Breast cancer scares me more than anything else I have come across. It has no boundaries and it attacks without consideration of socio-economic status, race, or lifestyle. The two most significant risks for developing breast cancer are being a woman and getting older. The part that gets me the most, is that cancer can develop even if you eat well and exercise and take care of yourself.
Take my high school friend, Christine. She has dedicated herself to living a clean lifestyle with health and wellness at the forefront. Christine is 41, a wife and mother of two and she is battling ovarian and breast cancer. So what gives? If she takes care of her body, why couldn't she have escaped a cancer diagnosis?
Unfortunately, Christine's mother passed away from ovarian cancer, which is slightly even more terrifying than breast cancer because its symptoms are not substantial enough for most people to take note. It has been dubbed the silent killer. So, Christine may have a hereditary link to reproductive cancer in her family. Again, there is really nothing a person can do about hereditary cancers except live a healthy lifestyle and dutifully attend every pre-screening test that is available. And even then, there is no guarantee. This is a personal choice that can leave a person empowered, but it is a personal choice. For more information, see my post on hereditary cancer screening.
Sadly, Christine's story is not unique. But cancer picked the wrong girl to mess with. Christine is a certified trainer with Be Awesome Live Fit and has worked in the health and fitness industry since 2007. She specializes in the POUND and Dr. Sears LEAN Program for families. This girl knows how to struggle and she knows how to win.
I first met Christine as her adversary on the softball field in junior high. My teammates and I knew when the "chicken" came to bat, that we better move to the outfield and get ready. Even though we were only 13, I knew that this girl had talent and grace, as well as a competitor spirit like no other. Eventually, we ended up at Rosary together and palled around for several years.
While I love reminiscing about our earlier years, I hadn't considered that we would have such a devastating link in common.
So once again, I am acutely aware of how important it is to raise money and awareness of this disease. Christine has her own GoFundMe page set up to help with the financial burden of the treatments. If you'd like to donate directly to Christine, please click here.
The Boob Ride originated from feeling helpless about a disease that threatened my mom's life, my aunt's life, and took my grandmother's life, but it has become an event for people to CELEBRATE life and the lives of their love ones who are battling this disease. We are not helpless; we can do something.
Christine - the Orange County ride is for you!