Run for a Cure - for Mary

What a great morning we had this first day of October. Although it was a little brisk and threatening rain everyone on our team turned out for the Run for the Cure in honour of Mary (our next door neighbour). For those who don't know - Almost 1 year ago at 34 years old Mary (mother to a 2 year old daughter) was diagnosed with Breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and months of Chemo & Radiation. She is currently back to work, back to the gym and almost back to life pre-diagnosis except for the medication she will be on for the next 5 years and plans to remove the other breast. Watching someone so close to us go through something like this was heartwrenching but also inspiring at the same time. Mary is handling the whole situation with such dignity and strength - many times comforting us when we don't know what to say or do. She will talk so "matter-of-factly" about what her options for having another baby are while it brings me to tears everytime. Seeing her daughter Julia walking along with all of us today with her sign "I'm running for My Mommy" was enough to make any one of us young moms break down. Somehow the morning was filled with nothing but laughter and smiles. Mary is such a hero to me and I hope that in some small way I have been a help to her through this impossibly difficult time.

The "Pinky Dinky Doo" team

Close to 4000 participants were running/walking today

Mary in her pink "survivor" shirt was definitely turning heads this morning