You can make a difference! Donate or Participate in the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure

Eleven years ago, after completing University, I decided to participate in a walk for Breast Cancer. I was 24-years old, I had just started dating my now husband, and no one in my immediate family had been touched by cancer.  I solicited my friends and family who were extremely generous and helped me reach my fundraising goal quickly. While I was fundraising, I understood the impact where the dollars went but it wouldn’t be until many years later that I had first-hand experience.

Fast forward to January 2015 when I was 33 years old, and a married mom to two young kids. I don’t remember the first time I felt the lump in my left breast. I just remember it was in the shower and I felt it. It came out of nowhere, seemingly over night and was very large in size. I monitored it over the next 2 months hoping it would go away. I had assumed it was a blocked milk duct as I had stopped breast feeding my son five months earlier. But, the lump didn’t go away. I had a nagging feeling that it wasn’t good so I decided to get it checked out by a doctor. What transpired after that was a whirlwind. An ultrasound gave way to an emergency mammogram which led to a biopsy and on March 13, 2015 I was formally diagnosed with breast cancer.

After an intense 9 months that included 6 rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and 25 radiation treatments, I finally finished my active therapies at the end of November 2015.

CIBC Run for the Cure My So-Called Mommy Life

Over the past 1.5 years, I have seen the devastation that cancer causes. Cancer doesn’t care how old you are. Cancer doesn’t care how big or small your house is, what type of car you drive or if you take public transit. Cancer doesn’t care if you have health benefits or not, how much money you have in the bank and if you have a large or small support network. Cancer’s main goal is to kill.

Thankfully, cancer didn’t kill me. Through fundraisers and donations, the care I received and continue to receive is top notch and cutting edge. Why? Thanks to generous people just like you who have made eradicating this awful disease a priority and to help fund important and much needed research.

CIBC Run for the Cure My So-Called Mommy Life

Such research helped discover Tamoxifen, a hormone therapy that I have taken for almost 1 year out of a ten year course. Every morning, I take this little white pill that has proven to help extend the life expectancy of breast cancer survivors. Most importantly, when I take my Tamoxifen pill each morning it’s another day that I’m here and able to mother my two children.

On October 2, 2016, my family, friends and I will be participating in the 2016 Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. When I decided to sign up for the run a month ago, it was very emotional for me. I’m here, on the other side of my breast cancer experience and will be participating in the run as a breast cancer survivor.

CIBC Run for the Cure Renee's Rainbow

Creating my own personalized digital fundraising page was easy and took a few minutes. I uploaded a picture of me from last summer when I was bald. I chose a picture of me bald to show how far I have come since last year. I then chose my team’s name, and wrote it in the ribbon across my picture.  I love that everyone is able to personalize their picture and honour whomever you are running for. My team’s name is Renee’s Rainbow, because I’m finding beauty after the storm (my cancer). I was then able to write a little blurb about my story and then sent out my personal page to my friends and family. Creating your own personalized digital fundraising page makes it easy to track donations, update your fundraising page, send e-mails and social posts to ask friends and family for their support and thank donors once they have donated.

Every cent that is donated makes a difference. Every cent donated helps doctors figure out medications to make treatment a little more humane. Every cent helps fund research and clinical trials to try to stop this awful disease from ruining more lives.  There is no amount of donation that is considered too small.

To find out how you can join or create a team in your city on October 2, visit www.cibcrunforthecure.com.  To make a donation, please visit my fundraising page HERE.

 

This post is brought to you by CIBC Run for the Cure but the images and opinions are my own.

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Comments

  1. You are so beautiful! A very courageous survivor too! I am so happy that you have been receiving all the care you need.

  2. Maya Fitz says:

    You know I already think you’re a modern day hero and this just proves it! I will always support you and this amazing organization. Hope we can find a cure SOON!

  3. Thank you for sharing your story! Good luck in your fundraising!

  4. mapleleafmommy says:

    Love that you chose to run this year as a breast cancer survivor. Congrats on having already raised over $2000.

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