-several years ago my church was gearing up for our annual Relay for Life fundraiser in our small town and various people spoke on how cancer had affected their lives. They had either personally, or a friend or family member had been diagnosed and they spoke of shortened lives, derailed dreams and finally of hope. Hope for a cure, hope for recovery and hope for others.
-I sat and it suddenly occurred to me that I no connection to these stories. I , of course, felt empathy for those who had been affected but was almost non concerned about how much was raised and who was working the event.
- As life, fate, karma and circumstances would have it....my story has completely changed. And oh how I fervently wish it hadn't.
It began with my half-sister who called me one day to tell me that she had breast cancer.
Then my old friend from high school found out that she had cancer. Shockingly the sudden pain that my sweet oldest nephew complained about in stomach was determined to be colon cancer. Colon cancer!! He is 28. After extensive rounds of chemo, he was told the treatments weren't working and it is incurable. He is still fighting and we are still praying and hoping.
Lastly my father who has been battling lung cancer for a while was recently diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his brain, He just finished radiation treatments and the outlook is good.
So this year....we are two months shy of Relay for Life and I care. I care a lot and am saddened by my own self involvement that it wasn't that important to me before. I want everyone to care, I want everyone to continue to have hope and to volunteer and contribute whenever or however they can, because I don't want you to have to become aware like I did. It is important and we all need to be involved.
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