My Weekend Wake-Up Call

Months after my diagnosis, these Beautiful ladies surprised me with a team name and t-shirt! Karoline’s friend designed the t-shirt and the ladies registered us as the “The Double Divas”! 

We signed up for the Susan B. Komen 5K “Race For The Cure”. It was still hard for me to walk after the surgery but my Divas had my back, encouraging me along the way! 

I was surrounded by the stories and journeys of so many. People were walking in memory of their loved ones, survivors walking with their best friends, cheerleaders encouraging the walkers, and volunteers passing out water. 

Just before I reached the finish line, two survivors caught my attention. As they passed the finish line I thought "I'm so proud of them!" In that moment something clicked. It's not "them" it's “us". It actually startled me a little bit. I looked up at the Finish Line, then to the sky and said a silent prayer. My ladies who coordinated the walk were a few steps behind me so I passed through first. It was an unplanned perfect moment. I was a survivor. I was blessed and surrounded by strong women that had my back and I was thankful for the endless support. It was extremely emotional. Though my body was exhausted, my legs felt like they were going to give out, the humidity was killing me, and I was having chest pain from the post-op injections, it was a pivotal part of my healing. I finally came to terms with my reality, which I think I've unconsciously denied. I was a cancer survivor.