Where does your money go when you sponsor our event? What are you buying when you support the Pink
Ribbon Project? I wish that I could tell
you that the money you donated were those last dollars needed to find a cure.
But I can't, at least not yet. I believe
that I will be able to tell you that one day in the near future. But for now, I can tell you exactly what you
bought - you bought time. Time for a
mother to spend more time with her children. Time for a grandma to become a great Grandma. Time for a husband to travel with his wife. How do I know this for sure? Because my family has been given the gift of
time.
Eleven years ago I sat in a doctor’s office with my
mom and dad waiting to hear the results of the biopsy of a lump in my mom’s
left breast. I sat there staring at my
dad's hands, how his fingers were curled tightly around the arms of the chair. I looked at his wedding ring - a symbol of
love that had been there for twenty-seven years. While the doctor entered the room, I just kept
staring at my dad's hands. The doctor
said, "we have your results, and it is breast cancer." I
watched as my dad's knuckles turned white against his dark skin. Then I stopped listening. I had heard all I needed to hear. My mom had cancer. I was twenty-two.
We were very fortunate that my Mom received the care
and the treatment that she did. Over
five years, she had two mastectomies, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy
and took part in a clinical trial. At
that time she was said to be in complete remission. What does that kind of time buy you?
My Mom got to be there as my youngest sister graduated
from high school. She was by our sides as all three of us girls completed our
college or university educations. She
looked on proudly at three weddings and watched our family grow with the
addition of each son-in-law. She has
been there to hold each of her five grandchildren as soon as they entered this
world! Our family has been given all of
these gifts of unimaginable value.
My Mom made it to her ten-year mark before she had a
recurrence. One year ago we learned that the cancer was back, metastasized to
her bones. So once again we are painstakingly aware of time and focused on
anything we can do to buy more of it.
When you sponsor or donate to the Pink Ribbon Project,
you are directly supporting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation as all the
proceeds from our event go to them. They
are the leading supporter of breast cancer research in Canada. Research leads to earlier detection, more
treatment options and, most importantly, life saving and life extending
treatment.
This year we were able to raise just over $19,000 for
the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. We
are overwhelmed by the generosity of our sponsors and all those that attended
the first annual Pink Ribbon Project! Thank
you for helping us to support the Foundation in the important work that they
do, towards creating a future without breast cancer, all the while giving the
gift of time to women and their families. The support means more than we can ever say!
- CP
