5/14/10 – 2010 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
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Last weekend for the 4th time, I joined in the fight against breast cancer. Our team, Fins for the Cure grew to 21 members this year with members from my SCUBA club Dolphin Divers of Sacramento, as well as the Sacramento Seahorses, my best friend Carrie and her daughter Audrey. Together, we took the challenge to raise money and Race for the Cure. As a team, we raised over $4,300.
Thanks to my friends, family and collegues, I surpassed my goal of raising $1,000 for this year. I am amazed and so thankful for your generous donations. With the economy hitting everyone these days, this year looked to be a “down year” as far as fundraising goes, but I was wrong! Attendance at this year’s race was down slightly with only 23,000 participants and together Sacramento raised more than 1 million dollars in funds towards more and better breast health and breast cancer awareness for the Greater Sacramento Area at least 75% of all net monies collected remain in the Sacramento Area for that purpose. The majority of the cost to run this event is donated by giant sponsor’s as well as participant registration fees and hundreds of volunteers.
With breast cancer touching all around me and affecting both my best friends, Carrie and Tracy’s mother’s, I fear for the day it strikes me or my family. This year I made the commitemnt to race on behalf of your friend, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt… as it could happen to anyone at any time. This year I specifically raced for these women on behalf of my donors and friends. We had three survivors on our team and we raced for them as well.
If you have never done this race, it is truly an awesome and emotional experience. Just driving to CalExpo at 6:45 am, I looked around at ALL the other cars at the stop light and saw that we all were wearing our race day t-shirts and headed in the same direction. All headed to Race for the Cure. I started to cry. Thousands of people. One purpose. The Komen Foundation has several powerful sayings but the one that means the most to me is: “I Am the Cure”. I don’t know what is is about it but when I am standing in the middle of a crowd of 23,000 people and I look at the money I raised, and the awareness that I promote, I feel that I really am The Cure. You can be the Cure as well.
In order to race this weekend, I had to miss my Great Niece, Kayden’s first birthday where all my family were in attendance. Both my parents, my brother, all of his kids. A group who is rarely together all in one place. The only thing that made it ok is that I race so that someday Kayden Rae along with ALL of my other nieces, Kayden Kennedy, Chloe, Samantha, Lexie, Haylie, Ellyse, Destiney and Cassie will never have to worry about whether they or their daughters will have breast cancer. So they can read about it in this history books.
After the race, I once again attended the Survivor Ceremony and watched as hundreds of women (and a couple of men) made their way down the aisle wearing their pink Survivor t-shirts clapping and dancing to the Marine World themes song (you know the one, with the old creepy guy dancing). We heard about Sacramento’s longest living survior (50 years I belive) who passed away this year… and NOT from cancer. Hearing the stories of hope and survival were inspriational and learning that more people are surviving breast cancer than are dying from it… as you can see from just my pink Memory/Celebration cards. This is great news. Through early detection, new treatments, we are Surviving. But we still need a cure. Until we find one, I will continue to race.
Unfortunately this year my mom (out with knee surgery) and Carrie’s mom (currently battling breast cancer) couldn’t join us for the race and were sadly missed. Also not in attendance was my Weimaraner Roxie who is currently 11 days away from having her first litter of puppies (read more about that HERE). However, Roxie did wear her pink ribbon bandana and visor to show her support.
Thank you again for all your support and donations for this year’s race. Until next year… keep feelin’ your boobies and live well.
Love, Renee
To see more photos from the day, click on the slideshow below:
What a great turn out! It looks like you all had a great time supporting a cause that is near and dear to almost everyone anymore!
I enjooyed the pics! It was a nice day. Thanks