Lung Force Walk

This weekend, a group of my friends put together a team in my honor for the Lung Force Walk that was hosted by the American Lung Association.  We had close to 40 people on the team walking in my honor.  It was such an amazing day!  This was their 2nd Annual Lung Force Walk and they raised $50,000…which was AMAZING!!!  Last year, they raised $15,000, so the increase in money raised for lung disease and lung cancer awareness was phenomenal!  I had such a good time seeing friends that I haven't seen in a long time that came out to support me, a great time with my family who drove and flew in for the event, a great time meeting a lady that was diagnosed in August and is now "no evidence of disease", and over all, I was just humbled by the amount of people that care and want to bring awareness to lung cancer and the rapid increase in women!

All of my fabulous supporters!!!  One never knows exactly how much they are loved until they need all the love they can get!!!  I can't thank each and everyone of you enough for coming out to support me and help raise money for the awareness of the disease that has attacked my body!  All of you made a difference in lung cancer awareness this weekend.  I am so proud to call you my supporters!

I love that my family made the trip to walk by my side!

My sisters…what a great support they have been…whether I need to talk, be silent, cry, or laugh; they have never left my side and have dropped everything when I call!

I just love this picture that Liz took when I didn't even know it!!  

These 3 have been a huge supporters, contacting me to make sure that I am ok or just to ask how I am feeling.

I met Erica and her husband, Mike through my good friend Sabra.  Erica works for lung cancer research at the University hospital here in Denver.  She recently hosted a Stand Up to Cancer bike ride to help sponsor  her relay bike ride across the U.S..  She rides from Denver to Kansas City for Stand Up to Cancer in September.   She has already talked to the organizer of the walk to see if the company she works for can help sponsor to make the event bigger next year.  What a blessing she has been since my diagnosis.  She makes me feel good about my oncologist and treatment plan!  I'm so blessed to have her in my life! 

Sabra's friend Susie flew in from Iowa for the weekend and to join us in the walk!  Sabra, my good friend and bridesmaid, designed our shirts!  I used to work with Eric, and just met his fiancé this weekend at the walk…I didn't know how much I touched Eric when we worked together, it's always nice to hear that you taught someone something and that they cherish it! 

I currently work with someone these gals and used to work with some of them, and look at them coming out to support me!  I am so incredibly blessed to have a huge support system, I couldn't get through this without them!

The archway we walked under to start the walk!!

The lung walk also had Lung Force Heros.  Four women with lung cancer told their story before the walk.  I had the pleasure of meeting one of them.  Lisa was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer with the EGFR mutation in August.  She got on a drug called Tarceva, and in April she was given the news that she is "no evidence of disease" (NED), which means that she could still have small cancer cells in her body, but they aren't big enough to light up on the PET scan.  It's amazing that after only 8 months of being on Tarceva, she is NED.  That gives me hope as Tarceva will be the drug that I will potentially be on after my 4th round of chemotherapy.  Even though I would never pick this battle for myself if I was given the choice, I have loved meeting people that really understand what I am going through and how all this cancer and chemotherapy stuff works!  

Today, I prayed for my family and thanked God that I was blessed with an amazing family, I thanked God that I felt good enough to play dinosaurs with Owen this weekend, I prayed that there will someday be a cure for lung disease, I prayed for Lisa, I prayed for each and everyone of my supporters that came to the lung walk, and I thanked him for him once again because without his almighty power to give me hope, courage, strength, and love to continue to fight my battle, I would be completely lost.