A few years ago, my aunt was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After having surgery to remove it and kicking its @ss, she was cancer-free. Not too long after, a lump was found in her breast that turned out to be cancerous. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. That's right, she had a SECOND form of cancer. After undergoing a mastectomy, she was once again cancer-free. She is the ultimate survivor. As she fought off both cancers, she did so gracefully. I barely ever heard her complain and not once did I see her feeling sorry for herself. I on the other hand felt helpless.
I wanted so much to make it all better for her. I'm sure that on some level, it was selfish. I mean, it would be a way for me to have something to do other than sit around and worry about her health and what it would mean to me to lose her. How devastated I would be.
All my life, I have been very close to my aunt. She has been and always will be like another mother to me. I've always looked up to her as someone I'd like to become. She is strong, independent, caring, always willing to help someone in need and she's always there when you need someone to talk to. And the way she is as a mother sets a high standard for me to aim towards when raising my own daughter. So, when she got sick for the second time, I was scared. I don't know what I'd be without her in my life.
All I can say is I am so grateful that she's cancer-free today. It's so sad to think that not that long ago, any form of breast cancer was pretty much a death sentence. As years go by, that becomes less and less true. The strides that science has taken is unbelievable and a lot of this is due to the help of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and donors like you.
This is what made me decide to do the walk. My aunt was "lucky" to have escaped the grasp of breast cancer as easily as she did and that makes me think of all the women and men (yes, men can get breast cancer, too) who may not have had it so easy or who may have even lost their battle. I am doing this for ALL of them, not just my aunt. I dedicate my fundraising, my training and my 60 mile walk to ALL men, women and children who are now or have ever been affected by this horrible disease.
I walk for everyone. I walk for my aunt. I walk for a cancer-free future for my daughter. I walk for myself. I walk for YOU!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Now, can I just as one more thing of you? Could you grab your wallet right now and make a donation TODAY? Help me help US! Together we can fight this. Just imagine it; a world WITHOUT breast cancer! This CAN be a reality!
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