It Takes A Community

I feel like I'm always talking about Relay for Life, and year after year I make this post, and I was a little worried about making it yet again, because maybe doing so was resulting in diminishing returns and/or reader boredom. But then, last week at our committee meeting, we heard a really great story about a successful single mom who was putting her two kids through college, who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The two kids spoke with their local American Cancer Society office, and ACS not only managed to get her rides to her appointments, into the Look Good...Feel Better program to cope with physical concerns with cancer treatment, and even paid for her kids to come home for the holidays twice a year. 

So then I got to thinking, if people can go through that, and their families and children and loved ones can pluck up the courage to deal with a situation of that magnitude without feeling they are getting diminishing returns (even if, sadly, they might be), then I have no excuse to not make this post. I have no excuse not to try my hardest to support a great cause that I believe in very much. I should not feel like I'm harassing anyone, when the result could be in better research, education, advocacy, and wellness for individuals, their families, and their communities. I should stand as boldly behind my goal now, though I have had the fortune of not having immediate family affected by cancer, as I would if any of them had or did. "It takes a community to ensure health" is something that's been a major theme in my education lately, and I urge you to support your community. Please consider joining a Relay for Life event near you or you can donate to me, if you'd like, HERE.

If you read all that, thank you very much. I appreciate it a lot.