FIND YOUR REASON
I am fearless! Well I used to be. I have jumped off piers, photographed wild black bears, swam with wild manatees and flew an open air biplane. I did not fear what others called dangerous ventures. I was crazy, I never thought once about death, until August 25, 2009 when I heard the words “You have cancer”.
At first I was shocked and confused, then I was depressed and scared. I had never experienced this emotion before-this was fear. Fearing something that is inside your own body was a surreal experience. When I was faced with never holding my sweet husband’s hand again or watching my daughters laugh, I realized life was indeed precious and fragile.
I decided I was not going to let fear ruin my life. I decided to fight against all those killer cells. I had a radical hysterectomy 2 wks later, underwent 5 weeks of radiation and 6 months of chemotherapy. I struggled through it all- it was the scariest and hardest thing I had ever done in my 34 years of life. But it was all worth it! I can say I did it! I fought the battle of a lifetime and won- I am cancer free!!
Throughout my journey, I continuously looked for a reason why this happened to me people told me that sometimes things happened in life for NO reason’. That statement just didn’t settle with me. I decided to MAKE a reason. I wanted to tell my story hoping to raise awareness and save lives. If I help just one person and their life is spared in the face of cancer then I have found my reason!
From my chemo chair I started a non-profit organization called Walk of Women. I saw a need to raise awareness for gynecological cancers. I want women to be aware of changes in their bodies and feel comfortable to talk to someone about these changes. Early detection is key to all cancers. In 3 years I have hosted four 7k fundraising walks, which has helped my mission to raise awareness of GYN cancers and fund a program called Wellness of Women (WOW). The WOW program provides financial assistance for women that have been diagnosed with a GYN cancer. We pay for medications, transportation, wigs, doctor’s appointments or anything else that will help make their cancer journey easier. We also host a monthly support group called Words of Wisdom for patients and survivors to inspire and empower one another. Women need to know where to turn when they are told they have cancer. WOW wants to help them feel connected and encouraged during their journey. We have raised $52,000 and helped over 85 women so far. The reason I had cancer was to help other women fight during their battle to survivorship.
Find Your Reason.