Over the years, I've had several friends, acquaintances, family and loved ones who have battled against breast cancer themselves or had one of their loved ones experience it.  My mother was one of them.

In 2015, my mother was diagnosed and went through an aggressive treatment plan to combat against it.  Double masectomy followed by a high dosage of chemo; she was somewhere between stage 3 and stage 4 breast cancer.  My mother went through absolute hell through that time but she came through and managed to beat the cancer!  Several years later, she was technically in remission and we kept up the appointments to make sure she was health and no signs of the cancer were returning.

Unfortunately, cancer is stealthy and it can just take a cell in the wrong place at the wrong time to cause catastrophic damage.  On January 14th, 2023; I rushed my mother to the doctors after she was showing symptoms of a stroke which turned out to be caused by a brain bleed.  The doctors were able to bring her out of it and she could respond by the next morning.  But over the course of the next two weeks while still hospitalized and managing the brain bleed, we learned that the real culprate was cancer which had metastasized and started causing multiple bleeds in her brain.  Though ventaliated, she was conscious the whole time when she wasn't sleeping.  Aside from procedures to buy a small amount of time that would of put her through unneccessary pain, there wasn't anything that could be done.  I told her the truth and that I wouldn't put her through pain for no reason when, remarkably, she seemed to be in no pain through all of this.  I would give her some time for a miracle to happen as we both experienced them before, but I wouldn't do anything that I know she wouldn't want - stuck on machines for the rest of her life and unable to ever leave the hospital.  While I wanted as much time as I could have with her, I did tell her that if she was ready, she could go to her mother whom had passed away when she was in her teens - that I would take care of my father and everyone else.  That was a Thursday night.  By the following Friday morning in ther very early hours (though it wouldn't be confirmed until Sunday 1/29/23), she went on her own terms.  My mother went to a deep sleep and decided not to wake up - she was brain dead.  And soon after, we let my mother's body be at peace as her spirit had already departed it.
 

In my mother's memory as well as the memory of those who have passed along with those who have / still are fighting through this disease.  These are the reasons why I've joined Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.  Honoring survivors and thrivers, remembering those we've lost, and offer up support to anyone in our community who's been affected by it.

The funds I'm raising will sustain critical research and provide services for people trying to cope with their breast cancer experience. Believe me, every dollar really does count, so I'm asking you to please donate today.   And please join my friends, family, co-workers and others on the walk to come if you can.