Women's Expo

If you haven't met my good friend Michelle Hastings...you are really missing out.  She is an amazing woman I was lucky enough to meet through Kim.  She not only survived stage III colon cancer at the age of 31, she kicked it's *%$.  She has become the voice of colon cancer, as far as I'm concerned.  She volunteers too many hours, with too many organizations...but she has educated and saved innumerable lives.  She is a fighter.  A survivor.

I have always been vocal about colon cancer, but I never quite knew how to advocate for my cause beyond my own family and friends.  Michelle has helped me find my voice.  I wish I had the drive she had...I honestly don't think she actually sleeps.  I also don't think she knows what she means to those she serves, those she comforts, those she educates...those she loves.

Today she let me let me help her advocate at the Women's Expo.  The colon cancer alliance had a booth at the convention center (with at least a thousand other booths).  It was very satisfying to spend time, not only with Michelle, but handing out literature and talking to women about this awful disease that somehow has parked itself smack-dab in the middle of my life.

When my mom was diagnosed, I didn't know enough about life to understand the totality that is colon cancer...then add in the mix HNPCC.  Awesome.  Then add in some education about it all...then add up my relatives that have suffered from colon cancer...my grandpa, my mom, and eventually my grandma...then add in my uncle who lost his battle to the related pancreatic cancer...we can't forget the precancerous polyps removed from Regina's colon during the majority of her colonoscopies...and Ryan's had some too.  Then I married into a colon cancer gene pool.  Mike's mom has had a large benign tumor, his brother has too...not to mention the two precancerous polyps Mike had removed during his colonoscopy a few months back.  Mike's Uncle lost his battle to colon cancer less than two years ago.  Then I add in the Kim factor..and my Michelle factor.  Oh- and don't forget our neighbor, Lee.  He's still fighting the fight...even thought we aren't sure how that's possible.  He is amazing. 

It's laugh or cry at this point...we choose to laugh (usually at completely inappropriate times).

I have so many reasons to advocate for the second leading cancer killer...it's so easy to prevent.

Just think if everyone that knew how easy that little test is...and we each told five people...and they each told five people...and so on...just think how many people would be educated about this nasty killer.

I'm hoping to raise a good amount of money for the Undy 5000 this year.  I know times are tight, but that's why my team needs to raise even more money.  If our team is the same size as last year (and everyone actually paid their $25 instead of just showing up)...and each member got $50 in donations...Holy crap we could raise an incredible amount of money.  How much money can Rodgers' Rumps & Kim's Keesters raise? 

That's my goal. Advocate.  Raise money.