STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES

I relay in memory of my mom, who lost her battle to breast cancer almost 7 years ago. She was diagnosed with the disease when she was 31. When she received the diagnosis, my brother was just a few months old and I was only 2 years old. My mom had breast cancer for practically my entire childhood, but that did not affect her ability in any way to be an absolutely amazing mother. She was the most loving and compassionate woman I’ve ever known. She would always remind me how important it is to take time out of our crazy lives to just “stop and smell the roses.” My mom made an incredible impact on so many people’s lives, and remembering that is what gives me the most comfort when I am missing her and yearning for her presence. I hope to one day be half the woman that my mom was.

Being a part of Relay for Life at UVA has given me the opportunity to fight back against the disease that turned my life upside down. I relay so more mothers can be there for their children’s graduations and wedding days, and so they can live to meet their grandchildren. I relay in memory of my mom, and in honor of all of the moms out there who are battling cancer. I relay to finish the fight against this terrible disease that has taken the life of too many.

With RelayLove, 

Emily Harris

WORK HARDER, LAUGH DEEPER, AND DREAM BIGGER

I relay for my friend Logan Dunne. Whether it was his athletic passions in soccer and basketball or his intellectual ones of writing, Blokus, and, of course, Mario Cart, he was a boy full of many talents with a very special drive. 

He once wrote, "I wake up, work harder, laugh deeper, and dream bigger than the day before. That is what success is." Everyone who knew him will vouch for his success in life, including myself. He passed away from neuroblastoma January 4, 2013. It wasn't so sudden, because he had been on this journey of treatment and remission for 4 years, but it still wasn't easy. I miss the days spent hanging out watching Lost or going to a Red Sox game. I even miss going to the hospital with him when he needed a transfusion.

     

Now I relay so that no one else has to lose a friend to cancer.

With RelayLove,

Ellie Garside

SHOUT OUT OF THE WEEK: ALLISON JAROS

Allison's fundraising efforts have skyrocketed over the past week and she is now tied for our top fundraiser!! Way to go Allison, keep up the good work.

With RelayLove, 

SHOUT OUT OF THE WEEK: MOIRA LENNON

Thank you, Moira, for performing at Concert For A Cure as a member of the Sil'Hooettes! At the concert, she shared with the audience why Relay For Life was especially close to her heart. We thank you again for sharing your talent and reminding us all what we relay for. 

With RelayLove, 

THE LETTER "F"

There have been several instances of cancer in my family, but nothing hit harder than when it was my mom’s turn to fight. One night during the spring of my senior year of high school, my mom complained about how uncomfortable her bra felt. I don’t think anyone really thought much about it and I know that I assumed it was simply too tight. After that night, she was still feeling uneasy about the whole thing, so she decided to go to the doctor. An irritating bra from a few days before led to a 3D mammogram. When that showed something, she then had to get three biopsies. Shortly after that, a conclusion was made: the uncomfortable bra corresponded to breast cancer, and someone pressed the fast forward button on our lives.

When I was first told the news, all I felt was shock and confusion.  The pain and sadness didn’t hit me until I accompanied my mom to an appointment with her surgeon. That day may have been the worst day of my life.  

I didn’t originally plan on going to the appointment with my mom, but my dad had to be at the office for a bit longer and I wanted to be there for her. After she got called back to see the doctor, things got hazy. Her surgeon was bursting with bad news: the cancer may be spreading, we needed to act quickly, she was going to have to do a full mastectomy, and there would never be a 100% guarantee that it wouldn’t come back. It was during this appointment that reality hit me straight in the face. Something was trying to kill my mom, and losing her was a real possibility. When I got home I sobbed for an hour straight, leaving my face, hair and pillow soaked.  

After that day, it never really got easier, but it also never really got worse. June 26, 2014 was my mom’s birthday, but more importantly, her one-year anniversary of being cancer-free. Every night before she goes to bed, my mom does her hormone treatment that in effect, makes her body ache and is now causing some minor hair loss. Despite all of this, however, she has not backed down to cancer and the letter “f” necklace she wears every day is a reminder of that. The letter “f” on her necklace stands for many things: her maiden name (Flannery), her ability to get through cancer with great faith, family and friends, and the fact that, even with one breast, she is still as funny and fabulous as before. She will also continue to fight and, should the cancer ever come out of remission, tell it to f-off!  

We live in a world where everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer and with that said, I relay for life. I relay for a world with more birthdays. I relay so that no one has to lose his or her mom to cancer like I almost did.  I know the fight to end cancer is far from over, but I relay with the hope that we can get that much closer to living in a world free of cancer. I relay for my best friend, my number one supporter, my mom.

With RelayLove, 

Gwendolyn Apgar
Publicity Committee