"I run for your mother, your sister, your wife"

I run for loved ones

Neither my parents nor my brother and I have had to personally face a cancer diagnosis, and for that I am truly thankful.  But that's not to say that cancer has not closely touched our family.

My Grandma Ruth was the first person I knew that battled cancer.  I remember going to visit her in Missouri the summer before I started 6th grade.  We were blessed to have timed our visit when she was feeling relatively well.  But this was merely the calm before the storm, as about a week later her passing brought us back to send her off to her eternal home.  I honestly don't recall much of what was going on or what I felt, aside from being confused.  I didn't understand what cancer had done to her body and how she could have been there, seemingly better, one moment and then gone so soon.

      Dad and Aunt Becky - I run for your mother

In the years that followed hearing of others' cancer diagnoses and battles was no longer foreign.  It was affecting children and adults in our lives and our community.  My cancer related vocabulary was growing.  Things like tumor, surgery, chemotherapy, hair loss, remission, metastases, survivor, and lost battle became loaded words and phrases associated with a certain amount of intense reality.  And with this knowledge the word "cancer" alone could trigger the what-ifs, the fear, and the hope that all of these terms evoked.

luminarias made by my mom

Days before I began my sophomore year of college a close family friend was diagnosed with a brain tumor and an unexplainable flood of emotion and disbelief struck.  During my last year of PT school, when my godmother was diagnosed with leukemia, the flood hit again.  At each of these times in my life it was unreal to me that these women, who had known me since birth, who had loved and supported me and my family, had to face the relentless wrath of cancer.  A wrath that I now understood but in some ways wish I didn't.  Cancer had come too close and I knew what could be just on the horizon.

Relay For Life, Olmsted 2012

Both Sharon and Myrna were lost too soon, after hard fought battles lasting only months.  I know their spirit lives on in their families and friends.  I am honored and blessed to have known them and cherish the many memories we shared, especially in the last months of their earthly lives.  I have found solace in supporting programs and organizations that are taking a stand against cancer and its effects.  I do so as a tribute to their lives knowing they are with me every step of the way and with the hope that fewer and fewer people will be have to face what these women and their families did.

      
      Amy S. & Matt R. - I run for your mother;  Bob - I run for your wife
      Amy L. & Matt S. - I run for your mother;  Bill - I run for your wife 

I run for Strides Against Breast Cancer

Strides Against Breast Cancer is a walking event held in communities across the country.  It is a program of the American Cancer Society that specifically honors those affected by breast cancer, promotes breast cancer-related screenings and education, and supports research about breast cancer.

A number of Strides events are going on this fall around the country.  Check out the Strides Against Breast Cancer page to find an event near you and learn how to get involved.

To support Strides and other programs of the American Cancer Society, please consider donating via my personal fundraising page and making a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer.