Ever since I was a kid, cancer has been a big part of my life. My Aunt Traci had cancer as a kid and I remember growing up everyone telling me how strong she was and how she fought and won. We had a 5 year remission party for her when I was young. So young in fact, the only thing I remember was that I was given the responsibility of putting a can of cheese and bag of pretzels on a table. Words like cancer and remission were a normal part of my vocabulary from a young age.
On the other side of my family, another Aunt, my Dad's sister Mary had brain cancer. I don't know when she was diagnosed, but as far back as I can remember, my Aunt Mary having brain cancer was a constant. She had multiple surgeries but never got any better. I didn't get to see her as much as I would have have liked given they lived in Georgia. Some of my favorite pictures were of her, my Dad and my Uncle; their parents even. Pictures of people I hadn't met or hadn't spent enough time with. I could imagine that way, make up stories about what they were like. She died in 2006. Her husband, my Uncle, died a few months later from lung cancer. I hadn't even known.
Has cancer touched your life? A friend, an aunt? Your mother? You? I'm walking on my Aunt's team for relay for life, and every donation counts. The minimum is only $5. Do you have a spare $5 sitting around to go a good cause? Please consider donating here. Thank you <3
