It seems to me that when you step up to raise money for a cause, your motivation will impact your results. A little bit of conviction goes a long way. It drives your campaign (so to speak).
You may ask… "What's my motivation?" That's an easy answer. Jamie, Haley, Kristen, & now my 2 year old grand daughter, Lily. I'm a family girl. Nothing in my world would bring me greater heartache than having to walk this Breast Cancer journey with one of my precious daughters or my blond & blue eyed grand daughter. It's hard for me to think about, let alone speak of such a horror.
Early on in my Breast Cancer journey, I asked Kitty, one of the counselors at The Cancer Center, how I would deal with my greatest fear. Her answer was simple, "A piece of your heart would die." I knew she hit the nail on the head!
I ask myself… "How can I save my daughters & my darling grand daughter from this atrocity?" My answer is simple. RESEARCH! Susan G. Komen's name is stamped on all of the great strides that have been made in this dignity stealing disease.
Resesarch done by Susan G. Komen saved my life. My aggressive Breast Cancer was HER2NEW positive. It was ESTROGEN positive. It was Stage 3. It paralyzed me in every aspect of my life. I couldn't say the 3 words, "I. have. cancer," for a year. I couldn't even talk to my closest friend for a month (even tho' she was with me when I received my diagnosis). Susan G. Komen had my back! Because of her research, there was treatment for my cancer. I am eternally grateful for Susan G. Komen. I am so grateful I even named my cat BELLA G. KOMEN !
I try not to dwell on the negatives in my life, but I must be honest & transparent so that you understand my motivation. 7 months prior to my diagnosis, I had a clean mammogram. My husband found my lump. I thought it was surely a seam on my pajama pocket, but as fear began to run through my body like electricity, I realized that my pajamas had no pocket. It was a lump.
Breast Cancer has robbed me of much! I had chemo. I had a double mastectomy. I had radiation. Radiation is the gift that keeps on giving. It continues to shrink the skin on my left side which causes my breast to be hard & now about 2 " higher than the other side. This gift has no end in sight. My Double Mastectomy makes me feel as though I am wearing a Bra under my skin 24/7. Lastly, my chemo caused a neuromuscular disease I already had to go into full progression. It is a painful & crippling disease that robs me of my strength & stamina. There is no cure for it. There is NO end in sight. It will continue to progress.
My Team, Team Sweet Potatas, raised just over $10,000 for Susan G. Komen's Race for The Cure last year by using Facebook alone & a few emails sent to family members who are not on Facebook. 2 local businesses (The Ice Cream Shack of Sunnyland & Maria's: A Great Place to Eat in Washington) offered to put coffee cans out for me. My approach to posting on FB was not rocket science. I posted almost daily. I shared bits & pieces of my story. I shared photos & posts made for FB. I used the facts about Breast Cancer provided by Susan G. Komen. I kept it personal. You could say, I dogged people. Each donation is significant. Each donation helps save a life. I am SO humbled that my life was saved by the fundraisers who went before me. They never knew me. I will never know most of them. Some of them are no longer with us. Their work saved me. Because of them, I get to hold my Grand Babies, & believe me, their kisses are the best medicine I know.
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