HS relay for life speach

Fear-Embrace it and it will go away. Public speaking and being bald are 2 of my biggest fears. I am here today to face and embrace them in hopes that these fears will go away.
(take off my hat) Go ahead and laugh, my mechanism for overcoming my baldness is envisioning all of you with bald heads!
I like to start each day with GRATITUDE and THANKS! So to God, my Doctor, my family, and my community of which you are all a VITAL part, THANK YOU. Thank you for your participation in Relay for Life.
Today is a celebration of LIFE. Congratulate yourselves for making a positive difference by challenging yourselves to go physically beyond you comfort levels for such a worthy cause. I would ask you to make one more concession of you comfort levels and that is that you give and ask generously, AGAIN BEYOND YOUR COMFORT LEVEL , for money to fund the American Cancer Society for much needed research.
I would ask you today to do one more thing for yourselves and for those that come after you. Make up your genetic family tree. Make up a genetic family tree noting where your relatives came from and what diseases they may have had. Genetics play a huge part of determining what each and everyone you and yours will face in the future as it relates to CANCER and many other diseases. Passing this kind of information on to your kids, grand kids, and great grandchildren WILL make a difference in saving lives. PLEASE DO THIS!
Look around you. There are 12 million cancer survivors nation wide, each 25 second is a new diagnosis. More than 70% of teens in HS have already been impacted by cancer whether by a personal diagnosis, or family, or friend. Listen to each other on the track and at the camp out. We need each other as well as draw strength from one another. This is a classic ripple effect. We communicate and support each other by so doing. Drop a stone in the water and watch the ripples cast themselves 360 degrees in all directions pushing aside all obstacles in their way.ctions and reverberate on obstacles in their way. And so it is with our communications; we get more than we give.
Some of you may be asking, "Who are you?". I'm Wanda Calderon's cancer buddy, retired swimming coach's (Steve Sussex's ) wife, MIHS swimmers Sean and Erica's mom, Bonnie Sanborn's Real Estate partner, bald crazy runner, as well as friend to many who have supported me and my family in this wonderful community of love, Mercer Island.
25 years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and I quickly became her caregiver. During this time I felt hopeless and alone. I turned to running in order to cope with the pain-not unlike Forrest Gump who ran to ease his own pain, soon to be joined by crowds with and in support of him. Today, like Forrest, I run with others in support of their unspoken challenges. During my Mother's illness I watched her strength wain as well as fear of the family and friends surrounding her. In those days cancer was more of an absolute death sentence than it is today, and no one wanted to talk about it. Our conversations during those last days produced indelible memories that I will cherish forever.
May 17, 2007, I was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. My 48 year old Cousin had recently died of ovarian cancer of which, until my diagnosis, I didn't know, was closely linked to breast Cancer, from which both my mother and grandmother died. Basically I had dropped the ball on doing my genetic medical history research and consequently was totally blindsided with my diagnosis. How many have heard about a new vaccine for cervical cancer that is for teenagers? Research is advancing rapidly thanks to benefits such as The Relay for Life.

Several years ago my son, Sean, was training for the Olympic Trials. I marveled at his strength and determination, and during one of my runs began to wonder what words I could use to inspire and motivate him to attain that extra .04 seconds, to kick harder, swim faster, and kick some butt. It was on that run these thoughts developed into words that would later come full circle. I wrote them unknowingly for myself. As I approached 53rd street that day-my most dreaded hill on Mercer Island, I embraced these words to fuel the relentless pain of that hill. I challenge my hills every day and challenge you to go forth and pass this on, thereby causing your own "Ripple effect".
Here are those words:
"CHALLENGE THE HILLS YOU MUST CLIMB AND THE ATTITUDE IT TAKES TO SURMOUNT THEM. BUILD YOUR TEAM WITH LOVE FOR THAT IS WHERE YOU GROW YOUR STRENGTH. AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE WHAT OTHERS ONLY DREAM..."