The 2006 race was a watershed event in my cancer journey. I was only two months out from my diagnosis. I had endured one chemo treatment. Because I was unsure how much energy I would have, I only signed up to do the one mile walk. Here is an excerpt from my May 5 2006 post:
Last Friday night, I had my head shaved. Saturday was one of the best days of my life. WHAT? How could this be, you might ask.
Well, on Saturday morning we went to the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. The weather was perfect, and we were quite a large party: my family of six, three survivors from my support groups and their families, and one additional dear friend who came out to support her breast cancer buds.
It was my "coming out" party for being bald. What better venue? I was in lots of good company! And, as a survivor, you receive the royal treatment. You have a bright pink race shirt and hat to differentiate you from the crowd (and quite a crowd it was -9000 participants).
The highlight was a Survivor Procession: you line up behind a sign that groups the women by # of survival years. So my group was "-1" but the groupings went all the way up to "25+" and we all did a little parade / rally to Melissa Etheridge's "Run for Life" song.
Then one of the girls from my support group invited us back to her house for a party. All in all, it was a very empowering, FUN day.
My Mom and me in 2006.
By 2007 I was feeling pretty good about my life again. All of my treatments were behind me, and all that I had left to do was schedule a final reconstruction surgery (expanders out, implants in). I did that the Monday following the race, so that I wouldn't be sore for Race Day.
I signed up as a Team Captain. It was a cool, rainy day and my emotions got the better of me at the end:
So here we are in 2008. I have a bigger team and more donations this year. I'm super-excited for the race. And I'm hoping that it will work its magic on me again this year. Cancer continues to wreak havoc upon my loved ones; people that I care about are coping with Stage IV. Fear resides in my heart more often than I like to admit.
Breast cancer is a sneaky, crappy disease. It is biopsies, scans, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and a lot of wondering whether or not the treatments are working.
But Race Day is empowering. It offers hope, enthusiasm, and support. It is a day when breast cancer can comfortably commingle with cheering, singing, and celebrating. Bring it on...
Useful Links:
Susan G. Komen NC Triad Race for the Cure
Find a Race for the Cure Near You
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2 comments:
Good luck with your team and this year's race.
Last year I had a great team, and am hoping again to have all my team members and more this September.
I always look forward to race day, too. It's a time for me to be part of something bigger than myself. Just hoping my big belly and I can finish the three miles this year....maybe I should've done the one miler???
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