My first experience with cancer was in May of 2001 when my brother, Matt Smith, had to undergo emergency surgery which was thought to be appendicitis. Once surgery was complete we were told "we removed 2 1/2 feet of cancer from his intestines." He was stage 3 and the cancer quickly took over his entire body. He lost his short battle on November 1st, 6 months later. He was the third youngest in the United States to have this type of colon cancer. He was 21 years old.
There have been more losses including my Uncle Ron who passed away from pancreatic cancer a few years and Fred's Grandma Martin, also pancreatic cancer. My dad, Smitty, lost a kidney due to a cancerous tumor and my father-in-law, Fred Senior, who has been battling cancer for 17 years. The list go on. We also have Aunt's and Uncle's that have been recently diagnosed and in the early stages of treatments.
The main reason I plunge is to raise money for families. I am proud to be a part of this foundation, since the beginning. If it helps one person or one family, it's worth it.