Race for the Cure 2012

My sister and boyfriend went with me to Race for the Cure this morning. What a bittersweet experience! I remember telling my mom how we would go this year and we could walk it together and she would finish with the other survivors. I had tears in my eyes the whole time. I know that in my heart she was with me, however stupid that may sound.

My sister did great. She is such a strong person and I am so proud of her. She even drove like a champ in St. Louis traffic, and I can't even say that. I can't even correctly back out of my own parking spot.

And Dan did wonderfully. He was going to actually race, but then decided to be there for me and hold my hand during the walk. He is such a wonderful man and is so supportive in every way. He has been so strong and I can't believe he has put up with me through everything.

It was such a powerful feeling to see how many lives this horrible disease touches. It was amazing seeing all of the people with the "In Celebration Of" tag celebrating their mom, aunts, grandmas, friends, and neighbors reaching survivorship. It was also really sad to see the tags that say "In Memory Of" loved ones.

I couldn't help but notice that the "In Memory Of" tags only said mothers when the wearer was older (not old, per se, but at least in their forties or fifties)... and I don't recall many of them that were remembering their moms that were as young as Laura or myself. I can't help myself but think that this is so unfair and it totally sucks and I can't think of another way to describe it right now and be reader appropriate. So I'll just stop and realize that this disease affects all of us in different ways, and some more than others.

Love you, mom.
Always and forever,

Melissa Marie