Help Sally raise money

When I was 12, my parents told me that mama was going on a business trip to Australia. My mom had gone there several times for work, but this time it was going to be 3 months instead of just a few weeks. Every few days my mom would call me on the phone at obscure hours - this was before FaceTime was a thing. I never doubted for a second that she was across the globe from me, taking time out of her busy schedule to call me and making sure I’m on top of my school work. When my mom came back, her hair looked totally different - maybe she got a haircut in Australia? 

It wasn’t until a year later did my parents finally reveal to me that my mom was not actually in Australia - she was at the hospital getting a mastectomy and going through chemotherapy. She had been wearing a wig until her real hair grew back out, and they finally decided to tell me the truth. I processed that information the best way a 13 year-old knew how, but was relieved that she was healed. My mom went back to work, got promoted, all was well. It was a nightmare, but it was over.

Until 2015.

I had been studying at Carnegie Mellon for a year, and my mom was transferring to her company’s office in Akron, OH. I was overjoyed to finally have a home in the US - until I got a call from my mom telling me that her move had to be delayed due to pleural effusion. Her cancer had come back and metastasized. 

Ultimately my parents decided to move to Pittsburgh since that’s where I lived, and that UPMC has an excellent cancer treatment program. They continued to live there for the next 6 years, even after I’d graduated and moved to northern Virginia. The staff at UPMC Magee was incredibly attentive, and provided several treatment options as my mom’s body developed resistance to each option over time. 

I lost my mom on January 7th, 2021. I miss her dearly, every single day. I am, however, incredibly lucky that she was receiving treatment from UPMC Magee. I know she wouldn’t have lived as long as she did without her knowledgeable team of doctors and nurses. 

I’ve always considered Pittsburgh to be my second hometown, which is why I decided to run my first ever half marathon here. I’d love to use this opportunity to raise funds for UPMC Magee Women’s Research Institute, so that one day we may find a cure for breast cancer, and no one else would need to go through my pain again. Please consider donating to my cause - any amount helps. I’ll be forever grateful. 

Fuck cancer