” Ashling recently underwent knee surgery and suffers from arthritis, so the P After a move to Salem, Ashling finally con tacted a lawyer she saw advertised in a magazine. “1 read that she said she knew how to find fami lies,” she says. “I just called her and [asked if she had] any ideas.” After Ashling mentioned her husband had been remarried and divorced again, the lawyer encouraged her to contact the second wife’s family. “So 1 called the parents of his ex-wife, and they were only too glad to tell me where the kids were. T hat’s how I ended up finding them.” S urvival S tory A tragic past inspires a bright future for Krystal Ashling by Sarah Leimert walk will be a serious commitment for her to take on. T oday, Ashling is living happily in Southeast Portland with her partner, Marlene. But her life has involved a great deal of personal struggle and misfortune. In fact, the horrific experience she endured 20 years ago might play a big part in her current commitment to com passionate civic duty. W hen Ashling came out in 1976, she was living in Eugene and married with three chil dren, Dimitri, Rebecca and Marina. When she and her husband split, the court denied her cus tody of the kids and granted it to their father. Furthermore, it ordered that when she was visiting with her children, no other lesbians could be present. This ruling meant the rela tionship her kids had formed with her friends had to be severed immediately. Just as Ashling was getting accustomed to this hostile legal environment, things got even worse. In 1980, her ex-husband disappeared without a trace, taking her children with him. She was unaware of her kids’ whereabouts or sta Krystal Ashling’s ex-husband and three children tus for eight years. disappeared without a trace in 1980 During that time, Ashling was plagued with something strong and solid to hold onto, as nightmares, depression and anxiety that took over everything else she depended upon fell apart. her life. Financial woes made it impossible for her She liked the connotations of “Krystal" and to begin a nationwide search for her children. made the switch. She even changed her name— she needed shling is now in regular contact with her children. She is training Dimitri and Mari na for walking the Portland Marathon. She is doing the Avon walk with her partner’s daugh ter Lois, and Rebecca and Marina are arranging a benefit function for the event. Rebecca and her partner recently had a child, so Ashling is now a grandmother as well. She couldn’t be happier. Ashling says the process of reacquainting her self with her children has been long and slow. “1 think that it will probably take the rest of our lives to heal everything,” she says. “But it’s won derful to have them in my life now— to be able to teach them the things that I’ve learned about physical fitness, about being healthy and about believing in yourself, being able to stick to some thing that you want. Knowing that underneath you are good and that you’re valuable.” jH A To sponsor Ashling for the A von BREAST C ancer T hree -D ay W a lk , make a donation at w w w .bethepeople.com . She can be contacted at krystala@ m ac.com . SARAH L eimert is a Portland free-lance writer. E-mail her at scleimert@earthhnk.net. Contemporary, wrestle with the jar lid...and win Original Elegant... Jewelry, art-glass, ceramics cardio and exotic woods by strength stretch America's finest artisans fresh moves, new music, pure motivation. Jazzercise It shows. Visit our website or call 503-289-2209 for the class nearest you. Original Brian Olson designs in sales associate 503 341-8212 sterling silver and 14k gold by Tami Dean. - $7 Per Week 8 week minimum purchase New customers only brianolson@ cbseal.com •No experience necessary. "TVR m I Working non-stop to save you Urne and money ¿jmt Thirtieth • 1 9 7 i - 2 0 0 1 • Anniversary co lo nu eu. Downtown Portland Portland Airport 503.284.9929 X 901 S.W. Yamhill 503.223.9510 B A N K E R Washington Square 503.620.2243 □ • No contracts or membership fees. • Convenient times/locations • We fit every body. B a rb a ra S u e S e a l P ro p e rtie s www.jazzercise.com
