Today I did something that was amazing, I did the Race for the Cure 5k in Washington, DC. I know plenty of people who have done it in the past, and I've wanted to do it, but just never made the commitment to go the distance.
For the past few days I've gone back and forth on if I was going to jog or walk...I didn't make up my mind until I got on the train with two friends and I decided to walk with them. Taking the train this morning to get there was one of the best decisions that I could make. There were so many people....survivors, current breast cancer suffers, families, friends, co-workers, strangers.....people united in the fight. This was more than just a race to do or something to check off my journey list. Initially I did it because a friend asked, but Breast Cancer or cancer in general has run ramped in my family. Before my mom was diagnosed with Leukemia, the doctors thought that she had breast cancer. I was being nosey by reading through the paper work on the table and looking at her lab results, but what it did was help me connect a little bit more as a teenager with some of the things that she was going through.Any form of cancer is scary for the person receiving the diagnoses, but it is scary for anyone who cares about the person receiving the news. For a long time I struggled when I heard that someone had cancer. It was almost like a death sentence because of my experience. But today I saw thousands upon thousands of women and men in pink skirts to signify that they are a survivors. If I could have hugged them all, I would have because they encouraged me so!
During the moments when it was quiet, I missed my mom and although her cancer journey ended, because of my participation and fundraising, someone else's mom won't. My eyes got teary a couple of times because I realized that there is hope in whatever situation you find yourself in. We can't give up. Now I'm off to bed because I have a 10k in the morning! You praying with me?
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