Relentless

Yes, believe it or NOT, a year has gone by, & it's time to launch Team Sweet Potatas for its 8th walk. WOW! But, this year instead of Race for The Cure, it has a whole new name, More than Pink! Don't be fooled by its new name. Yes, we Survivors are more than pink, but the cause is still the same. If you take a moment to look beneath the color of the ribbon, you will see much of what you saw last year, the year before, & the year before that. You will see a cry for help, a need for research, suffering, death, anguish, love, strength, courage, beauty, & most of all, HOPE.

You will see what your dollars have done, & you will see a need that continues to explode. You may ask, how can this be, & I will simply answer IDK! If you take a moment to look at the Susan G. Komen website, you will be amazed. Progress has occurred, & we are on the brink of a cure. But... how many more souls will suffer & die before we find that cure? As I write, so many of my friends are suffering. You may have seen the commercial for a treatment for Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. It calls Metastatic Breast Cancer relentless.

To tell you the truth, Breast Cancer doesn't have to be Metastatic to be relentless. It can become relentless on its way to Stage 4 or even at a lesser stage. Ever hear the saying, "The treatment is worse than the disease?" I'd have to say it's a toss-up. I am alive because of the research specifically done by Susan G. Komen. I have 5 beautiful grandchildren that have been born since my diagnosis. Wow! So much to bask in & for which to be thankful! However, even for me, it is relentless. It never goes away. I am not Stage 4, Metastatic, but I am forever impacted & never allowed to go back to that day before my lump was discovered.

In truth, I put on my best face. My face is genuine because my joy radiates from within my heart. My joy comes from knowing that whatever befalls me, I have a Lord & Savior who will always be with me. I am never alone, even when I feel alone. When I am scared, I focus on that fact. When my anxiety peaks, I go back to that fact. When I feel sad, I remember from whence my joy comes, & tell myself to refocus. When I don't feel well, I force myself to rest. When I am dealt another blow, I recover because I have Christ, friends, & family who love me, & 5 little smiling faces that steal my heart & make my life worth living. I talk to God a lot. He is my compass. I cry out to Him, & he hears me. He comforts me & gives me strength. Without Him, I am nothing.

So another year... I know you're sick of it! Maybe you have a different cancer, & you wonder why. "Why so much attention to Breast Cancer?" Maybe you are tired of pink. Maybe you don't want to see one more relentless pink ribbon, or maybe you don't ever want to own that pink ribbon or see your wife, sister, daughter, mother, friend or loved one owning it. That's part of the answer, the why.
The other part of the why involves the now. So many suffer now & need a cure. Please don't turn your heart away from relentless. Relentless is exhausting to all of us. Please help!