Last Year's Challenge - This Year's Challenge

I am sitting here by my computer not sure what to write. I pick up the framed photo that has sat next to my computer for the past few months. It is a photo of our team from last year's Philly Challenge. We were team 3 Beat Ca to celebrate the three of us who had survived cancer. The team included Kevin a testicular cancer survivor and his wife, my niece, Alycia, and Kevin's friend Rob; Erin , Alycia's long-time friend and bile duct cancer survivor and her parents, aunts and another one of Erin's friends and myself an ovarian cancer survivor. What a fun group, we laughed as we walked drank water and ate pretzels. Erin and I had a special bond being diagnosed only months apart in 2005. We spent time talking about her future liver transplant and chemo brain . We talked about Alycia's wedding in 2006. Both of us had finished chemo just a few months before. We finished the walk getting our yellow survivor roses at the same time. We hugged and as Kevin came through the chute to get his yellow rose the three of us embraced. This year will not be the same.

Erin passed away yesterday, August 14th.

This year our Philly team is named 1 Reason- to fight cancer. Erin was a fighter. We will continue the fight for Erin. We will remember Erin and Cousin Charlie, my sister Roberta, my Mom Helen, my Dad Robert, my Aunt Lillian,my Aunt Lee, my Uncle Tommy, my cousin Tony ,my Cousin Carol , my friend Marie and countless others.

We will make this disease a national priority.We will not forget why we walk. We walk for Erin.

LiveStrong
Dee