Race for the Cure!

This past weekend Gracie and I got to be apart of an amazing event. We got to honor my Gram. She was the Race for the Cure's Honorary Survivor in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 50 years ago when she was 29. She had 4 small children, the youngest (my mom) was 4. She underwent major surgery which left her with a hole in her chest and a scar the size of a piece of bread on her upper thigh where they took skin to cover the hole. They didn't have the modern technology back then that we do now. She went through the disease alone because they also didn't talk about it. I'm so proud of my Gram. I think the most moving thing was watching the husbands tear up when my Gram was introduced. Some were standing next to their wife's who were recently diagnosed or who had just undergone chemo. To see my Gram not only standing with her children, her grandchildren, but her great-grandchildren gave them hope to hold onto. We met 1 young mom who had a 2 year old and had just undergone her first chemo treatment. Her husband was walking with her and my Gram was such an inspiration to them. They sought her out to meet her because they heard there was a 50 year survivor at the walk! It was truly amazing. They are aware of 1 other survivor in the United States who has survived longer. So many memories of my childhood have my Gram in them. I can't imagine my life without her!