| Get your fit on for a good cause at this fundraiser supporting Toms River Macaroni Kid Team Ohana for the American Cancer Society! What better month than October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month! 100% of money for class will go directly to American Cancer Society fundraising page. Zumba in one room + Kids Generation Pound in other $10 per person or $15 per parent/child To register, make donation for either $10 or $15 here and then comment on page PAID so we know you are signed up. |  |
My daughter and I, will be running the Disney Wine & Dine 10K in just a few weeks. While the run actually takes place on November 2nd, rather than in October and we are running for the American Cancer Society rather than for an organization like Making Strides or Susan G. Komen, there will be a pink ribbon on our shirts that morning. As my then 3 year old daughter would say, "Pink is for my mommy."
This year marks my 10th Anniversary - Cancer Free! Honestly it feels like we have been sporadically celebrating all year, but that's just because when you come out on the other side, you quickly realize that life deserves to be celebrated - the little things, the big things, all the things. Last minute, my daughter and I found ourselves with an opportunity to join a good friend and her kids in Disney for Halloween with a chance to participate in the Disney Wine & Dine 10K on behalf of the American Cancer Society.
As a survivor and a trial drug recipient that was funded in part by ACS, it seemed to be a fitting way to celebrate! More palpable than the sentiment is the reality that I have the BRCA1 gene, a hereditary breast cancer gene that means there is a possibility my family’s journey with breast cancer might not be over. Beyond my own home, since my diagnosis, I have personally known five women who have had to hear those dreaded words. If I looked at friends of friends who have been diagnosed in the last ten years, that number would easily go into the double digits. The fight for a cure is more than a symbolic ribbon or a hurdle my family overcame. This fight is a necessity and it needs to be won!
| I call it a fight, because that's what it was - three surgeries, six months of chemotherapy and years of uncertainty until I reached the five year mark. Luckily I did not have to fight alone! I was diagnosed when both of my kids were just under 3 years old, which gave new meaning to the saying, “it takes a village.” My family was blessed to be supported in every way possible by an entire village of family and friends. Ten years later, from that village, came Ohana - our very fitting team name in next month’s 10K. In three weeks, we will run so no one is left behind, so no one fights alone! On November 2nd, with one of the very friends that helped me keep my sanity ten years ago, side by side with our children, we will put on our pink and run for all the warriors. We will run for our loved ones who have battled, in celebration of those that came out on the other side and in remembrance of those we have lost. We will run towards our goal, a cure! |  |
Today, I’m reaching out to my local Toms River Macaroni Kid village to support one very small effort in a much bigger fight to find a cure for cancer. Donations to American Cancer Society do more than just fund cancer research. The American Cancer Society teaches prevention, provides support as well as works with lawmakers to pass laws that support research and fight for the uninsured. One the next few weeks, please consider participating or donating during one of our events leading up to the race. If you are a local business consider helping us in our fight for a cure by sponsoring Team Ohana - No One Fights Alone. Businesses that donate $25 or more by Wednesday, October 16th will have their name added on the back of our race shirts.
Awareness is key. During the month of October and leading up to the run, my daughter and I will be using Toms River Macaroni Kid as a platform to share our journey and raise awareness in our communities! Each newsletter this month will include information about how we can use prevention and awareness as a weapon to arm our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.
 | For the survivors we meet along the way, the family members of loved ones that lost their battle with cancer and the ones right in the middle of their own personal war - we will take their names and carry them with us that day to honor their fight and those that stood by their side because no one should have to fight cancer alone. If you cannot make a donation, please share our page to your social media, with your village. Follow our journey, share our prevention tips, reach a hand out to someone currently struggling with a cancer diagnosis. No act is too small. Every journey begins with a single step, or in this case 13,123 steps times two. |
Please consider making a donation. The donation goes directly to the American Cancer Society (a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization) and can be made here.
Support Team Ohana with this Black T-Shirt or Tank Top (with logo below): | O | Sign up for Zumba & Kids Generation Pound Fundraiser Here |
 | Order T-Shirt here: $20 Order Tank here: $20 Order deadline: Thursday |  |
Breast Cancer - Prevention and Diagnosis Resources | ||
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