A Race for the Cure

Today I walked in the Race for the Cure. It was amazing to see how many people can gather together for a common cause. There were over 60,000 today that helped make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. That is something pretty special.

I knew we had the largest attended race in the country but it didn’t sink in until I saw it first hand. The entire downtown taken over by a sea of pink. Survivors, women, men, families, friends, coworkers and thousands of volunteers giving to a cause that shows no favorites and that has taken far too many from us.

I lost count of how many times I got goose bumps seeing stories of hope and then teary eyed for those that lost the fight. Shirts with pictures of those lost to the battle and then listing who they were to that person…mother, wife, grandmother, aunt, sister and friend. One person, whose thread of life was woven into so many other lives that remain behind.

So many people are affected by this. And it breaks your heart each time you see groups walking in tribute to loved ones lost to the disease. We each walked for our own loved ones. I walked for my aunt Marilyn that died from it when I was in high school and for my aunt Garnet that is still fighting for her life right now.

We also walked for a good friend of mine’s cousin. Lori was 35 when see past away from cancer. Lori had a twin sister Kelly, who flew in from Kentucky to walk the race with us.

Lori’s story is a sad one as she couldn’t beat it. As Kelly said “When you are at the age of 30, you don’t think about cancer.” Lori and her family fought till the end and never gave up hope. And still to this day continue to support finding a cure.

It was an honor to meet Kelly. She is an amazing woman. Life changes you when something like that happens and I can’t begin to imagine what it would feel like to loss your twin. But Kelly and her family are finding the courage to go on living their lives and you can actually see her strength. It is very inspiring. I look forward to all she will accomplish in her life.

There is a scary chance that cancer may affect all of us in some way in our lives. But it is what we do after that that matters. It is how we go on. It is in the choices we make. And it is in the love we pass along.

Through it all, as you can see from the 60,000 plus people today, the one thing that remains is hope.

Until next time,
Christy