Lance Armstrong & Anna Hansen Expecting!

I'm not usually one to be involved in celebrity gossip, but this I couldn't pass up. Turns out Lance Armstrong is expecting a child that was naturally conceived, even after having testicular cancer. Well, that may be the news that the most people are in awe of, but I'm actually more in awe of who the mother is. Turns out it's a girl named Anna Hansen, whom Jeff and myself worked with at the Rio for a few years! Her and I hosted together every Sunday morning in Fort Collins. Supposedly they met through the non-profit for cancer survivors, where Anna now works.

When I knew Anna the most, she was in high school and I was in college. She was 16 and I was 19 when I started working at the Rio. From the few years I worked with her, she was always such a genuine and good person. She was so naturally beautiful. I always thought she should've or could've been a model. She has that all-American, blonde-hair, blue-eyed, tall and slender look going for her. More importantly, though, was that she didn't flaunt it. She could've had any guy she wanted, but she never appeared boy crazy, or perhaps she had certain standards for the guys she'd be with (Lance is quite the standard if so!). The Rio was known for it's incestuous behavior. But, she never fell into that trap, and she was always purely herself. I am so happy for Lance. If Anna is anything like she used to be, it reflects good character on Lance. I hope that they both are happy, especially Anna. I can't begin to fathom the exposure and life change by not only having a baby, but having it with such a 'superhuman' celebrity. 

In a supposed statement to PEOPLE magazine, Lance says, "We are very much looking forward to what 2009 brings on many fronts. We appreciate respecting our privacy, as we are both eager to celebrate the holidays as a family." Anna was a Facebook friend of Jeff and I, but noticed that her profile was deleted, which makes perfect sense now. Jeff and I know that she will probably be bombarded by people since this news broke and don't wish to do the same. We respect her privacy and know that if she wanted to reach out to us, she knows where we live (which happens to be in Austin where Lance's training headquarters are). Although, at this point we are mere mortals to her, especially given that we haven't kept a close connection with her. We just hope that her and Lance maintain a good relationship and have a healthy and happy family. 

Here's a video of Lance in Austin, recorded on 12/10/08 

(not related to the news of expecting a baby)