MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — A Minnesota nurse just finished a nearly 500-mile-long hike all by herself – and she did it just five weeks after having a double mastectomy. 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Kelly LaMarre is sharing her story to encourage other women to prioritize their health. 

“I wanted to do this for me, but I also wanted to do this for other people also going through this,” said LaMarre, who is an emergency room nurse in Maplewood. 

She was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer on May 15 and had surgery just a couple weeks later. By July, she was hiking the Colorado Trail.

“I did not want this cancer to end what I had worked so hard for,” said LaMarre, who got her doctor’s permission. 

Dr. Keith Wirth said her cancer was very treatable and curable. 

“Kelly had been very good about her screening mammograms and this is why we do them,” said Dr. Wirth. “This is why, even if we see higher rates, why we’ll still see great outcomes because we’re so good at finding things earlier.”

LaMarre had been training for four years to hike the trail that runs 485 miles. The highest part reaches about 13,000 feet and she said there are incredible wildflowers, scenic views and alpine lakes. It took her 43 days to finish it.

“I felt great, but I did know that I needed to take it slow that first 100 miles just to make sure things were going well,” said LaMarre. 

She hopes that her story especially encourages people to advocate for their health even if they’re strong and healthy. 

LaMarre is now cancer-free and looking forward to her next challenge – writing a book about her health and hiking experiences and eventually hiking the Pacific Crest Trail that is about 2,650 miles.

“This has actually been one of the best things to ever happen to me because it makes you appreciate everything,” said LaMarre. “I feel more alive than I ever have.”

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s been a whirlwind day, Twins fans. 

After weeks of calls from some to sell the franchise, the team’s ownership has announced they plan to do just that – or at the very least, explore the idea.

“Very surprised,” John Bonnes, founder of Twins Daily, said. “You could say this caught everybody flatfooted.”

That announcement comes with plenty of questions. Will the team sell? If so, who will be the new owners?

Could the team move? Will payroll increase, and will new ownership be more aggressive?

“It means everything’s up in the air, right?” Bonnes said.

“For the last 30 years, we’ve been complaining about baseball’s ownership of the Twins or the Pohlad’s ownership of the Twins,” he continued. “This is a chance for a clean slate on that.”

The franchise is now valued at nearly $1.5 billion, according to Forbes. Lisa Kihl is a professor at the University of Minnesota and director at the Global Institute for Responsible Sport Organization and says whoever owns the team next should stay committed to the bigger picture off the field.

“Understanding that they’re a fabric of this community, and they’re an important fabric of the community, and they’re also important partners of the different pro teams in the community,” Kihl said.

That includes initiatives the Pohlads have worked on over their tenure.

“You think of all the initiatives, not only just for youth participating and getting used to games but how much they’ve invested in communities in terms of developing fields, developing coaches,” Kihl said. “You know, those kinds of initiatives are really being thoughtful about the details of how you develop youth and fan engagement, but also around diversity.”

Bonnes says a big thing on the minds of Twins fans now will likely be how aggressive new ownership will be – if the team is actually sold.

“You often see a sort of honeymoon period while new ownership takes over that they are willing to invest a little bit more on the team and try and get sort of the community and such on their side,” he said. “Make a good first impression.”

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins fans have mixed reactions to hearing the Pohlad’s might sell the team.

If you ask Amy Capitola, it’s time to move on.

“I think it’s time. I think it feels like they have not been in touch with the organization as much when their father was alive,” she said.

She’s been a season ticket holder for years and would like to the next potential new owner to invest in the players.

“You haven’t really seen them grow and take chances, financially trying to make the team better from a fan’s perspective,” she said.

Ross Johnson also thinks it’s time for the Twins to enter a new era.

“There was no investing in, as far as in the off season,” he said.

Johnson said the Pohlad’s have been at the top long enough and he would like to see what someone else could possibly do for the team.

“I would like to see different ownership, a different view of how a major league baseball team should be run, so huge Twins fan. I’m all for it,” he said.

The owner of The Loon Café Tim Mahoney said he couldn’t believe the Pohlad’s were looking to sell.

“I’m just a little shocked the Pohlad’s are exploring selling the team, but everything comes to an end sooner or later,” he said.

Mahoney liked that the Twins were owned by locals. He knows the Pohlad’s were proud to own the team and ran a great organization.

“They put the right people in place to succeed and they’ve done a hell of a great job for the city of Minneapolis, the state of Minnesota, but they should be extremely proud of themselves, I’m proud of them, I wish they wouldn’t sell the team,” he said.

Capitola said it looked like the Twins ran a good operation, but wishes she saw more of a financial commitment when it comes to players.

“We need pitching and that’s what we need and not be locked in and have to trade off all of our good players coming up,” Capitola said.

Capitola is a huge Minnesota sports fan and was a four-sport athlete growing up.

“I was my father’s favorite son,” Capitola said.

She’s collected dozens of memorabilia items since she was 15 years old from several Minnesota sports teams like the Vikings, Lynx, and Twins.

“I’ve got a Correa bat, some team bats, Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer of course,” she said.

Capitola has several autographed baseballs and enough bobbleheads to fill several shelves, but her love for the Twins started at a young age.

“I learned baseball in the kitchen at my grandfather’s feet on the radio because he said you don’t watch baseball you listen to baseball,” Capitola said.

She remembers when the Twins were bad in the late 80s and got to attend several games.

“I think I went to every single game in 1986 with my mom,” she said.

The Twins have been a part of her life for decades, and a new owner won’t impact her feelings for this team.