MAY 9th - A DAY OF APPRECIATION AND AWARENESS

[Susan Beausang]

Mothers Day is a day to reflect on our love for Mom and to recognize
that nothing else contributes to our own strengths, confidence and
ability to love than having been loved deeply and unconditionally by our
Mothers. Mothers Day has also become a day of activism among women and
families touched by cancer.

This year Mothers Day has been designated as “Women’s Health and Cancer Awareness Day”! Individuals, teams, organizations and communities everywhere are using this day to advocate for the well-being of
Mothers. Mothers Day has also become a time to get out and get moving
in solidarity, in memory of loved ones and in an effort to raise the
funds that will enable us to defeat cancer.

Ten years ago, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. I traveled to NYC on Mothers Day weekend to join her team in the Revlon Run/Walk for Women, a premier event to raise money for the fight against women’s cancer. I
began this race with a heavy heart as this was my second sister to be
diagnosed with breast cancer. It was quite an emotional event for me to
see so many thousands of participants with a common mission - to
support a mother, sister, aunt or just a friend in the battle against
women’s cancer. I was enveloped in a massive sea of strangers, all
deeply connected by a determination to beat cancer. This event opened
my eyes to the empowering and inspiring roles these events play in our
collective experiences with cancer.

This massive movement to raise awareness through athletic endeavors has been steadily growing over the past decade as well as the notion that moderate exercise during cancer therapy is not only safe and
possible, but it can actually improve physical functioning and quality
of life! Many cancer care teams are now urging their patients to be as
physically active as possible during their treatment. Participating in
a cancer awareness event may be just what you need to transform
exercise into a source of fun, stress relief, hope and a sense of
solidarity and empowerment. Time to get moving to “unite and fight” and
together we can do our part to try and banish cancer from our lives and
those of our children.

Some premier events worth noting:

Yoga Unites for Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, Walk to Empower (held in 10 Cities), Mother’s Day Classic
(Australia), Susan G Komen Mother’s
Day Race for the Cure - held in many cities!

Susan M. Beausang

4women.com