You Went Over Goal

Thank you for your prayers.  Thank you for your financial support.  Together we raised $625 toward our goal of $424.  May God bless each of you.
What follows is the text of my address to the Relay for Life participants during the opening ceremonies.
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Look at you! You came out. And I’m glad you did.

You came out in honor of a father, a sister, and a nephew.

You came out in honor of a granddad, an aunt, and a cousin.

You are here. You came out. And you deserve a hand. Give yourselves a round of applause.

We have come out today for a lot of different reasons. I have my reasons, too. On July 18, 2011 I was told I had cancer. The diagnosis was stage 4 esophageal cancer. That’s why I take this event personally. I came out to see if I could join with enough people that, together, we could make a difference.

We are here to remember loved ones who have passed on.

We are here to support someone in the middle of their fight against cancer.

We are here because we have cancer or we had cancer.

But if the truth be told, we are here because we want to make a difference.

Every dollar raised at this event brings us closer to the time when cancer will be eradicated.

Until that day, those dollars support cancer victims and cancer research and this benefits every person who has cancer.

I told you that I was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. That was just 10 mos ago. I have been told that I am now cancer and symptom free. I am a survivor! SURVIVOR…Don’t you love that word?

I can only say that this is all because of God’s grace and the advances that have been made through cancer research. Research funded by this event and others like this one.

Today, we ARE making a difference, together.

Today, we take a stand against cancer, together.

Today, you came out. And I’m glad you did.

Thank you for being here.