It was raining hard all day in NJ on Friday, October 1st the remnants of Hurricane Nicole. There were flooded roadways throughout the state which made my trip to Morristown take an extra half hour. And the rain meant moving the Passing of the Torch event from the outside Greek Theater at the College of St. Elizabeth to Dolan Hall inside the Annunciation Center. What the rain did not dampen was the spirit of collaboration and support of those present to pass the flame of ovarian cancer awareness in September to October's breast cancer awareness.
The Passing of the Torch campaign is a collaboration of the Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation and FORCE - Facing our Risks of Cancer Empowered. It is a way to highlight the hereditary link between breast and ovarian cancer in women who have a BRCA1 &BRCA2 mutation, honors cancer survivors and those at risk and remembers those who lost their lives to cancer.
Two speakers told their moving stories of survivorship while an oncology nurse gave an informative talk regarding BRCA1&2 mutations and hereditary risk management. (Check out the FORCE website for info about hereditary cancers. ) Those present bought luminaries and as the clouds lifted and the sun set College of St. Elizabeth volunteers lit the candles. Other luminaries were purchased online to honor survivors of breast and ovarian cancer. Check out the park here.
At the end of the event I took a walk outside and saw the luminary I purchased in memory of my sister Roberta. As much as I am a women of teal, I will forever have a pink ribbon in my heart.
Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!
