I'm walking in honor of my friend Emma Greig, who passed away last Christmas five weeks after a diagnosis of aggressive melanoma. She left behind a 3 year old daughter, a partner, and two adult stepdaughters. Her presence is felt every day and I miss her terribly. Devastatingly, this mimics my cousin's story, who passed away in 2009 at 40yo leaving two daughters, 4 and 7 years old at the time. I walk for Meighan and for her daughters, Emma and Bella.

Cancer seems to have continually touched my life since I was a young girl when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is fortunately cancer free now for over 30 years, but the impact of cancer continues. My dad is currently fighting multiple myeloma with newly regrown hair from a recent treatment. Two aunts underwent treatment this summer from different cancers, and an uncle has also been battling multiple myeloma for over 10 years now. 

I am grateful that each has a robust community that has rallied around them and that they have financial resources to provide good care. But they still need to connect with people who are going through a similar diagnosis or prognosis or know what it takes to move through all the treatments and get out the other side. 

I am walking because no one should have to navigate a cancer diagnosis alone.