In just two weeks I will be participating in my third Relay for Life. I keep wondering, why is it this event that I choose to do year after year? In fact, many of these events (Relay, Komen Walk, Avon Walk, Revlon Walk, etc.) have become a cancer survivor’s right of passage. We come in droves to don our special honorary t-shirts and walk in circles together. Honestly, if a fortune teller would have predicted that one day I would be diagnosed with cancer and when I finished treatment I would participate in the ritual of walking a few miles with others, I would have wondered where that crackpot came up with such an idea. So why is this important to me?

When you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your life becomes a vortex that borders on spinning out of control. There are decisions to be made, insurance nuisances to address, and emotional and physical issues to manage. Everything must be laid out before you and coordinated in such a way that all the pieces can come together at the right time, if possible. Recovery is the same. It is a matter of baby steps, one step at time, moving forward and growing stronger each day.

Perhaps therein lies the analogy. The walks symbolize each day moving forward, one step at a time, growing stronger with each and every step. It is celebration, it’s a time to mourn, it is a time to challenge myself, it is a time to be proud, and it is a time to realize how far I still need to go.

We all have favorite charities and causes. This is mine. Fighting cancer is not fought alone. We all have to take up the fight. Will you join me?

Labels: Relay for Life