My Road Warrior

I won't be making this journey alone!  Of course - I have the support of my family & friends...and my donors.  I got some good Angels watching over me...  (Hi Grandma & Justin - plus a chorus of angels who have left my life)...  I have the unconditional support of my husband, who thought I was crazy at first.  There's my best buddy Jeff & his family that are some of my biggest fans....  

But I need my road warrior, who has fought battles far greater than this one.  Let me introduce you to her pretty face

My Mama!

As many of you know, my mama & I have always been best friends.  We are pretty much inseparable & spend so much of pur free time together.

As you all know as well, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer in September of 2012.  Her road has been nothing short of an uphill battle since...  A failed operation & painful recovery...  Chemoradiation...  Chemo.  Blood transfusion.  Oxygen dependence.  A big scare.

But she's a fighter & one of my biggest inspirations.  She was giving 30% chance of making it 5 years when she was diagnosed.  This September will bring 4 years with continuous good reports from the oncologist.  

When I decided to make this trip - I knew I needed her to be there to Cheer me on.  Life's too short to waste another minute & she's always wanted to see the East Coast.  Plus she'll get to meet her other son's family finally as well.

I took a second job in Janurary to cover all our expenses for the trip out there.  Logistics have been a little hard since we'll need oxygen for her.  But no challenge is too big for me to handle.

(Side note: I've been asked if the funds raised for this will be going to cover the cost of my travel expenses.  Absolutely not.  All funds go to Best Buddies - I will not see a dime.  I'm also 100% liabile for all unraised funds on May 20th.  If I don't meet my fundraising goal, it will be out of my pocket.  My second job will pay for all our travel expenses.)

I look forward to being able to share this experience with my mom. She is the one that gave me my heart & taught me how to fight for all I wanted...

In a way - I'm doing this for her too.  If she can beat the odds, I can too.