Why I'm doing this

Aria Arrizabalaga — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:46:37 -0400

I decided to enter the Relay for Life this year because for a long time I have not talked very much about having had cancer 11 years ago, and this was one way for me try to open the dialogue. Too often cancer is a very silent disease. People who have it may not know, and when they do, they and/or their loved ones often find themselves unable to talk about it. I will be walking in celebration of being cancer free for all this time, and in memory of Jan Reed, the former director of my children's preschool, who suffered from a painful, undiagnosed breast cancer for over a year before finally being recognized at an incurable stage. I am also walking in the memory of my grandfather, Sam Roybal, who died last year of recurrent, metastatic stomach cancer just days after telling me that he was fine and I did not need to come and visit. I could list more friends, family members, and even patients that I have cared for who have been affected by cancer, unfortunately all of us can. I

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Why I'm doing this