RACE(d) for the Cure

Last Saturday was the the annual "Race for the Cure" of Indianapolis. Lindsay and I joined in with more than 42,000 other walkers, runners, and participants to raise money in honor of finding a cure. To many of you, this may seem like no big deal, or that maybe we were just doing our part to help out. Actually, it was something so much bigger on a personal level.

Step back nearly 25 years ago. You'd see me, bald as can be, fighting the toughest fight of my life; leukemia. Yea, it sucked ass. 18 months of chemotherapy, not knowing what to expect from day to day, and of course feeling sooooooooooooooo crappy.

Then, fast forward from that point to 2004. My mom, who never left my side throughout my battle, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Again, it sucked ass, she lost her hair, just like I did (along with the millions of other people affected by BC), and she fought her fight. And won.

Being a cancer survivor (of ANY kind) gives a person a different outlook on life and makes you think about things a little more differently. As a survivor, a person has endured some of the most sickening treatments in the world, probably been treated differently by friends and family, and have had nearly every single cell in their body altered to the point of near death. But...that person also gets the title of "CANCER SURVIVOR." That's something to be proud of.

This walk meant so much to me. There was a sea of people lined up to walk for one cause. I felt so overwhelmed with emotion. Hearing other people's stories, reading the names of loves ones who had passed, and just feeling a deeper connection to humankind. It was inspiring to experience all of this as a survivor.

I walked in celebration of my mom..and although she wasn't by my side this year, we already have a date set for next year's walk. I can't wait to share it with her.