Whether it's a good day or a bad day, I am here...

I don't really know quite how to share what's on my mind tonight. As most everyone knows, Race for The Cure is right around the corner in my neck of the woods. I've registered my team, Sweet Potatas, & I'm starting to get excited. I've spent this evening looking back over pictures from the last 2 Races for The Cure. I've participated for many years, but only recently in pink.

Yes… it changes everything. When I used to walk with my young daughters, I always had a lump in my throat. It always depressed me for days. I just couldn't handle the emotion of it & my sorrow for women who fought this terrible disease. In 2012, I participated for the first time as a Survivor. I didn't really feel like a Survivor that day. I felt more like a fighter. I hadn't finished my treatments. I still had radiation ahead of me. I was fighting for my life…

Cancer is such a random thing. It's sometimes hard to pinpoint its cause, & why do some people get better while some don't? Why is it that one day last week one of my sweet friends got good news, & on the very same day, one didn't? Why is it that some people fight a few years while others fight a life time? Why do children suffer with cancer? Why do some people even die from it?

It's a grueling illness. I can attest to the fact that sometimes its treatments are worse than the disease itself. Sometimes the side effects even sneak up on you a few years down the road. I was recently explaining to a young person that once you have cancer, it never really goes away. Yes… you might hear the words "cancer free" or "in remission," but all it takes is the return of a dear friend's cancer to know that those words can be short lived.

I don't really know what I'm writing about tonight. Just sharing my heart & mind. The Race is coming. It comes at a very busy time; I actually thought of bailing. However, I owe Susan G. Komen my life. Perhaps that's why I named my cat Bella G. Komen. Perhaps that's why I feel a need to participate. Her research directly effected my case. Without this organization, I would not be here writing my blog.

I would not see my grand children whom I love more than life itself. I would not have walked through the ruins of a tornado with my husband 20 minutes after it took our home of 20 years. No… he would have walked alone. You see… I am thankful for each day of life (whether it's a good day or a bad day) because I am here, here to walk through life with my loved ones. I guess that's why I'm beginning to get excited, besides the fact that I love pink!