Run for the Cure gets personal
Team Tina’s Breast Friend have raised more than $12,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. They'll be participating in the October 5 Run for the Cure fundraiser.
By Tina Jensen
I never thought the lump in my breast, which I had left unchecked for six months, would turn out to be breast cancer. Why would I need to worry? Ten years earlier, I had a benign cyst and also had no family history of breast cancer. So, the thought of breast cancer never crossed my mind. Besides, as my mother liked to say, Chinese people don’t get breast cancer!
Two weeks after my diagnosis I started the first of eight grueling chemotherapy cycles that would take me to the Grand River Cancer Centre, in Kitchener, every two weeks. Along with the terrible side effects of chemotherapy, one of the hardest parts of fighting this terrible disease was the impact that it had on my children. My son Sam was finishing grade two and had to deal with the fact that his mother, who for most of his little life, had long black hair was completely bald.
My chemotherapy finished the day after my 41st birthday, on September 14 ; I participated in my first Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Curethree weeks later. It was amazing to me to see the sea of pink walking through the streets of Guelph. All of those people walking with one common goal, to find a cure for this terrible disease.
Two weeks after that first CIBC Run for the Cure, I underwent a unilateral mastectomy followed by 32 rounds of radiation. I finished my last treatment on January 7, 2011. Throughout my treatments, I relied on the support of my wonderful husband John, my family, my friends, and my breast cancer support group. Their support and encouragement meant the world to me.
The CIBC Run for the Cure has become an annual event at our house. My friends and family walk together as Team Tina’s Breast Friends. Through fundraising efforts such as a Pulled Pork dinner and Dirty Bingo for Boobs, Tina’s Breast Friends have raised more than $12,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Money that will go towards education, advocacy and research grants.
Run day is always an emotional morning. I think about my own journey, how incredibly lucky I am. I think about the countless women who have won the fight against breast cancer; I also mourn those who didn’t – those women who were mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, friends and neighbours. Because of the support and the money raised for the CIBC Run for the Cure, my daughter Elizabeth will hopefully one day have a future without breast cancer.
One day.
This year, there is a new Run site – the Toronto Zoo. Families are encouraged to sign up for the 1km or 5km Run/Walk and after, enjoy a day at the Zoo on Sunday, Oct. 5.
For details visit www.runforthecure.com.
