Perhaps I was lucky when I was younger. I didn't really know too many people with cancer. Now, almost every friend I know has been touched with it in some way and it has reached into my own family again and again. That's why I'm participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Middletown, RI, in 10 days as part of a team generously supported by my employer -- because the list of people lost to this disease doesn't need to go on.
- We lost my aunt last year to lung cancer
- my mother is facing the challenge of breast cancer:
- we lost an old family friend, only 43 years old, to cancer not long ago
- my grandmothers are survivors
- the mother of one of my best friends is recovering from lung cancer
But it doesn't have to. I'm walking in this Relay to join others to raise funds that could bring a cure closer, to raise awareness among others, to raise a cry of joy and support for the survivors, and to raise hope that those who follow us won't have to face this particular challenge in the future.
I hope you'll join in this effort. Join a team for a Relay in your area, donate your time to advocate, make a contribution toward my walk and help fund research and the quest to find a cure, but don't stay on the sidelines. It's too important.
Thanks and good health to you, your families, and your loved ones.
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