Relay for Life - - A Walk of HOPE

I'm still letting all the emotion sink in from the wonderful experience of "Relay for Life".   Our Orange County relay occurred on 5/21/2011 this year.  It was my first one and I'm committed to continue participating and will be meeting with the rest of the team to start fundraising efforts for the 2012 race.

If you need support as a cancer survivor or caregiver or just as someone who cares, this was the best therapy imaginable.   After visiting my Dad the weekend earlier, my emotions were still so raw that a teammate asked how the visit went and I just immediately started crying.  She and some other ladies came running over on the spot and gave me a group hug.  I didn't feel so alone.

Our team raised over $16K and all the teams together in Orange County VA raised over $60K for the American Cancer Society.   They've been there for me as I researched information on Thyroid cancer and Bladder cancer.  That was also how I found out about Relay for Life and this great group of people in my own community. 

I've made some wonderful friends and cannot thank them enough for all the strength they give me so that I, in turn, can give strength to my family during these difficult times.  ChooseHope.com is another great resource and they provided the necklaces and beads for purchase so that we could keep track of our relay progress.  A portion of their funds goes directly to cancer research as well.

For anyone suffering the effects of Cancer in any form, I sincerely recommend that you join a Relay for Life team in your community.  This is one way to feel some sense of control during this time of powerlessness.
When God gives us the strength and opportunity, we should take it and use it to help others.

Thank you to all the members of the Saturday Nite Sisters team of Relay for Life - Orange VA and to all of the people involved in Relay for Life.

May we all reap the blessings from your hard work in finding a cure,

/mo

An Emotional Ride

It's been some time since I wrote of my Dad last but I can report that I've since gone to visit him so I could see for myself what this disease is doing to him.  My Dad is such a strong man.  I can see why I waited so long to find the right husband that could even come close to the model man that my father gave me growing up.
My immediate response is "the visit went great!"  "Dad looks good."  "You'd never even know, if it wasn't for his bald head."    We laughed and did stuff around the house to help out and we ate.
After such a short whirlwind visit and events sinking in, it dawns on me that Dad had another round of chemo after we left and the concept of my Dad having cancer seeps in and I cry.

God, please keep my Dad strong so he can take his chemo, go through another surgery and then the follow-up chemo.  We have a long way to go and I ask that you keep him close to you and keep him strong.  Amen.