Darlene Schulze will be dancing the waltz in her part of the Dancing With the Starz gala and it seems to fit her perfectly. As she puts it, the waltz she plans to dance will be “classy, elegant but with a few punches in it.”

She’s not an experienced dancer, but she has enthusiasm for it, even though when she volunteered it was not to dance but to help Starz creator Judy Perez in organizing the event.

“I started volunteering last year the night of the performance. I said, ‘Judy, I’d love to be involved with this fundraiser, so if you need somebody on the committee, give me a call to help organize.’

“But you know Judy. Pretty soon it turned into me dancing.”

At first “Dar” as friends call her, was wary of the waltz.

“I thought it was for old, decrepit women,” she said to her professional dance partner, Jim Clemmens, co-owner, with his wife Tammy, of the Modern Steps Dance Studio.

“I work out and am physically fit so I can do more than a waltz.”

Jim told her not to worry that they would “snap it up.” So Darlene is rehearsing and working hard with Jim on a waltz routine with a punch. She’s been a fighter when necessary, especially in health terms in recent years.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November of 2005 and decided to go up to the Moffett Cancer Center in Tampa for a second opinion.

“The Moffitt people were unlike any place I’ve ever been. When I walked in the door, I knew that was where I was supposed to be. From the kid who parks the car to the girl who greets you to all the nurses and doctors, they’re all so kind and understanding. Each one has dealt with cancer in some way.

“They diagnosed and said I needed a double mastectomy. So I did that. It was a shock, but it was nice to talk to people who knew what they were talking about. I had the surgery in January of last year. Luckily it was caught in the early stages, so I didn’t have to have chemotherapy or radiation.

“The reconstruction was a six-month process. That was the hardest part of the whole ordeal because it is painful. But it’s just like having a baby, in that you forget it all.

“My philosophy was that once I’m through this, I don’t want every time I look in a mirror to think, ‘Oh poor me, I had breast cancer.’ I just want to look as normal as I can and move on.”

Darlene’s positive experience at Moffitt is why she’s working hard at the dance thing and at raising money for the cancer center. One of her primary fundraising efforts is to sell her husband’s hard work, in a manner of speaking.

Darlene is selling raffle tickets for $2,500 worth of dentistry by one of Marco’s best, Dr. Hermann Schulze. Tickets are $50 each or three for $125.

Darlene and Hermann met in 1982 at happy hour in the Spoon Bill in Naples.

“That was pretty much it,” she said, coyly referring to what must have been love at first sight.

The Schulzes have three children, Brenton 21, Allison 18 and Alex, 16. They’re all rooting for Mom. They know her resolve and courage and work ethic. They also know that when she does the waltz with the other Starz on Aug. 11, every step will be a hard-earned and well-deserved step forward.

Check out Darlene’s business with partner Nancy Garrison at www.onedayinteriorsredesign.com.

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Chris Curle is a former news anchor for CNN and for ABC TV stations in Atlanta, Houston and Washington, D.C. E-mail: chris@chriscurle.com.

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